Subscribe to the newsletter
At the start of 2024, Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene promised that it would be a challenging and hectic year. That prediction came true, as with the keel laying of the first F126 frigate for Germany, a contract for two additional F126 frigates, a contract for a SIGMA 10514 for Colombia, the sea trials of the Combat Support Ship (CSS) Den Helder, and new service contracts, it was a productive year. 2025 also promises to be a busy year, as Damen Naval is celebrating a special milestone: the company’s 150th anniversary. There is also the christening of the Combat Support Ship in February and its handover to the Materiel & IT Command (COMMIT) in the spring.
The Combat Support Ship arrived at the yard on Friday 13 December 2024 (with HNLMS Rotterdam in the background at Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen).
“It has been a year of ups and downs. Fortunately, there were many ups in the form of the contract for two additional F126 frigates, a very nice contract with Colombia and service contracts with Indonesia and Morocco. These service contracts are fully in line with our mission to design and build ships as well as maintain them,” Roland says. “Not everything is going the way we want it to. The stability of systems, applications and processes is not at the desired level. Partly because of this, we are not achieving the desired progress on our projects. For this reason, we created STEP in early 2024 and that initiative will continue for as long as necessary. And there have been other challenges: when you grow from 400 to 1,200 staff, facilities come under pressure. I want you to know that we are working hard to make sure everyone has a healthy and safe working environment.”
“In 2025, our company will be 150 years old. This is a huge milestone, and I am immensely proud to be able to call myself Managing Director of Damen Naval this very year." Roland Briene
Damen Naval signed a contract with the yard COTECMAR for a SIGMA 10514 for the Colombian Navy.
A highlight of the past year was the signing of a letter of intent between Damen Naval and the Dutch Ministry of Defence to formalise our strategic collaboration. It means that Damen Naval will be involved in upcoming newbuilding projects at a much earlier stage. “Everyone who reads the newspaper knows that the world is on fire and many people, including the new secretary-general of NATO, are warning us to prepare for the unexpected,” Roland explains. “This is also why the Dutch Ministry of Defence calls on us to make sure we are ready. The strategic cooperation agreement is a very positive development; partly the result of the current situation in the world and partly the result of our hard work in recent years, in which we have put customer intimacy at the forefront.”
Roland with CSS Project Director Arjan Risseeuw on the helideck of the Combat Support Ship Den Helder.
One of Roland’s personal highlights of 2024 was a short trip aboard the CSS where he sailed from Den Helder to Vlissingen from Thursday to Friday. The ship was in Den Helder for a Replenishment at Sea (RAS) trial as part of its sea trials. “I have been aboard a sailing naval ship many times before, but that was during the Navy sailing days or SAIL Den Helder. Usually, you then stand on the aft deck having a drink, but I was so keen to immerse myself in life aboard a working ship for once. It was fantastic. I really admire the work that our people on board did together with the crew and COMMIT during the four weeks of the sea trials.”
Roland predicts that the anniversary year 2025 will be another important year for Damen Naval. “In 2025, our company will be 150 years old. This is a huge milestone, and I am immensely proud to be able to call myself Managing Director of Damen Naval this very year. It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our current employees and all those who came before us that we are celebrating 150 years of maritime mastery.” Several celebrations and activities will be organised around the anniversary this year. One of the first achievements is the installation of an illuminated column with the company name and anniversary logo in front of the headquarters in Vlissingen.
"The strategic cooperation agreement is a very positive development; partly the result of the current situation in the world and partly the result of our hard work in recent years, in which we have put customer intimacy at the forefront.” Roland Briene
Roland in conversation with Secretary of Defence Gijs Tuinman, who had come to Vlissingen to welcome the CSS.
In its Strategy & Business Plan 2025, Damen Naval has looked to the year ahead and laid out the route for the company. Roland: “We have a healthy order book and many projects on the horizon. In these turbulent times, the Ministry of Defence wants to secure our capacity in the design, construction, and maintenance of its fleet. We now speak of a strategic partner instead of the traditional customer-supplier relationship. This allows the navy to focus on their main task: defending the territory of the Netherlands and our allies. They are asking us to scale up and what we need for that is efficiency. Both in our own processes and in the creation of upcoming contracts.”
The German Navy ordered two additional F126 frigates, bringing the total to six ships.
That is why the company has chosen to focus on its internal organisation in 2025: on stability, efficiency and commitment. “Efficiency in our company is not yet at the level where we want it to be,” Roland explains. “That has to do with our systems, processes, the training of our people and the engagement of our employees. That is what we want to focus on in the coming year. When our systems work, the processes are right, the people are trained and the desired leadership emerges, engagement goes up and with it our efficiency.”
“As a company, we do such great things, and we all work very hard on many great projects at the same time. So, it’s important that we also keep having fun.” Roland Briene
Time to have fun: Roland during the Damen Naval Crazy Xmas Party.
Roland referred to King Willem Alexander’s New Year speech in which two points were made that also apply to Damen Naval and its employees. “First of all, everyone should be able to work in a free and safe environment. In addition, we need to keep talking to each other. Let’s not forget face-to-face contact. I call on everyone to get in touch with your colleagues. Ask how they are doing and listen to their answer.”
And finally, Roland had one more piece of advice for his colleagues: “As a company, we do such great things, and we all work very hard on many great projects at the same time. So, it’s important that we also keep having fun.”