Subscribe to the newsletter
The new office of Damen Naval Germany was opened on 1 March 2021. Located on the grounds of the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, the spacious and modern office has around 35 flexible workplaces.
Giel Venema, the new Managing Director of Damen Naval Germany GmbH.
It was a logical decision for Damen Naval to establish an office in the city on the River Elbe. After all, Hamburg is where the four new F126 frigates for the German Navy will be built or completed. Damen Naval is the main contractor for this important defence project. Since Blohm+Voss is a strategic partner in the project and will be responsible for the construction of the four frigates, it was an obvious choice to set up an office on their premises, says Giel Venema, who has been appointed Managing Director of Damen Naval Germany GmbH.
Giel was already Commercial Director of the F126 project, which is managed together with Project Director Frank Verhelst and Operations Director Bertram Liebler. “The Damen Naval Germany office is on the third and highest floor of a building that dates back to the 1960s,” says Giel. He is very happy with the new facility. “The office is furnished completely to Damen Naval standards: modern, light and spacious, just like in Vlissingen. It had to be a ‘cool’ place to work where everyone could enjoy working.”
Giel travels from Vlissingen to Hamburg at least once every three weeks. Office Manager Christiane Böhm is responsible for the day-to-day running of the office. “The office now provides support to the F126 project in the broadest sense of the word: technologically, logistically, commercially and in terms of facilities,” Giel explains. He is very enthusiastic about the great dedication with which Damen Naval’s IT specialists have ensured that the office’s IT infrastructure was completed on time.
Damen Naval Germany's office is situated on the third and top floor of the 1960s building.
There are currently some ten people already using the new office. They divide their time between Hamburg and Vlissingen. Giel says that because of corona, with all the associated restrictions, it was an “extra challenge” for Damen Naval to set up an office abroad. That is why he is particularly pleased that it all came to fruition. “There is now a wonderful office, where an enthusiastic group of people contribute to the engineering and procurement process of the F126 project.”
The Damen Naval Germany office is on the third floor with a view over the shipyard. An additional advantage is that the F126 project client, the Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) has its offices on the same floor. This is good for the relationship with the client and the project: “This way you see more and hear more, but you are also seen more and heard more,” adds Giel to emphasise the benefits of this situation.
The office has been designed according to Damen Naval-standards: modern, light and airy, just like in Vlissingen.
Meanwhile, last May Damen Naval Germany also became a member of the Verband für Schiffbau und Meerestechnik (VSM), a German branch organisation comparable to the Dutch maritime industry representative Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT). “Through our membership of VSM we hope to become better known and gain an even stronger position in the German maritime industry network,” concludes Giel.
The first F126 frigate is scheduled to enter service in 2028. Four will be built with the possibility of an additional two. Their displacement is around 10,000 tonnes, making them the largest surface vessels in the German Navy.