Eekels | TBI contributes to successful Mid-Life Update of Zr.Ms. Luymes and Zr.Ms. Snellius

Eekels has successfully completed the electrical work forming part of the Mid-Life Update of the Zr.Ms. Luymes and Zr.Ms. Snellius.

The Zr.Ms. Luymes and Zr.Ms. Snellius are hydrographic survey vessels (HSVs) whose primary task is to map out the sea bed. The Royal Netherlands Navy’s Hydrographic Service uses this information to create nautical charts etc.

By order of and in collaboration with Damen Shipyards Den Helder, Eekels has spent almost two years working on the engineering, work preparation and installation work on board the two vessels. Besides maintenance of cabling and ducts, a number of systems have been completely replaced or modernised such as the phone, navigation lighting, fire alarm and CCTV systems.

The collaboration between Damen and Eekels has gone brilliantly for both parties.

William de Boer, (former) Project coordinator at Damen, explains: “We at Damen are very aware that you can’t build vessels on your own. You generally work together as a team that doesn’t just have the expertise and experience to tackle the complexity of matters, but also has the mindset to convey it properly in a high-quality piece of work. As far as that is concerned, the Eekels employees’ Mid-Life Update (MLU) of the HSVs has been impressive.”

Although the majority of the cabling was still in good condition and didn’t need to be replaced, in total over 23 kilometres of cable were replaced between the two HSVs.

Martin de Kroon, Project Manager E&I at Damen, explains: “With complex vessels such as the Zr.Ms. Luymes and Zr. Ms. Snellius, you need parties who understand the job, who, with just a few words, are swiftly able to identify what direction to take and to resolve matters. We felt that ‘click’ with Eekels’ installation team and had definitely come to the right place – and that was fantastic!”

Thanks to the Mid-Life Update, both vessels, which were originally commissioned in 2003/2004, are now being used again long-term by the Royal Netherlands Navy.