Shipyard De Hoop BFM 80

SHIPYARD DE HOOP

SILVER ORIGIN STORY

SHIPYARD DE HOOP

WE LEARN ABOUT THE EXEMPLARY STANDARDS OF SHIPYARD DE HOOP, AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR LATEST CRUISE SHIP.

SILVER ORIGIN STORY PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE

Shipyard De Hoop has been in service since 1889. Over the last 130 years, it has grown and developed into one of the most established shipyards of the world-famous Dutch shipbuilding industry. De Hoop has risen to this position thanks to its relentless focus on designing, engineering and building custom vessels for the seagoing and inland markets with De Hoop’s characteristic down-to-earth approach. This approach is guided by the shipyard’s CEO and sole owner, Patrick Janssens, who plays a hands-on role in the shipyard’s day-to-day management through his additional role as one of the company’s board of three directors.

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e Hoop’s involvement doesn’t end when a ship reaches the water, however. Shipyard De Hoop’s goal is to offer the complete package of products and services, supporting ship owners throughout the lifetime of their vessel. This means providing customer finance, design studies, turnkey shipbuilding, designing & building interiors and ship repair, maintenance & conversions.

However, shipbuilding is the heart of what De Hoop does, and it carries out this work at its two state-of-the-art shipbuilding facilities. One of these facilities is De Hoop Lobith, based in the Dutch province of Gelderland.

This is also where you will find the design, planning and engineering offices alongside De Hoop’s Head Office. The other facility, De Hoop Foxhol, is in the province of Groningen.

Eekels is a technical specialist for Marine & Offshore applications (drives, automation), as well as an innovative co-producer of shipping concepts and an independent electrical system integrator. Eekels is both a product partner and a one-stop shop with a full range of services including panel building. More than a century of know-how and experience, almost 600 qualified staff and worldwide partners & service.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Jan Hoegee Director M&O division J.Hoegee@eekels.com

www.eekels.com This is a smaller shipyard the company acquired in 2007.

What both sites have in common is the in-house tools, facilities and core disciplines necessary to build a complete vessel, supported by an outfitting quay in the Rotterdam harbour area.

“ACROSS THESE FACILITIES, DE HOOP’S STAFF ARE COMMITTED TO THE COMPANY’S CUSTOMERORIENTED ETHIC.” VALUES TO SAIL BY

Across these facilities, De Hoop’s staff are committed to the company’s customeroriented ethic. That ethic places top priority on quality, creativity, innovation and flexibility towards the client. De Hoop’s shipyards embrace the latest technology and are constantly looking for new facilities to invest in, ways to evolve their

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

services, and how to expand their expertise. No two De Hoop ships are exactly alike, but they are all built according to a goal-based approach that always delivers on time.

But just as a ship can’t sail without its crew, Shipyard De Hoop knows that its most essential facility is the experienced team it has in place. This team has been carefully assembled over a period of years, creating a wealth of experience from across the shipbuilding industry from tradespeople to support staff to managers and the board of directors themselves.

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Even now the shipbuilders are looking to grow and update their skills base by recruiting more qualified craftspeople.

Its shipyards are both in the process of expanding, not just through the recruitment of experienced staff, but also by bringing young people into the fold who want to learn the trades of ship construction, preparing a new generation for the future.

De Hoop has even invested in opening its own technical college where it trains future production employees.

SHIP SHAPE

To really get a feel for the De Hoop ethos, however, you need to take a closer look at their work. It just so happens that Shipyard De Hoop recently delivered the cruise vessel

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

“Silver Origin”, the company’s second expedition cruise vessel over the last two years.

The ship was launched on the 30th of December 2019 following the completion of a series of successful sea trials.

The expedition cruise vessel’s innovative design and build are tailored to provide high-end luxury cruising in the Galápagos area for Silversea Cruises. De Hoop’s management is highly confident that their work has paid off after a decade of participating in smaller seagoing cruise vessel projects, including associated design development and investment in knowledge.

Janssens has said that this was the ideal basis for entering the growing market for expedition cruise vessels, and De Hoop’s designers were fully prepared to take on the challenge of a Galápagos Islands Cruise ship.

However, De Hoop has also been keen to use this project as a showcase for the entire Dutch shipbuilding industry,

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“ON TOP OF SAFETY, THE SILVER ORIGIN COMPLIES WITH GALÁPAGOS NATIONAL PARK DIRECTORATE REGULATIONS, INCLUDING SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTALLY LOW-IMPACT FEATURES.”

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

pointing out the many Dutch suppliers and subcontractors on De Hoop’s client approved “makers’ list”.

The Silver Origin’s design and construction were based around five pillars of quality. The first of these, “Sustainability” can be seen in the fact that Silver Origin has the lowest possible carbon footprint with state-of-the-art technology, a dynamic positioning system that protects the delicate seabed and an advanced propulsion system. The second pillar, “Destination onboard”, makes it clear that the cruise ship isn’t just transportation, it’s a holiday destination in its own right, while “Expedition experience” showcases Shipyard De Hoop’s knowledge of expedition cruises, alongside the “Authentic local culture” pillar that is reflected in Silver Origin’s design, and of course, “Comfort and service”.

Looked at from a more technical perspective, Silver Origin has been constructed according to the very latest probabilistic

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damage stability regulations, complying with the relevant Rules and Regulations for 2020 and beyond. This is as well as the client’s own request to comply with two-compartment damage stability regulation. On top of safety, the Silver Origin complies with Galápagos National Park Directorate Regulations, including specific environmentally lowimpact features.

Silver Origin is expected to spend much of its life stationary in bays or near islands, so a great deal of thought has gone into the ship’s design and selection of equipment to allow the ship to perform efficiently under dynamic positioning. This is combined with zero-speed stabiliser system to let the ship choose a heading that minimises the roll and heave motions on the vessel, significantly

improving passenger comfortno more seasickness!

Meanwhile, Silver Origin’s advanced propulsion system, the hull configuration and its (or her if you’re a traditionalist) specially developed diesel engine arrangement guarantee an average 25% reduction in hull resistance, 15% reduction in fuel consumption and equivalently fewer exhaust emissions.

The Silver Origin is a true exemplar of the best that De Hoop has to offer, but they’re not stopping here. Shipyard De Hoop has projects lined up to keep it busy for the next one to three years, with another seven projects currently in progress and research and development progressing into the design of autonomous ships. We can’t wait to see where they set sail to next.

“THE SILVER ORIGIN IS A TRUE EXEMPLAR OF THE BEST THAT DE HOOP HAS TO OFFER, BUT THEY’RE NOT STOPPING HERE. “ BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 7

SHIPYARD DE HOOP

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