Dutch Defense has officially put the Roll-on Roll-off ship into service. The New Amsterdam is now being loaded and departed from Eemshaven to the port of Klaipeda in Lithuania. There are Dutch soldiers of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). On board are containers full of goods and rolling stock for the next rotation of the eFP.
Commander of the Armed Forces General Onno Eichelsheim pointed out the importance of the ship on departure. Defense will lease it for the next 10 years from TransProCon, part of Swedish Orient line . In this way, guaranteed strategic sea transport is always possible. Previously, ships were occasionally rented, but this is becoming more expensive and more difficult due to increasing scarcity on the market.
“Militaries must be able to count on logistics being in order during their deployment. If you look at the war in Ukraine, you can see the importance of good logistics and timely supplies. However, strategic transport is a bottleneck and that is why I am so happy about this collaboration. As Defense, we don’t need to have everything in-house, as long as we can have it when it’s needed.”
Commander of the Armed Forces General Onno Eichelsheim
What makes the New Amsterdam special is that all the equipment can easily be ‘rolled’ on and off. In case of operational necessity, it can also load and unload without resting on a quay. The decks are made in such a way that heavy material can stand on them. Think of Boxers, CV90 combat vehicles or Armored Howitzers, the heaviest artillery in the army. There is also a crane on board, which can lift more than 40,000 kilos of equipment.
The ship can simultaneously transport more than 200 containers and 300 vehicles with an average length of 6 meters. It supports the various units of the armed forces during exercises and missions.
