WILLEMSTAD – After the Zr. Ms. Groningen left the island, the Zr. Ms. Holland arrived in Willemstad this weekend. The new patrol ship has the same tasks as the Zr. Ms. Groningen and will remain in the Caribbean for the next seven months.
The Royal Netherlands Navy always has a station ship in the Caribbean that is used for, among other things, anti-drug operations, anti-people smuggling and search and rescue tasks. The ship is also used as emergency aid in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes.
Zr. Ms. Groningen reached its home port Den Helder last Friday. The defense vessel was deployed in the Caribbean from May to October and had a record number of drug seizures. In total, the ship was able to intercept 17 boats, confiscating nearly 16,000 kilograms of cocaine and 3,500 kilograms of marijuana.