Damen to Build a Sustainable Training Vessel for the STC Group

Following a competitive European tender process, Concordia Damen has been nominated to build a new training vessel for the STC Group. The new vessel will be used in the training of students on maritime courses.

The new, environmentally conscious vessel will replace two training vessels – the Princess Christina and the Princess Beatrix – that the Rotterdam-headquartered maritime training institution has used for over 50 years.

In 2018, students and teachers at STC Group, along with supporters from the business community, began to develop the ideas behind the vessel. The decided upon the name Ab Initio – Latin for ‘in the beginning’.

Concordia Damen participated in a tender process featuring numerous technical and environmental requirements. The forward-facing vessel will draw upon Concordia Damen’s expertise in sustainable shipping solutions. It will feature a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system complete with battery pack. Additionally, Ab Initio will feature solar cells.

As well as being uncompromising in its stance towards sustainability, STC Group required that the vessel be futuristic and distinctive, yet recognisable in appearance.

Tim van Berchum, financial manager at Concordia Damen, said, “We are very pleased to be asked by STC Group to build their new training vessel. We are proud to be playing a role in the development of the next generation of maritime personnel. Additionally, Ab Initio is notable for its sustainable characteristics. We see this contract, therefore, as a testimony to the work we have done previously in sustainable vessel construction.

Concordia Damen will carry out the outfitting of the vessel at its yard in Werkendam, the Netherlands. Ab Initio is scheduled for completion in 2022.