New ship of Dutch Navy made of pre-war Mariupol steel of Metinvest
The new combat support ship of the Netherlands, Den Helder, is made of steel of the Azovstal steelworks of the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group, manufactured before the start of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to the company's press release on Thursday, Den Helder officially arrived at its home port, which became a key stage of its integration into the Royal Navy. Steel of the Azovstal steelworks of the Metinvest group was used during the construction of the ship.
It is specified that the Mariupol metal was delivered to the customer even before the start of the full-scale invasion, in 2020-2021. In addition, the design of the Den Helder ship used products from the Italian Metinvest Trametal plant. Thus, 5,000 tonnes of Metinvest steel were used for the construction of Den Helder: 4,760 tonnes from Azovstal and 240 tonnes from Metinvest Trametal.
Den Helder is almost 180 meters long and is designed for a main crew of 76 people, with the possibility of accommodating another 80. It is capable of simultaneously servicing up to six ships, transporting more than eight million liters of fuel, as well as significant volumes of food, water, ammunition and other critically important resources.
In addition, it is noted that within this project, Metinvest collaborated with Damen Galati (Romania), one of the largest and most modern shipbuilding shipyards in Eastern Europe, which is part of the international Damen Shipyards Group, based in the Netherlands. Most of its products are manufactured for export, in particular for the navies of various countries.
The construction of the ship started in December 2020. After the keel was laid in June 2021, the hull was modularly assembled, launched in April 2022, and the main works were completed by May 2023. Four years after the start of the project, the ship arrived in Vlissingen (the Netherlands) for final outfitting.
The ship will officially join the fleet on October 1, 2025 under the name HNLMS Den Helder. The full deployment of the ship is planned for the middle of 2026.
Head of External Procurement at Metinvest-SMC Natalia Kryvoshey said that while actively working with the shipbuilding industry in the southeastern region of Europe, the group made its first deliveries to Damen Galati ten years ago.
"In 2021, we achieved a major share in this shipbuilder's portfolio. As for the construction of Den Helder, it is especially valuable that steel from Mariupol Azovstal plant was used for it. This is not just metal, it is a symbol of the indomitability of Ukrainians and a contribution to strengthening the defense capabilities of our partners. This is one of the last projects in which Azovstal steel was used, and such news is especially important for us, as a reminder of the importance of our team's work and a good memory of Mariupol and our enterprise, destroyed by the enemy during a full-scale war," the manager said.
According to the press release, the future flagship of the Ukrainian Navy, the corvette Hetman Ivan Mazepa, was also built from Mariupol Metinvest steel. Products from the Azovstal and Illich plants were supplied for it. At the end of last year, the ship went on sea trials.
