Royal van Lent dry dock | Ingenious steel structure for new Amsterdam shipyard

Royal Van Lent Shipyard recently acquired a newly built dock in Amsterdam, where luxury yachts of up to 160 meters in length can be built. De Kok Staalbouw realized the complete superstructure.

Royal Van Lent already had a yard in De Kaag where it built ships up to a length of 100 meters. But to meet the demand for ever longer luxury yachts, the shipbuilder needed an even larger yard. The preferred location was Amsterdam, near De Kaag and Schiphol Airport. Construction of the new dock began in 2017. De Kok Staalbouw was commissioned to realize the complete superstructure of the new shipyard. Works Manager Eddy Dingemans: "A special task in which we worked closely with the client. We guaranteed both the design, delivery and assembly of the building's complete steel structure. We also applied the roof and facade cladding, including the skylights and glass."

Two parts
The production site is made up of two parts: a 15-meter high low-rise building for the offices and workshop, and a 35-meter high hall where the ships will be moored. Both have an extensive steel structure with an ingenious free span. De Kok Staalbouw also realized the dock door that allows the dock to be closed. "At Royal Van Lent, we performed a float test. This involves testing whether the dock door will float in accordance with the calculated ballast. On the river side, water was pumped between the sheet piling and the dock door to perform the leakage test."

Start of assembly of the low-rise building for the offices. (Image: Auvimedia. Frank Dorren)

Luxury finishing
The yacht builder's clientele is international. The shipyard focuses on luxury yachts. Dingemans: "That is also reflected in the finish. For example, high requirements were set for the coating systems and little color difference was allowed. The finish of the facades and skylights is also of a high quality. Furthermore, much attention was paid to sustainability. For example, solar panels have been installed on the high hall." The grand opening is scheduled for May this year.