Damen Shiprepair goes for green

Green refits are boosting vessel efficiency and extending life.

Damen Shipyards Group has committed itself to playing a leading role in the maritime energy transition, setting itself the goal to become the most sustainable and connected maritime solutions provider. This commitment to sustainability can be seen in the activities of companies throughout the group, all over the world. It is particularly visible at Damen Shiprepair.

Investing in innovation

Here, the company’s various yards have adopted the latest technologies to help advance their sustainable performance. Examples include Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque’s (DSDu) acquisition of Autonomous Mobile Blast and Paint Robots (AMBPR). Not only do the robots represent an increase in both safety and efficiency, they also minimise waste of paint and ensure reuse of over 90% of water used in blasting.

However, it is in the area of green refits that Damen Shiprepair is having the greatest impact on the maritime energy transition. Over the past years, the company has built up an enviable portfolio of projects as it goes about supporting clients in complying with the latest regulations and achieving their carbon reduction targets.

The work of Damen Shiprepair goes further than this, though. By maintaining optimal performance and vessel condition, the work undertaken by Damen Shiprepair is helping to keep vessels in the water for longer, thereby minimising waste.

Cruising to sustainability

A recent example of a green refit undertaken by the company is a project carried out at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam’s Botlek location. Here, P&O’s cruise vessel Iona docked for the installation of an air lubrication system (ALS). The vessel was already a frontrunner in sustainability before her stop at the yard, thanks to her LNG propulsion system – the first in the company’s extensive fleet. With the ALS system, Iona goes a step further.

The system injects tiny bubbles into the layer of water that is in contact with the ship’s hull. With this, the vessel’s direct contact with the water is reduced, lowering resistance. As a result, less power is required to move the vessel and, therefore, less fuel is consumed.

Where green dreams come true

This is one of many cruise refits Damen Shiprepair has undertaken in recent years. During 2024 and 2025, Disney Cruise Line vessels Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy arrived at Damen Shiprepair Brest (DSBr) for a series of upgrade, maintenance and repair works.

In the yard’s 420 x 80 metre dock – one of the largest in Europe – the vessels underwent a complete blasting of the hull and repainting with a silicon paint system. This provides a low friction surface which, again, lowers the resistance in the water. Additionally, the silicon paint contains no toxins and, therefore, provides protection for marine life in areas where the vessels are operating.

Both vessels were also installed with integrated propulsion and manoeuvring systems, featuring a bulb to optimise hydrodynamic properties, increasing energy efficiency and further reducing both fuel consumption and emissions.

Damen Shiprepair Brest takes a bow

For the Disney Fantasy project, taking place in 2025, the Brest yard had an additional scope: the in-house construction and installation of a bulbous bow to reduce drag and further boost efficiency.

It was here that Damen Shiprepair called upon support from its partners at Meyer Group subsidiary Meyer RE. The two companies formed this long-standing collaboration in order to support one another in enhancing cruise ship sustainability. Disney Fantasy had been constructed at Meyer Werft, ensuring the company had direct access to design data and drawings.

With basic engineering completed in March, the yard began detailed engineering in early April, completing the task by mid-August. Removal of the old bow began on 1^st October, soon after Disney Fantasy’s arrival in dock; a process taking just three days. After this, the new bow was installed starting 11 October.

In-house specialists in steel

Similarly, Damen Shiprepair undertook a series of bulbous bow refits for six CMA CGM container vessels at DSDu and Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam (DSAm).

The Amsterdam yard undertook three of the projects – for the vessels Polar, Arctic, and Aurora. At 170 metres, the container ships were a comfortable fit for DSAm’s dock, which is able to handle vessels up to 250 metres.

DSAm’s on-site sister company, steel construction, machining, and piping specialist Niron Staal undertook fabrication of the 120 tonne bulbs – a process spanning 70 days. When the time arrived for the installation, the bulbous bows were lowered into the dock using the yard’s two 90-tonne capacity cranes, driven into position with SPMTs and welded.

Fabrication & installation under one roof

With the bows installed, the vessels’ fuel efficiency was increased by 5-10%. DSAm carried out further work to the vessels including propeller upgrades, nozzle modification and application of silicone paint to the thruster blades. Each of these additional measures provided a further increase in fuel efficiency of between 2-5%, resulting not only in a reduction of emissions, but additionally, a rapid return on investment.

In both of the cases outlined above, the client benefitted from the fabrication and installation taking place in a single location – ensuring optimal project efficiency and minimal vessel downtime.

Riding the wind

Frequently, as is the case when making its own operations more efficient, green refits involve Damen Shiprepair embracing innovation. An example of this is Damen Shiprepair Harlingen’s installation of an Econowind VentoFoil V3 to Rederi Ab Nathalie (RABN) vessel the MV Odda Marine.

This wing-shaped wind assisted propulsion solution draws on recent advances in aerodynamics to create high propulsion forces relative to size – reducing the vessel’s reliance on its engines and, once again, lowering fuel consumption and emissions.

DSHa additionally provided the cargo vessel with a shore connection, allowing the vessel to connect to an electrical power supply when in harbour. The resultant reduction in emissions helps to vessel to comply with EEXI and CII regulations.

Towards a cleaner maritime future

These are just a handful of examples of green refits carried out by Damen Shiprepair yards recently. In the coming years, as more and more stringent regulations come into force, and as Damen, together with its clients, works towards its sustainability goals, the company is looking forward to many more such projects.