Herman Sr. BV welcomes Bommel

On 25 January 2013, a short period after initially planned, partly due to the frost during the winter in the Netherlands, the shoalbuster Bommel was christened by Evy Gommans at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld. In April last year, the previous shoalbuster Baloe was delivered to Herman Sr. BV, a tug and workboat company named after the grandfather of the current managing director Jack van Dodewaard. With the delivery of this recent one, the fleet of Herman Sr. BV consists of five vessels, all named after fictional bears.

Family tradition

Jos van Woerkum, managing director of Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld, introduced the boat as a scoop. Damen was able to work to the requirements of their customer and has created a completely new vessel. He emphasised the good relationship between Herman Sr. and Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld and added: ”Herman has been a customer of Damen for a long time.” Jack van Dodewaard agreed: ”We have always chosen Damen and this specific shipyard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, because they have delivered quality to us for over 65 years. It is a family tradition, even my grandfather bought his vessels here.”

After the godmother wished the Bommel and its crew safe journeys, the bottle of champagne was broken and the people present were allowed to visit the vessel. The whole ceremony was held in presence of a walking and talking Olivier B. Bommel, a famous Dutch cartoon figure that gave the vessel its name.

Medium size

The Bommel is an in-between-sized vessel for Herman Sr. BV, with a bollard pull of 28.1 tons. Their fleet already contains a vessel with 20 tons and one with 30 tons tug power. With the Bommel in between, they are able to sail nearer to the shore. The ship will be used for jobs mainly in shallow waters, but is allowed to sail 200 miles from the shore. There it can assist with dredging activities and at offshore wind parks, for example. Due to specialised technical equipment, for example an A-frame which can assist dredging activities, and the ability to supply vessels with fuel and water, which will closely be monitored, the Bommel really is a multipurpose vessel. It can be used as a tugboat, but it is actually too expensive for only those activities. The Bommel s first job started mid February.

Timo Meester