King Willem-Alexander (second from right) paid a visit to the His Majesty Karel Doorman, the largest vessel of the Royal Dutch Navy, in Den Helder on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Dutch Defence)\n\n
DEN HELDER--King Willem-Alexander on Tuesday visited the joint logistic support ship His Majesty Karel Doorman which is moored in Den Helder after returning from a mission to the Caribbean to provide assistance in the hurricane-hit St. Maarten and Dominica.\n\n
On board of the Karel Doorman, the King attended a consultation of the Navy authorities, the so-called Board of the Admiralty, where he was informed of the developments within the Royal Dutch Navy and the steps that are being taken to maintain a strong and future-proof military forces.\n\n
Crew members of the Karel Doorman and also of the patrol ship His Majesty Zeeland told the King of their experiences in providing emergency assistance in St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma and in Dominica after Hurricane Maria. Several marines and representatives of the Army who assisted on the islands also participated in the conversation with the King.\n\n
The Karel Doorman returned from St. Maarten four days ago. In total, the largest vessel of the Dutch Navy transported 1,700 tonnes of relief supplies to the Windward Islands and Dominica. In St. Maarten, the crew also assisted with the cleaning up, supported the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, guarded the depot and carried out renovation work.\n\n
The King and his wife Queen Máxima will visit St. Maarten this Saturday, December 2. The visit will focus on the reconstruction. The Royal couple will be joined by State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops who is already in St. Maarten. The King visited St. Maarten on September 11, shortly after Hurricane Irma. He was joined by then Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/71365-king-pays-visit-to-karel-doorman"
