Increasing its focus on HVAC maintenance activities in the maritime sector has clearly paid off for VHT, because the company recently played a key role in the mid-life upgrade of not one but two frigates belonging to the Portuguese navy. This complex, large-scale project has also cemented VHT’s relationship with Damen Shiprepair Vlissingen, according to Jan van Twillert.
Although Van Halteren Technologies (VHT) has a long-standing reputation in the maritime industry, the company is primarily known as a developer and supplier of high-quality components plus inspections, advice and project guidance. “We had a lot of experience in this very interesting market, but many companies didn’t realize the full extent of our services,” comments Jan van Twillert, Account Manager at Van Halteren Naval Technologies B.V. “Therefore, when pursuing new growth opportunities around five years ago, we decided to intensify the focus on our maintenance activities too.”
“While expanding our network of contacts in this field, one of the companies I reached out to was Damen Ship Repair in Vlissingen. Not long afterwards, they were commissioned to perform major maintenance on NRP Bartolomeu Dias,” he continues. NRP Bartolomeu Dias was one of two frigates the Portuguese navy had acquired from the Dutch navy in 2009. By 2018, it was time for a so-called ‘mid-life upgrade’ to update both ships and extend their operational life. Starting with NRP Bartolomeu Dias, the frigates would spend nearly a year on the yard in Vlissingen of which half a year in the (covered) drydock and another six months in Den Helder for commissioning.
Tackling every aspect of HVAC maintenance
“Damen invited us to bid for the HVAC aspect of the NRP Bartolomeu Dias upgrade, and we were awarded the contract,” he adds. The scope of the project covered all elements of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems on board. “From the air handling units, fan coil units and chilled water units, to the pipes, seals, membranes and duct cleaning, we tackled literally every aspect of HVAC maintenance. Some items such as control systems could sometimes be repaired, reconditioned or modernized, either on board or remotely, but many components had to be replaced with new ones,” recalls Van Twillert, who was responsible for managing the project on VHT’s behalf.
Mammoth task
Despite VHT’s experience, this project still posed new challenges, not least due to the sheer scale of the task. “We handled hundreds of different components over the course of the two years, and at the peak of the project we had 15 VHT employees working full-time on site at Damen. It was a mammoth task to plan everyone’s time and energy efficiently, and also to manage the sourcing and supply of the new components that were needed,” he explains.
A few surprises
“Besides that, a project of this size always holds a few surprises. For example, as part of the overall upgrade, a new radar mast was being added to the frigate and we were unexpectedly asked to develop a cooling system for it. But we’d done something similar before for another client, so we took it all in our stride,” continues Van Twillert. “I visited the site at least once every one or two weeks to monitor progress and discuss any issues in person with both our site manager and the client. Thanks to clear communication, collaboration and a no-nonsense mentality, we were able to keep things running smoothly. This, combined with VHT’s expert knowledge and skilled employees, resulted in a clean and fully functional HVAC system that the Portuguese navy can now depend on until 2035 and beyond,” he states.
Opportunity to apply the lessons learned
Everyone was clearly satisfied with the quality of these results, because in 2020 VHT was contracted to perform HVAC maintenance activities during the mid-life upgrade of the Portuguese navy’s second frigate, NRP D. Francisco de Almeida. “That project had the same scope as for the first frigate, so it was a great opportunity to apply the lessons learned,” says Van Twillert. “Everything felt more familiar the second time around and there were fewer surprises. For instance, we knew which components were most likely to need replacing, so we were able to place orders for long-lead items sooner, which gave us more control over the rest of the process.”
Solid partnership
“These two projects were not only a great opportunity for us to showcase VHT’s maintenance capabilities, but they also kick-started a solid partnership with Damen based on teamwork at all levels, a solutions oriented approach and delivering on our promises. We’ve already been involved in various other maintenance projects together, ranging from private yachts to naval contracts, and we’re looking forward to working on many more,” concludes Van Twillert.
Looking for a solution?
Our team is ready to help
Please contact our Sales Manager Jan van Twillert for more information about this case.
