The fire that broke out aboard patrol ship HNLMS Zeeland in the early morning hours of June 4 caused significant damage to the vessel, the Dutch defense ministry confirmed.
No one was injured in the fire aboard the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Holland-class ship, which was undergoing repair works in a dry dock in Den Helder. No crew were on board the ship during the fire outbreak.
As explained, dry docked ships are monitored 24/7, which allowed the Marine Corps fire brigade to be immediately alerted for a timely response. Even though the fire was brought under control within about an hour and a half, the damage to the ship appears to be significant.
Photos obtained by local Dutch naval news source Marineschepen showed burnt out hallways and smoke billowing from the interior.
The defense ministry said the cause of the fire is still being determined, as well as whether there would be more significant consequences for the ship. It remains to be seen whether HNLMS Zeeland share the fate of US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), which was scrapped after it was heavily damaged in a massive fire in 2020.
Italian Navy logistic support ship LSS Vulcano was also affected by a major fire. The ship had initially been scheduled for delivery in 2019, but the fire outbreak in July 2018 pushed the ship’s delivery to 2021.
This is also the second major mishap for Dutch Navy ships this year. Frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën leaked around 4,000 liters of lubricating oil into the ocean earlier this year during a NATO deployment.
