Concordia Damen will build STC Group’s new training vessel, the Ab Initio. The yard won the European tender with a distinctive and at the same time recognisable design, says STC Group in a statement.
The design meets STC Group’s explicit wish to build a sustainable and future-proof ship.
‘We think it is an honour that the renowned Concordia Damen shipyard is enthusiastic to enter into this challenging project with us,’ says Jan Kweekel, member of the Executive Board of STC Group. ‘Together we are now working on the construction of a future-proof and state-of-the-art training ship. The project is a wonderful example of cooperation between education and the maritime sector. The Ab Initio will be the business card of the school and the maritime cluster.’
‘It promises to be a unique and multifunctional training ship, which will also be equipped with the latest techniques available in the maritime sector,’ adds Tim van Berchum of Concordia Damen.
The coming months will be used to further develop the design into a set of specifications in which everything is clearly laid down. In addition, during this period, STC Group expects to link the business community to this project and to claim various subsidies. Financing for the ship needs to be completed before the end of the year.
Requirements set by students and teachers
The new ship will replace the current training ships Princess Christina and Princess Beatrix. These have been in operation for more than fifty years of which almost twenty years as training ship of STC Group. At the end of 2018 STC’s students and teachers got to work on coming up with the name, defining the programme of requirements and designing the replacement ship. They were supported by specialists from the Dutch maritime industry.
The Ab Initio is expected to become operational in 2022. The ship will play an important role in the training maritime students of different educational levels at STC Group.
