Tag: Netherlands

Twenty-five stowaways were found inside a refrigerated container on board a Britannia Seaways ferry. The vessel was sailing from the Netherlands to its final destination in United Kingdom. While en route to Felixstowe, the personnel discovered the stowaways, due to the fact that they heard sounds coming from the cooling container.

The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management and the Port of Rotterdam Authority announced the completion of the deepening of the Nieuwe Waterweg and Botlek. This is one of the busiest waterways in the Netherlands, and has now been deepened by a metre and a half across a distance of 25 kilometres.

The European Commission informed that it has authorized, under EU State aid rules, the extend of three amendments regarding the Dutch tonnage tax regime, which is now up to 31 December 2028. The three measures regard a reduced tonnage tax rate for large vessels of over 50,000 net tones, a reduced tonnage tax base for ship management and the application of tonnage tax systems to cable - laying vessels.

In 2018, the overall volume of incoming and outgoing cargo shipments to and from Dutch seaports achieved a historic high of approximately 605 million tonnes. This marks an increase of more than 1.5%, compared to 2017. In addition, at 4.5%, container transhipment also marked the highest increase, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) newly released figures.

As the Netherlands is on the eve of much larger offshore wind farms, it is expected that by 2030, this will generate double turnover for the wind industry and around 25 to 30,000 new jobs. To this end, flexibility, cooperation and knowledge are crucial, says Femke Brenninkmeijer.

Russia will pay Greenpeace 2.7 million euros ($3 million), according to a settlement reached between the Dutch state and Moscow. This settlement marks the end on years of legal battles after the seizure by Russia of a Dutch-flagged Greenpeace vessel, the Arctic Sunrise, in 2013 and the arrest of 30 people onboard.

Activity in the Dutch maritime technology sector, increased slightly in 2018. Total turnover rose to €7.3 billion, about €400 million more than 2017. The total employment was 29,072 FTEs, which marks an expansion of about 4% compared to 2017. Bas Ort, chair of the trade association Netherlands Maritime Technology (NMT), noted that many new orders were received and ships completed in the Netherlands during 2018.

The Netherlands has expressed its support to the Philippines to strengthen the global competitiveness of the country's shipping industry. This announcement came on the sidelines of the 20th Philippines – Netherlands Joint Committee on Maritime Affairs (JCMA) meeting in Manila, in March. 

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on offshore wind development. Dutch Consul General Dolph Hogewoning and BOEM Acting Director Walter Cruikshank signed the agreement on 8 April at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of The Netherlands in New York. 

A recent published EY report (Ernst & Young – Dutch Oilfield Services Analysis, 2018) shows how important the offshore industry is to the Port of Rotterdam. As the report notes, Rotterdam is the largest and most important cluster in the Netherlands. The port and city accommodates a number of the largest offshore companies active in the Netherlands.