Toespraak staatssecretaris tijdens de overdracht van Hr. Ms. Van Galen aan Portugal, 14 januari 2010

Mr State Secretary, Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, We are here today to mark the transfer of Her Majesty´s Van Galen to the Portuguese Navy. This follows the transfer nearly a year ago of Her Majesty’s Van Nes recommissioned in Portugal with the name of the well-known Portuguese seafarer Bartolomeu Dias And again, we transfer with feelings. We are saying farewell to a fantastic ship. But at the same time, we know that she is going to a good home and that our Allies will put her to good use. We also know that the sale of this and five other multi-purpose frigates will great boost the deployment capability of the Royal Netherlands Navy.