Commercial ships
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Eekels is a leading supplier of electrotechnical services and systems for ships and offshore applications. Complete ship installations are custom-designed and produced for installation at the Dutch shipyards or, as is often the case, to be shipped as ready-made build kits to shipyards in Romania, Vietnam, China and various other countries.
Within this market segment
Eekels supplies a large number of electrotechnical services to the shipbuilding industry:
- Advisory services
- System engineering and design
- Supplying custom-made and standard systems
- Installations for the shipbuilding industry
- Supervision during execution
- Commissioning
- Service and repair
Eekels is known worldwide as a supplier of electrotechnical systems and services for Marine & Offshore applications. The company has its foundation in the knowledge-intensive North-Netherlands shipbuilding sector. Ever since the twenties of the previous century, Eekels has been supplying reliable electrotechnical installations to merchant ships, developing into an innovative coproducer of shipping concepts. Eekels supplies technologically high-grade installations for:
Merchant vessels
For centuries, the Northern Netherlands has been involved in building ships, particularly coasters. It was not until the early 20th century, however, that more and more electrical equipment was installed aboard ships. In 1908, Herman Gerardus Eekels established H. G. Eekels N.V., which started off with a focus on mechanical engineering. When the use of three-phase current was gaining popularity, a great shift from mechanical to electrical systems occurred, first in the industrial sector and then in the maritime sector. In 1922, Eekels started to supply electrotechnical installations on board vessels. Since that time, Eekels has equipped approximately 2000 vessels with electrical installations.
Offshore
In the early nineteen seventies, Pattje shipyard in Waterhuizen developed the precursor of the current offshore supply ships. This shipyard has been a market leader in the sector of anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS vessels) for a long time. In the peak years, 25 to 30 AHTS vessels were delivered each year. This was only possible with the help of a large number of shipyards in the Northern Netherlands.
Eekels has also been active in the offshore sector for a long time. We have gained a wealth of experience in this market segment. Since 1974, Eekels has regularly designed and installed electrical installations of AHTS vessels. Many of these ships are equipped with a DP2 installation. In 1983, Eekels also fitted out the legendary sea tug Smit Singapore. Our most recent projects are four hybrid AHTS vessels with a pulling power of 300 tons. Eekels designed the electrical installation of these ships, built the switchboards and control panels, and supplied the components of the electrical installation.
Ferries and Cruises
In early 2019, Eekels was chosen by Damen to participate in a sustainable project: the construction of five new type 2306 E3 fully electric ferries. The assignment was later expanded to seven e-ferries, all of which will be used for public transport in the centre of Copenhagen. Due to the completely emission-free propulsion system, total emissions from public transport in Copenhagen are estimated to decrease by 2.5% for CO2, 10% for NOx and 66% for particulates. Each e-ferry can carry up to eighty passengers. The absence of diesel engines means they operate quietly and vibration-free.
