Damen Naval & Alewijnse New Dutch & Belgian Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates

[By: Damen]

Damen Naval has contracted Dutch company Alewijnse for the complete systems integration on board the Anti-Submarine Warfare frigates (ASWF). The two companies have signed a contract for the design, engineering, installation, and integration of all electrical systems, including power distribution and lighting installations of the four new frigates being built for the Netherlands and Belgium.

“Our cooperation with Alewijnse goes back many years and many projects,” says Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene. “We are delighted that we can work together once again on the ASWF project and that we have once again found a Dutch supplier. This ensures that the knowledge and experience will be shared with as many parties in the Dutch naval shipbuilding sector as possible. This strengthens the Dutch position in the world's top of complex naval construction." Damen Naval and Alewijnse have previously worked together on various projects including the Joint Support Ship HNLMS Karel Doorman, Landing Platform Dock HNLMS Rotterdam, the Holland-Class Ocean Going Patrol Vessels (OPV) and the Combat Support Ship Den Helder, which is still under construction.

The new ASW-frigates are the replacements for the current Karel Doorman-Class of multi-purpose frigates. The new frigates will also be capable of taking on a variety of tasks, although the emphasis will be on anti-submarine warfare. The ships will have hybrid diesel-electric propulsion and will be designed to operate as quietly as possible. There will also be a comprehensive suite of sensors on board to detect submarines.

“We are very proud to be working with Damen Naval on this prestigious project for COMMIT. This extensive and complex project demonstrates once again what the Dutch maritime sector can achieve through the power of cooperation," says Alewijnse CEO Gert Bravenboer.

"We are looking forward to starting the project," adds Alewijnse Segment Manager Florin Nicutaru. "It is always good to work with Damen Naval. ASWF is a complex project, with high requirements and in a complicated environment. Having undertaken many defence and security-related projects in the past, we are well prepared. Every segment of our organisation will play an integral role in this project, integrating the diverse participants and their distinct electrical systems into a comprehensive final product that will meet the end users’ expectations in terms of functionality, user-friendliness, and performance.”

The ASWF project is being carried out in close cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Defence, with some of the work to be carried out by the MoD itself. The hulls will be built in Romania and then come to Vlissingen for further completion. Damen Naval is expected to deliver the first ship in 2028.