Because of the ongoing period of drought in the Netherlands, and after the advice of the National Water Coordination Committee, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management has switched to the so called KWA scenario (‘Klimaatbestendige Wateraanvoer’).
The longest drought in decades is drying out river waterways in the Netherlands, hitting cargo traffic in the inland sector and threatening a shortage of bulk supplies. The summer of 2018 looks set to overtake 1976 as the driest one on record in the country, with almost no rain for two months.
The Dutch National Water Distribution Committee issued a request for measure scenarios, with the aim of limiting saltwater intrusion via the locks at IJmuiden as a result of the drought in the Netherlands. These scenarios are currently being developed. The draught also causes problems for drinking water.
In late May, the European Commission put forward a proposal to ban 10 single-use plastic products most often found on Europe’s beaches and seas. However, a number of European countries have already gone ahead with their own laws to combat plastic pollution.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets stopped its anticartel investigation in the bunker sector in the Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp triangle, as it did not find any actual cartel agreement. Although between 2011 and 2014, discussions about a price-fixing agreement were held, they did not result in an actual cartel agreement.
The European inland shipping sector has signed the Declaration of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, on 13 April, reflecting the commitment of the sector to expedite the greening process in the years ahead, to uphold its competitiveness vis-à-vis road and rail transport, as well as to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2030.
Dutch-based dredging company Van Oord has launched its first LNG-powered crane vessel, ‘Werkendam’, in the Waalhaven in Rotterdam, marking “the start of a new generation of dredging vessels”, that will focus on energy efficiency as a priority in the company’s sustainability agenda.
Biofuels from GoodFuels Marine are now available at the port of Rotterdam, and will be available along inland shipping routes in the Netherlands through the Reinplus Fiwado Bunker bunker network as well, which supplies fuel to inland vessels throughout North West Europe. These fuels aim to save up to 90% CO2 and 100% sulphur compared to fossil fuels.
The Netherlands gave the green light to Gunvor, to build the new facility, without having to conduct an environmental assessment. This facility will give the ability to the refinery to transform high sulphur fuel into other types of fuels. Gunvor’s refinery features a total capacity of 88,000 barrels per day.
The vessels will be the largest fully electric Ro-Ro vessels in the Netherlands, and will operate fully on electricity, providing an emission-free urban transport solution. The new vessels will replace existing ferries that operate on three different routes west of Amsterdam.
