Dutch navy starts retiring submarines, but successor still unknown

PARIS — The Dutch navy this week retired the first of its four Walrus-class submarines, and the Netherlands will decide in 2024 who will build the successor to the diesel-electric attack submarines, the Defense Ministry said .

The lead vessel of the Walrus class was decommissioned after 31 years of service and will be used for parts to keep the country’s remaining fleet of three submarines operational, according to the ministry. A second boat is set to retire in the coming years, but no exact date has been set.

“The withdrawal of the Walrus will help the Navy maintain focus on the future in coming years, and facilitate the material maintenance of the sailing boats,” Commander Jeroen van Zanten, the head of the Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service, said in the ministry’s statement.

The Netherlands received bids in July from Naval Group, Saab Kockums and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems to build four replacement submarines, with a preliminary decision planned for the first quarter of 2024. The government has said the new submarines will cost more than €2.5 billion (U.S. $2.6 billion), while Dutch media have reported the budget may exceed €4.5 billion.

The project to replace the Netherlands’ aging Walrus class has racked up years of delays. An initial plan for the first new submarine to sail in 2028 has been adjusted; the plan is now for two fully operational boats in the 2034-2037 time frame.

Program delays forced the Royal Netherlands Navy to extend the service life of the Walrus class, originally designed to operate for 25 years. The growing importance of operations in coastal waters has resulted in less hull strain than included in the design, which the Dutch government says allows for continued operation of the class until new submarines come into service.

The Walrus, attached to the Dutch naval base of Den Helder, was decommissioned Thursday with a flag-lowering ceremony after 3,000 days at sea and participation in 14 military operations, the ministry said. Once the second submarine is retired, the navy will continue to sail the two remaining Walrus-class boats until their first replacement comes into service, which will take at least 10 years, the ministry said.

The three shipbuilders competing for the project also submitted industrial cooperation agreements that will be evaluated by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Following the preliminary decision, parliament is expected to discuss delivery terms and price in the second quarter of 2024, after which the Defense Ministry will be able to sign a final contract.

The contract will include a requirement for the winning shipbuilder to complete sea acceptance trials for the second submarine within 10 years of final signing, with the goal of limiting the risk of a capability gap for the Dutch armed forces.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——荷兰国防部表示，荷兰海军本周退役了其四艘海象级潜艇中的第一艘，荷兰将在 2024 年决定由谁来建造这种柴电攻击潜艇的后继舰。

据国防部消息，海象级潜艇的首舰在服役31年后退役，其零部件将用于维持该国剩余三艘潜艇的作战能力。第二艘潜艇也将在未来几年内退役，但具体日期尚未确定。

“海象级潜艇的退役将有助于海军在未来几年专注于未来发展，并方便帆船的物资维护，”荷兰皇家海军潜艇部队司令杰伦·范赞滕指挥官在国防部的声明中表示。

荷兰政府于7月收到了来自海军集团、萨博·科库姆和蒂森克虏伯海洋系统公司的投标，竞标建造四艘替代潜艇，并计划在2024年第一季度做出初步决定。政府表示，新潜艇的造价将超过25亿欧元（26亿美元），而荷兰媒体报道称，预算可能超过45亿欧元。

荷兰替换老旧“海象”级潜艇的项目已经延误多年。最初计划首艘新潜艇于2028年下水，但该计划已做出调整；现在的计划是在2034年至2037年期间建造两艘完全投入使用的潜艇。

由于项目延误，荷兰皇家海军被迫延长了海象级潜艇的服役寿命，该级潜艇最初的设计寿命为25年。近岸水域作战的重要性日益增加，使得艇体应力小于设计预期，荷兰政府表示，这使得该级潜艇能够继续服役，直至新型潜艇投入使用。

荷兰海军部表示，隶属于登海尔德海军基地的“海象”号潜艇在服役3000天并参与14次军事行动后，于周四举行降旗仪式正式退役。该部还表示，第二艘潜艇退役后，海军将继续使用剩余的两艘“海象”级潜艇，直至其首艘替代潜艇服役，这至少需要10年时间。

参与该项目竞标的三家造船厂还提交了产业合作协议，这些协议将由荷兰经济事务部进行评估。初步决定公布后，预计议会将于2024年第二季度讨论交付条款和价格，之后国防部即可签署最终合同。

合同将要求中标的造船商在最终签署合同后的 10 年内完成第二艘潜艇的海上验收试验，以降低荷兰武装部队出现能力缺口的风险。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。