RensenDriessen Boek 2020 - 2021

Never change a winning team

As we step from the outfitting quay in Rotterdam onto the MTS Solution, we are immediately struck by the vessel’s dominant feature, its 17.50 meter beam.

Author: Hans Heiligers

“Everyone who comes aboard for the first time remarks on the same thing,” says Vanessa van Gils- de Vries. Smiling broadly, she welcomes us to the new vessel in the large open space that in a few weeks will be the living quarters and cabins. The carpenter has already firmly anchored the contours of all rooms. According to him there is at least three times as much carpentry to be done as on a traditional vessel. The bulkheads are already insulated; air ducts and wiring are already installed in the ceilings. When we ask about the overall dimensions, Vanessa quickly calculates that it is at least 210 meters squared. A bit later we meet her husband, Frank van Gils. A week later we are having coffee with them in their cosy home in H.I. Ambacht (NL), where Frank and Vanessa live with their two sons and daughter, and we continue our conversation in peace and quiet. We know them from their first MTS Solution, construction of which began in 2003, and later from two like-named subsequent vessels they had Rensen-Driessen Shipbuilding B.V. build in 2005 and 2009. Two short years ago, at the same table where we are now sitting, the term newbuilding vessel came up again and again. At the time Frank said, “If we are going to do it, now is the time.” Vanessa agreed, since fortunately they are still both healthy and, more importantly, she herself still enjoys sailing. The starting point of their building plans reflects all the experience that they have had with their previous vessels. Frank: “You come up with and attempt to find more things to improve on in the newbuilding, but that’s very hard. The fact is the previous vessel was already perfectly fine.” In a matter-of-fact tone, Vanessa states: “Up to now we have invested in multiple vessels with different price tags, where we offset the price and quality against our business income.” She continues, “We utilised all the details of that result, and as a consequence we decided to opt once again for the familiar

quality from Rensen-Driessen for our third newbuilding vessel.” Frank: “When something is working well, you stick with it.” In the spring of 2018, Frank, Vanessa and her father Henk first informed Wim Driessen of their intentions, which were transformed into a tangible design at their office. Frank and Vanessa again felt immediately at home and promptly approved an option for the construction of a 135.00 meter vessel that Driessen had commissioned in 2019 at the Polish Partner Stocznia Shipyard in Stettin. As mentioned, they couldn’t think of any changes to the newbuilding that were important to them in the ARA transport traffic Frank and Vanessa value. Perfect for the children; they really didn’t want it any other way. They made the utility of the vessel the main focus in the construction of the new vessel. The ones who could imagine changes were the technical design team that had been devising designs for Rensen-Driessen for more than twenty years and who later also provided the subsequent survey. For years this effective, experienced team have pioneered the designs of the widest range of vessels built up to now and have used their experience-oriented evaluations in each successive design.

Vanessa did the complete outfitting of the vessel themselves, which they had also done for their two previous newbuilding vessels. In that capacity they were, in a formal sense, operational managers during construction, and for that reason they got their VCA certification; that way everyone who came aboard could be offered a safe workplace. The tasks are well divided: Frank takes care of everything outside and Vanessa everything inside. “And since Frank has now created a wider vessel, I have a wider living space.” She has divided it into three accommodations: a living area, three sleeping cabins and a bathroom for the family. There are also a living area, sleeping cabin and bathroom for the captain, as well as living area, three cabins and a bathroom for the crew. During construction they visited the shipyard in Poland six times. “By car you get there quicker than you can to your winter sport destination.” The shipyard is well equipped and located in a strategic place in the Baltic Sea region. They christened the vessel on their last visit to the shipyard. Wim Driessen made festive occasion of it, attended by members of Frank and Vanessa’s family and by others involved in the construction, such as Edwin Diepeveen from Rensen-Driessen and Mirek Kowalski, one of the draughtsmen from the technical design team. It was an unforgettable day they will look back on fondly. Moreover, it meant the conclusion of a construction period that progressed very satisfactorily with a good end result.

Their working method was no different for the construction of this new MTS Solution.

The entire line plan for the underwater stern was re-analysed, which in collaboration with Frank and Henk resulted in this vessel’s even stronger performance in the water. The 135.00 x 17.50 meter vessel equipped with Scheldehuid has six portside and six starboard tanks for mineral products and fuel, each with a capacity of 760 meters cubed. Frank and

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