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Damen Naval has been using the expertise of Hatenboer-Water for years, to the mutual satisfaction of both companies. The Schiedam-based family company is supplying the equipment for clean and safe drinking water on board the Combat Support Ship (CSS), the new supply ship that Damen Naval is building for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The CSS replaces the HNLMS Amsterdam, which was taken out of service in 2014. Hatenboer-Water was founded in 1906. What started as a modest company supplying seagoing vessels with clean water in the port of Rotterdam has grown into a global player with offices in Singapore, Dubai and Houston.
The latest addition to the Dutch Navy fleet – the almost 180-metre long supply ship HNLMS Den Helder, planned for commissioning in 2024 – will be equipped with the most modern installations available for safe and clean drinking water on board. Hatenboer-Water, renowned maker of water treatment installations, is supplying the RO units for the vessel. RO units produce drinking water from seawater using reverse osmosis. The Schiedam company is also building the so-called hydrophore (pressure booster) for the CSS. This installation will ensure that the desalinated water flows from storage tanks to the taps.
And thanks to Hatenboer-Water, the crew will be able to shower with warm water because the company is also providing the Den Helder with an installation that can heat drinking water. Guy Heijnen is Commercial Director of Hatenboer-Water. He explains that it is crucial that ships, and especially navy ships, have clean drinking water on board. On this point, Guy says that his company is once again happy to be of service for Damen Naval. “We have already carried out several projects for Damen Naval, also for foreign navies, and we also take on assignments for the Damen Group as a whole,” he says.
Guy Heijnen, Commercial Director at Hatenboer-Water
“We can equip ships with all the on-board technical installations that are required to produce drinking water up to the moment it comes out of the tap. We also have an advice and consultancy branch, which helps shipping companies when there is a problem with the water supply on board. This combination of supplying systems as well as advice and guidance makes us a unique player in our industry – one that shipping companies and other companies will hopefully continue to rely on in the future.” Because Hatenboer-Water not only supplies systems for clean water to the shipping and offshore sectors, other industries – for example, horticulture – are happy to make use of its expertise.
"We are therefore proud that we can supply systems to Damen and thus play an important role in our shipbuilding sector.”
Damen Naval asked Hatenboer-Water to provide and safeguard the entire drinking water supply chain for the CSS, says the Commercial Director. To that end, they are building the RO (Reverse Osmosis) units in addition to the hot water supply and the hydrophore. During the process of increasing the water pressure from the tanks to the taps, the water will even undergo an extra after-treatment when it will be additionally filtered and disinfected, so that every potentially harmful particle is removed. Furthermore, no risks are being taken in the hot water supply on the new supply vessel.
A watermaker built by Hatenboer-Water on board a ship.
“Bacteria live in warm water,” says Guy, “but by permanently circulating the warm water in the tank and pipes at a temperature of more than 60 degrees, bacteria do not stand a chance.” He is happy with Damen as a client. “A highly valued customer, with whom we have been working for years,” stresses Guy. “And, certainly in combination with the Defence Materiel Organization (DMO), Damen Naval is an essential partner in our customer base – a client in which we must therefore invest.” Hatenboer-Water is currently busy designing the drinking water installations for the CSS based on requirements designated by DMO.
Those drawings go to Damen Naval for comment and/or approval, after which Hatenboer can purchase the necessary parts. “We now operate worldwide, but at the same time remain a truly Dutch company that is close to its customers,” says Guy. “We are therefore proud that we can supply systems to Damen and thus play an important role in our shipbuilding sector.”