Van Wijngaarden christens EuroCarrier Maasstroom, a 35-tonne bollard pull DP1 workboat
Neptune delivered the 27-metre multipurpose ship to the Dutch marine contractor within a year of signing
Van Wijngaarden Marine Services has christened its newbuild multipurpose workboat Maasstroom, a Neptune EuroCarrier 2712 with DP1 and IMO Tier III engines. The ceremony took place on Tuesday 6 October at Neptune's yard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, less than a year after the contract was signed on 23 January 2026. The godmother was Nancy Ort-Tulaseket.
The hull was built and launched by Neptune Marine and then moved to Neptune's yard in Aalst for outfitting, before returning to Hardinxveld-Giessendam for christening and delivery. Maasstroom is the fourth Neptune-built ship in the Van Wijngaarden fleet. Peter van Wijngaarden said a regular client had already booked her to prepare for a project at 07:00 the morning after the ceremony.
What can the ship do?
Maasstroom is 27.00 metres long with a beam of 12.00 metres and a depth of 3.90 metres. Her draught is 2.90 metres, or 3.35 metres maximum, and she measures 292 gt with a displacement of 452 tonnes. Bollard pull is about 35 tonnes. She is classed by Bureau Veritas as a tug and special service multipurpose ship with an anchor handling notation, dynamic positioning and unrestricted navigation.
Two Cummins QSK38-M Tier III engines of 1,381 hp each drive fixed-pitch propellers in 1,850 mm nozzles through Twin Disc gearboxes. Two Volvo D13 generator sets and a Caterpillar C4.4 provide power, with a 300 kW electric bow thruster and a 250 kW stern thruster.
On deck she carries two cranes, rated at 12.4 tonnes at 16.5 metres forward and 7.6 tonnes at 15.1 metres aft. A towing winch holds 550 metres of 36 mm wire and an anchor winch 400 metres of 52 mm wire, alongside a 15-tonne tugger winch, a sharkjaw rated at 200 tonnes, a 6.5-metre bow roller and a 30-tonne towing hook. She can carry five 20-foot containers. An A-frame, a four-point mooring system and a diving or ROV platform are optional. Accommodation is for 12 people.
Why did Van Wijngaarden choose this design?
"Our regular clients asked for it," Peter van Wijngaarden said. The company has operated a sister ship, Waalstroom, since 2021, and the positive experience with her led it to order the same concept again. Maasstroom will work on single and double tows, anchor handling, port crane and transport jobs, survey and geotechnical work, and dredging support.
Van Wijngaarden Marine Services was founded in February 1974 by Wim van Wijngaarden, renting auxiliary equipment to the Dutch dredging industry, and took on its first job abroad, in the United Kingdom, in 1975. The family company, now run by the second generation, employs 125 permanent staff and runs a fleet of 18 ships supporting dredging, offshore wind and oil and gas work.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 9 October 2026.
