2007 – GIESSENSTROOM

What a small ‘country / company’ can sometimes be (unexpectedly) big at. Every entrepreneur comes across a ‘project’ during their career that determines their future.

History
For Van Wijngaarden Marine Services, this came to be a contract with the Marine & Salvage Department of the British Ministry of Defense (MoD). This was the reason for maritime students from the STC in Rotterdam to pass the GIESSENSTROOM on May 27, 2007, with an aft deck fully loaded with spare parts (packed in a 20 TEU container). After passing Hoek van Holland, sail was set to South America via the English Channel towards its destination of Mare Harbour (Falkland Islands). After a prosperous journey, the vessel arrived at Mare Harbour around June, to execute its task as a ‘Harbour Support Vessel’. One involved a broad range of maritime services. In addition, the local government could call upon the vessel for ‘salvage & towing’ in the case of an emergency. In short, a piece of ‘Dutch Glory’, at 52° S / 58° W, or approximately 14,050 kilometers away from home.