Damen has christened the Royal Navy of Oman’s new flagship sail training clipper as Shabab Oman II at its Vlissingen facility in the Netherlands.
The 87m-long, three-mast, full square rigger will replace an existing vessel with the same name and carry out training tasks.
Damen project manager Arnoud Both said: "Finishing touches include hand-carved teak at the bow, teak palm leaves at the stern and gilded interior woodwork from Hertel.
"However, this is also a working training ship equipped to the most modern standards.
"Tall ships capture the public imagination and win friends as they glide gracefully into port, but Shabab Oman is also a key to the recruitment and training underlying the fleet expansion."
With a fully unfurled sail area of 2,700m², the steel-hulled vessel comes with a twin propeller shaft arrangement and incorporates three generators in addition to an emergency back-up unit.
With all internal spaces being designed for low noise and vibration, the new vessel can accommodate 34 navy recruits in addition to a crew of 58.
Principally built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, the vessel was then towed to the Vlissingen yard for installation of the 50m steel/aluminium masts, rigging and spars.
The Dutch shipbuilder claims that even for skilled sailors, Shabab Oman would turn out to be a complicated sailing vessel with 35 sails, each of them operated by eight ropes.
Image: Oman Royal Navy’s sail training clipper, Shabab Oman II. Photo: courtesy of Damen.
