De Riet and Jan van Wijk (Photo: Dirk Sander, KNRM Egmond)

EGMOND AAN ZEE – The volunteer crew of KNRM Station Egmond has had a second lifeboat, the Riet and Jan van Wijk, at their disposal since Thursday, March 25.

The Riet and Jan van Wijk is the first ship in a new class (van Wijk) and will be extensively tested at various KNRM rescue stations over the next 3 months. After this test period, the boat is evaluated, modified where necessary before being put into production. A sister ship of the Riet and Jan van Wijk will replace the current lifeboat Adriaan Hendrik in mid-2022/2023. Over the next 15 years, KNRM will replace its entire rescue fleet, which consists of 75 boats. The current lifeboats were built between 1991 and 2016 and the oldest are due for replacement.

The replacement of the total fleet will cost about 83 million euros, which will be paid for by inheritances and by contributions from donors.