WILLEMSTAD - HNLMS Pelikaan left for the Caribbean on Thursday. The support vessel has been in the Netherlands for major maintenance and a midlife update since the end of last year.

The renovation work was badly needed, according to the Ministry of Defense. It is the first time that the vessel has undergone thorough maintenance since it was put into service in 2006. The Pelikaan has been operating in the Caribbean Sea for 13 years. The ship carries out support matters here and provides emergency aid.

With the update, the ship must continue for years. “It looks sleek. I am very satisfied with where we are now,” Commander Lieutenant Commander David Boom said.

One of the spearheads in maintenance was the installation of a new crane. This provides a better overview of the FRISCs when they are launched. These motorboats are used, for example, in the fight against drug transports. Furthermore, the platform management system, the decks, the paint system and the enclosures received a major overhaul, according to Boom.

It was initially planned that the Pelican would leave for the Caribbean in August, but things like the corona crisis and the weather caused some delay.

If the trip to the Caribbean goes according to plan, the Pelikaan will arrive in 16 days.