Damen Supports Team AkzoNobel in Volvo Ocean Race

Damen Shipyards Group is proud to announce its partnership with team AkzoNobel in the Volvo Ocean Race. The Dutch shipbuilding company has provided onshore workshop containers that act as mobile technical operations areas for the team’s supporting shore crews, enabling the team to achieve its aims. In this respect, the partnership was a natural choice for Damen that parallels the way in which the group works with its clients. 

Damen Project Manager Olivier Stuip explains: “We saw an opportunity to support team AkzoNobel with the experience we have gained in providing services to our customers. Damen operates yards and Service Hubs all over the world, from which we assist our clients in keeping their vessels performing safely and optimally. Applying our understanding of logistics and partnering we have developed with the team a support package to assist them in their Volvo Ocean Race attempt.”

The Volvo Ocean Race is a grueling round-the-world yacht race, held every three years. The 2017-18 edition started in Alicante, Spain on October 22, 2017. The course circumnavigates the world, crossing four oceans as the distance tally reaches more than 80,000 kilometers before finishing in The Hague, the Netherlands in June 2018.

A new name in the world of ocean yacht racing, team AkzoNobel is a Dutch team, skippered by double America’s Cup winner Simeon Tienpont. The team’s principal sponsor, AkzoNobel, is a leading global paints and performance coatings company and major producer of specialty chemicals, supplying essential ingredients, protection and color to industries and consumers worldwide.

Ambitions of victory

For the 2017-18 edition, Damen has supplied two workshop containers to team AkzoNobel. These will ‘leapfrog’ each other as the race progresses on its 11-leg course around the world, thus ensuring that the team will have workshop facilities available at all times.

“I have worked with workshop containers for other sailing teams in the America’s Cup, but this is something else,” states Bryce Ruthenberg, team AkzoNobel shore crew manager and reserve sailor. “It was new for Damen to outfit us for the Volvo Ocean Race, but they have taken things to a new level. They have been very cooperative and understanding – coming up with lot of professional advice and ideas.”

Around the world

“We will use these Damen containers onshore as an efficient workshop for our team,” he says. “We strive to be 100 percent both on and off the water. And achieving 100 percent out of the water is going to help us win on the water. Teaming up with Damen and having a quality like this really fits in with our way of thinking.”

Ruthenberg worked with Damen to coordinate the outfitting and delivery of the containers. “Coming from the yachting industry and seeing such a professional shipyard in production and working as it does is super impressive,” he says.

Supplier network

Damen called on its extensive network of suppliers, normally involved in the company’s shipbuilding operations, to supply the equipment for the two containers. These business partners included the following companies:

Den Breejen: painting
Franssen Groep: insulation
Caru: containers
Can der Peijl Techniek: tools and equipment
Pooters: delivery of marine panels
Eekels: electrical installation
De Ruijter: floor covering
Van Caetenburgh: graphic design
Esbi: decals