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Dutch Navy’s New Warship Den Helder Built With Ukrainian Azovstal Steel

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Dutch Navy’s New Warship Den Helder Built With Ukrainian Azovstal Steel
Damen Naval Managing Director Roland Briene (L) with Princess Amalia of the Netherlands as she attends to name the naval ship Den Helder built by Damen Naval Shipyards on February 21, 2025, in Vlissingen, Netherlands. (Source: Getty Images)

The Royal Netherlands Navy has taken delivery of its newest combat support ship, Den Helder—a 179-meter-long vessel built with nearly 5,000 tons of steel, much of it sourced from Ukraine’s Azovstal steelworks before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian steel manufacturer Metinvest reported on May 8.

The ship officially arrived at its home port in the Netherlands, marking a key milestone in its integration into the Dutch fleet.

Designed to supply fuel, ammunition, food, and water to other naval vessels, Den Helder can service up to six ships simultaneously and carries over 8 million liters of fuel. The ship is crewed by 76 sailors, with accommodation for 80 additional personnel.

The Den Helder, the new supply ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, arrives at the port in Vlissingen-Oost on December 13, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)
The Den Helder, the new supply ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, arrives at the port in Vlissingen-Oost on December 13, 2024. (Source: Getty Images)

The Den Helder was constructed at Damen Galati shipyard in Romania, part of the Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group—one of the largest and most advanced shipbuilding facilities in Eastern Europe. Damen primarily serves foreign navies, with a strong focus on export.

Construction of Den Helder began in December 2020. After the keel was laid in June 2021, the modular hull was assembled and launched in April 2022. By May 2023, most construction was complete.

HNLMS Den Helder, the new combat support ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, outside the port of Den Helder, on March 24, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
HNLMS Den Helder, the new combat support ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy, outside the port of Den Helder, on March 24, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

The ship arrived in Vlissingen for final outfitting and will officially join the fleet as HNLMS Den Helder on October 1, 2025. Full operational deployment is planned for mid-2026.

Steel for the vessel was supplied in 2020–2021—prior to the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion—from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, as well as its Italian facility, Metinvest Trametal. In total, 4,760 tons of steel came from Azovstal and another 240 tons from Italy.

“It is especially meaningful that the ship was built using steel from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. This is more than just metal—it is a symbol of the Ukrainian people’s resilience,” said Nataliya Kryvoshey, Head of Foreign Procurement at Metinvest-SMC.

Metinvest also supplied steel for Ukraine’s future naval flagship, the Hetman Ivan Mazepa corvette, which began sea trials late last year.

Earlier, a new 628-meter bridge across the Desna River in Chernihiv was completed. The bridge was constructed using steel beams from the last pre-war batch produced by Mariupol’s Azovstal plant.

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