Heinen & Hopman to Supply HVAC-R & CBRN filter systems for Warfare Frigates

[By: Damen Naval]

With Heinen & Hopman, Dutch shipbuilder Damen Naval has again found a Dutch supplier for the prestigious Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates. The company, based in Spakenburg will supply the climate and filtration systems for the four new frigates being built for the Netherlands and Belgium. Following Thales and RH Marine, Heinen & Hopman is the third ‘home-grown’ supplier to be linked to the project.

“With this contract, we are fulfilling our promise to involve as many Dutch suppliers as possible in this project,” explains Roland Briene, Managing Director of Damen Naval. “By doing so, we ensure that we share the knowledge we accumulate on this frigate project with as large a part of the Dutch shipbuilding industry as possible. Like Damen, Heinen & Hopman is a family business and because of their quality systems and their hands-on and flexible way of working, they are the perfect fit with Damen Naval.” The scope of the contract includes a complete Heating, Ventilation, Air conditioning, Refrigeration system (HVAC-R). The company specialises in marine applications that can continue to function in the most challenging conditions. In addition, Heinen & Hopman will also supply a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear filtration system (CBRN) to protect the ship and especially the crew from chemical, biological or nuclear attacks.

Damen Naval and Heinen & Hopman have already collaborated on several projects. The company also supplied the HVAC-R systems for the Joint Support Ship HNLMS Karel Doorman, the Combat Support Ship Den Helder currently under construction and the SIGMA Frigates for Indonesia, Morocco, and Mexico.

“We are incredibly proud we have once again been chosen as Damen Naval’s partner, now for the ASW frigates. With our extensive experience on various types of naval vessels and expertise in ultra-quiet and energy-efficient HVAC-R systems, we are the right choice for these wonderful ships,” says Joep Hopman, CEO Heinen & Hopman.

The four ASW frigates are to replace the current Karel Doorman-class multipurpose frigates built between 1985 and 1991 by Damen Naval (then called Koninklijke Maatschappij de Schelde). The new frigates can be used for multiple tasks; however, the emphasis will be on anti-submarine warfare. The first ship is scheduled to be delivered by Damen Naval in 2028.