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Netherlands Government News

06 Aug 2020

Container Losses in the Rolling Seas

The APL England lost at least 50 containers in heavy seas off the coast of Australia in May 2020. (Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority)

Cargoes have come off ships at sea it seems like forever. Some years ago a ship suffered a casualty transiting the English Channel in a storm. Much of its cargo of lumber and other floating items washed ashore on the southwest English coast. Before the authorities could arrive, enterprising local residents gathered it up.Nowadays, the majority of non-bulk cargo is carried in containers. Container ships have gotten larger and are capable of carrying thousands and thousands of containers. The ships have greater length, greater breadth, and greater draft. They also have greater air draft.

11 Sep 2016

First Offshore Exhibition at Maritime Museum Rotterdam

Over forty-five leading companies in the shipping and offshore maritime sector are among those who have contributed to the funding for the first ever exhibition in the Netherlands dedicated to the offshore sector, to be housed at The Maritime Museum Rotterdam for the next seven years. Offshore Experience, which will open in mid-December, will provide visitors with a spectacular overview of the search for oil, gas, wind energy and renewables at sea. Frits Loomeijer, General Director of the Maritime Museum says, “As the worldwide transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy continues apace, energy assumes increasing importance for the economy and is essential for everyday living. Without energy, we could not recharge our mobile phones, put fuel in our cars or cook our food.

22 Jun 2016

Ocean Cleanup Prototype Set for a Test Run

The first ocean cleanup system ever tested at sea will soon be deployed for trials 23 kilometers (12 NM) off the Dutch coast. The goal of the test is to see how the floating barrier design is able to cope in extreme weather at sea during a 12-month period. The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, unveiled its North Sea prototype today in the presence of The Netherlands government, as well as the main sponsor Boskalis, who will transport and install the prototype this week. “It has been inspiring to work with The Ocean Cleanup team to optimize the engineering of the barrier,” said Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis.

03 Feb 2015

Netherlands Government Charters Research Vessel

Photo courtesy of Cefas

The RV Cefas Endeavour has commenced an 18-day charter to the Government of the Netherlands organizations Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) and the Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), with local mobilization in Scheveningen (Netherlands). The 74-meter multidisciplinary research vessel will participate in International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS) operations in the North Sea, in collaboration with vessels from other European agencies, under the auspices of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

02 Aug 2013

Sunken RoRo 'Baltic Ace' to be Salvaged

'Baltic Ace': Photo credit Wiki CCL

Rijkswaterstaat (Netherlands Government) say they will shortly be inviting tenders for salvaging the wreck of the car carrier the 'Baltic Ace' from a busy North Sea traffic route in the approaches to the Port of Rotterdam. Given that the sunken ship constitutes a threat to safe and swift shipping traffic and the marine environment, the decision was made to salvage the ship in its entirety. The expectation is that a salvage company can be contracted for the work early in 2014 and the salvage operation will take place in 2014 and 2014.

14 Jun 2012

Dutch Insurers Want Security Guards

Last year the number of cases of piracy off the coasts of East and West Africa doubled, with 800 crew members being taken hostage, NRC.informs 'Dutch News'. The Netherlands' government does not allow ship owners to hire armed guards but it does provide soldiers as protection. However, the two organisations say there are not enough of them to protect all the ships sailing in the area. Other countries, such as Cyprus and Malta, do allow their ships to employ armed guards and the organisations say this will lead to Dutch ships choosing to sail under foreign flags which would be detrimental to the government as ship owners pay their tax to the country under whose flag they sail. Piracy costs insurers and ship owners a great deal, in ransom money, repairs to ships and damaged goods.

28 Sep 2011

Hiring Armed Guards Should be Left to Government

In the wake of an independent report recommending the Netherlands government to provide Dutch shipowners with better levels of protection against piracy, including the hiring of armed guards, Netherlands law firm AKD says that shipowners who directly hire armed personnel themselves could face criminal prosecution. The so-called De Wijckerslooth Committee report was designed to assess the desirability and possibility of deploying private sector armed security to help protect Dutch ships from the threat of attack by (mainly Somali) pirates. It recommends that the Dutch government moves towards a higher level of protection of its merchant fleet including, “if necessary”, the use of armed private security guards.

08 Jun 2011

PIRACY: Dockwise Appeals to Dutch Government for Help

Dockwise urges the Netherlands government to allow for better protection on its vessels to counteract piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. As the ability of governments to offer military protection is limited, the ability for ship owners to employ additional private protection is of the utmost importance. Despite several appeals, private protection onboard Dutch vessels could meet with legal impediments. Other nations do allow for such added protection measures. Dockwise eventually may be forced to have its vessels sail under a different flag if restrictions are not eased imminently. On the growing piracy problem André Goedée…