Damen Shipyards Opens Norwegian Office
On 16 November 2012, Arnout Damen, COO of Damen Shipyards Group, officially opened a new office in Norwegian Stavanger. The new sales manager Remko Hottentot said that it is the European Oil & Gas capital and the place the ONS Exhibition and conferences are held. He calls Stavanger a mini-Houston.
Mr Hottentot has an international nautical background and experience in the Offshore and LNG industries. He married to a Norwegian lady over 22 years ago, speaks the language fluently and it is therefore no surprise that he feels quite at home in Norway.
Three Damen Ocean-going Patrol Vessels of the Holland Class were docked at Vågen, close to the office in the centre of Stavanger. One of the vessels, HNLMS Zeeland, was visited by the invitees at the opening. Mr Hottentot recognised Damen still is a modest player in the offshore industry, but experienced in designing and building PSV’s, Seismic research support vessels, fast crew suppliers and offshore wind catamarans. Customers can buy virtually off the shelf. One Norwegian customer found that out when he told them he was looking for a 10m long tugboat. On second thought, he said, a 12m long vessel would be more suitable. He could immediately show him both and arrange delivery within two months, if so desired.
Damen offers a wide range of ships, such as tugs, workboats, patrol vessels, high speed crafts, dredgers, cargo vessels, PSV’s, oil-spill response vessels, patrol vessels, frigates and even mega yachts. Product design and engineering are carried out in-house and a broad range of standard designs is available. Damen’s product development policy is driven by an extensive R&D programme, customer feedback and (field) experience.
