Royal Netherlands Navy manoeuvres off Fort Bay

The Royal Netherlands Navy HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën practiced standard-operating manoeuvres with her Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) and ship-based helicopter on Friday off Fort Bay on Saba.

HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën is the first ship of her class in air defence and command frigates in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy. She is a modern well-armed warship costing US $816 million and was commissioned in April 26, 2002. She is 144 metres long with a crew of 202 and a top speed of 30 knots.

Ships of the De Zeven Provinciën class have been involved in counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa. The untraditional targets, slow moving surface craft, can be challenging for Doppler radars designed to take on “high-end” threats. By sacrificing some of the high-end anti-air capabilities of these radars, which were deemed unnecessary for the anti-piracy role, they were able to successfully track and engage the otherwise difficult surface targets.

The manoeuvres in Saba’s coastal waters were deemed successful and enjoyed by spectators fortunate enough to be in Fort Bay at the time.

The Daily Herald.