WILLEMSTAD – The Royal Netherlands Navy ship Zr.Ms. Van Amstel departed from the Netherlands on Sunday bound for the Caribbean, where it will temporarily serve as the station ship. Defense spokesperson Marinka Hiraldo Vos-van Kooten confirmed the deployment.

According to the spokesperson, the frigate is filling a gap left between the return of Zr.Ms. Friesland for scheduled maintenance and the delayed completion of maintenance on Zr.Ms. Groningen. “The Van Amstel is a different type of vessel (an M-frigate) compared to an OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessel). This has to do with the availability of assets and not with an increase in readiness,” Vos-van Kooten explained.

It remains unclear how long the Van Amstel will remain stationed in the region. “This is a temporary solution,” the spokesperson emphasized, noting that such gaps between vessels occur from time to time.

The frigate is expected to arrive in the Caribbean within 10 to 14 days. In the meantime, the Ministry of Defense is working on a longer-term solution for maintaining a consistent naval presence in the region.