DWP and Hatenboer airlift three mobile desalination units to hurricane-hit Saint Martin
In a joint operation two Dutch water technology firms, Dutch Water Partners and Hatenboer Water, airlifted three reversed osmosis plants to the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean.
The island was hard-hit by hurricane Irma on 6 September and has been without regular water supply since then.
Saint Martin is a constituent country of France (north) and of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (south).
One of Hatenboer's three mobile RO-units, waiting to be airlifted to Saint Martin.
Two days
On request of the Dutch government to help with the reconstruction of the island, Dutch Water Partners and Hatenboer managed to deliver three mobile units to Eindhoven Airport (the Netherlands) within two days.
Hatenboer´s deliverd two RO Oceanus units with a capacity to desalinate 24.000 liter water per day.
The third unit is a RO Proteus with a daily capacity of 70.000 liter.
Waiting for new hurricane
The aircraft flew via Curacao where it now waits for hurricane Maria to pass Saint Martin. The hurricane is expected to bring new havoc. Therefore, it had been decided to postpone the delivery as the new hurricane may pick up debris left from the previous hurricane and damage the desalination units.
Experts of DWP and Hatenboer Water have already arrived on the island to inspect the situation and look for the best places to locate the units.
In a addition to the RO-units, also mobile pumps, generators, hoses, prefabricated water storage tanks and even foldable jerry cans for the people to carry the water home, are on its way to Saint Martin.
Forty pallets with bottled water aboard Boskalis' tug boat Fairmount Alpine on its way to Saint Martin.
Bottled water
Meanwhile, the Dutch navy, air force and Red Cross continue to supply bottled water to the population.
Even tug boat Fairmount Alpine of dredging company Boskalis was chartered. It brought 40 pallets of bottled water to Saint Martin, as well as two neighboroughing islands that are also party of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In the Netherlands the naval support vessel Karel Doorman is being loaded with equipment and materials for the reconstruction of Saint Martin.
The cargo includes 100.000 water bottles and is expected to arrive early October.
Read also on this website
● Dutch navy starts emergency water supply after Irma devastated Saint Martin island, 8 September 2017
● Dutch Water Partners present new WaterGuard unit for water centres in Ghana, 21 December 2015
● Hatenboer-Water installs RO desalination plant aboard FPSO Pioneiro de Libra, 13 April 2017
More information
Dutch Water Partners
Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
+31 58 28 00 730
www.dutchwaterpartners.nl
Hatenboer Water
Schiedam, the Netherlands
+31 10 409 12 00
www.hatenboer-water.com
Boskalis
Papendrecht, the Netherlands
+31 78 696 90 00
www.boskalis.com
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Hague, the Netherlands
+31 77 465 67 67
www.defensie.nl/navy