Schelde Schakels is entering the digital age! This is the first online edition of the trusted newsletter from Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen and Damen Schelde Marine Services. The newsletter is now not only digital, but also bilingual; it will now appear in a Dutch and an English version and with a higher monthly frequency.

Peter Sterkenburg, Hein van Ameijden en Arnold Suykerbuyk Peter Sterkenburg, Hein van Ameijden en Arnold Suykerbuyk

Ater the recent release of our extended anniversary print publication of Schelde Schakels – commemorating 100 editions – we announced the launch of a bilingual digital version.

If we browse back to July 1999, to the first edition of ‘Schakels’, we can only conclude that the world has changed enormously in the past twenty years. The Internet has boomed and social media now plays a decisive role in everyday life. In short, we are living in a digital age where new developments follow each other at breakneck speed.

Looking at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, we see a modern shipbuilder that is fully responsive to all the opportunities and challenges that this digital era offers. A company that occupies a leading position in European shipbuilding and, with a skilled, international team, always strives for the best for its customers. A company that prides itself on being able to build the most complex ships for both civil and military use.

Much has changed since 1999, when the Koninklijke Schelde Groep, at the time almost entirely run by the State, was in dire straits. After almost 125 years of operations, De Schelde was teetering on the edge of collapse.

In 2000, however, the tide turned as Damen Shipyards Group took over the yard. Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen (formerly known as Scheldepoort), and Damen Schelde Marine Services (which grew out of the former Machinefabriek) are now well-established and healthy companies with firm roots in the Zeeland economy.

A few years after the downturn of the offshore market and the decline in regular ship repair work, Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen focused more on refits of mega yachts and maintenance of naval vessels. The combination of mega yachts, naval vessels and regular maintenance work was successful, and DSV continued to invest in the following years to become even stronger in these markets. The relationship with both DSNS and Damen Yachting remains very important to DSV because their joint approach to projects makes the Zeeland-based Damen companies stronger.

After the takeover by Damen, it became easier for the then Schelde Marine Services to adapt to market forces and customer demands. As a separate company within the Group, the company not only became more efficient and more flexible, but also profitable. By hiring the right people for the job, Damen Schelde Marine Services was able to make a very successful start. After a difficult period during the financial and euro crisis, DSMS has undergone a transformation that has focused on (digital) innovation, expansion of products and services, and an intensive knowledge transfer to new colleagues. Based on 100 years of Sulzer experience, DSMS sees a bright future and, thanks to its enthusiastic and ambitious team, can supply spare parts to thousands of ships.

In short, there is plenty to read in this newsletter. The new digital version of Scheldt Schakels now connects nicely to the world around us. We hope you enjoy it…!

Hein van Ameijden
Managing Director Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding

Peter Sterkenburg
Managing Director Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen

Arnold Suykerbuyk
Managing Director Damen Schelde Marine Services

To overview