Captain Henk Oenema is getting ready for the first expedition with RV Anna Weber-van Bosse
Captain Henk Oenema shows the ship to queen Máxima (credit: Evalien Weterings)
Before delivery, he took part in a test voyage from the shipyard in Vigo, Spain, and was not allowed to touch almost anything. On Monday 2 March, Captain Henk Oenema took over the helm from his colleague Len Bliemer, who sailed the new research vessel RV Anna Weber-van Bosse to Texel. ‘Once it's been run in, it will be a beautiful ship.’
Henk Oenema is experiencing a ‘healthy tension’, he says about the upcoming maiden voyage on which he will command the 80-metre-long research vessel RV Anna Weber-van Bosse. The ship was delivered in February in Vigo, Spain, and arrived in the NIOZ harbour. In recent years, Oenema sailed on RV Pelagia, which is 16 metres shorter and carries considerably fewer passengers.
Sensors are on their way
Now he is at work on the new, modern ship. Oenema: 'With combined forces, we are working with people from the shipyard in Vigo to get everything in order so that the ship can really be used for expeditions. For example, sensors for a measuring system are on their way, and we are still getting certain electronics in order.’
Upright in bed
Oenema is looking forward to sailing with the new ship. ‘It is very easy to manoeuvre and has new systems that allow you to sail sideways and remain in one place automatically. Everything is different; there is a lot of new electronics compared to the technology from the 1990s that was used on Pelagia. There are also many batteries that support the energy management system.’ Privacy in the cabins has also improved: ‘On the Pelagia, if someone in the cabin next to you received a phone call, you found yourself sitting upright in bed too.’
Now he has final responsibility
There is a tall container crane on deck, and Oenema is curious to see how it will perform on the high seas. The new ship has already weathered a storm on its way from Vigo. Around the time of delivery, Oenema spent six weeks in Vigo, where the ship was built. ‘Under the supervision of the shipyard, we did a test voyage, during which we worked through a long checklist of systems that we had to test and sign off on.’ Only with permission was the captain allowed to touch things to try them out. Now he has final responsibility, in the run-up to the first research expedition, which starts on 20 March. He is confident: ‘Once it has been run in, it will be a beautiful ship.’
Photo: Captain Henk Oenema shows the ship to queen Máxima after she christened it. Credit: Evalien Weterings.