Dutch merchant vessels that sail through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, but cannot be guarded by Defence, will be allowed to use armed private security as of 1 January. The Council of Ministers agreed on...Read more
The greening of shipping needs much more R&D, not only in finding alternative fuels, but also for the design of completely new ship concepts. In his latest opinion piece, SWZ|Maritime’s editor-in-chief Antoon Oosting argues that...Read more
Piracy is on the rise, and, yes, it is on the political agenda both nationally and internationally, admits Cathelijne Bouwkamp, specialist in maritime law and security at the KVNR. Yet, there are so many hurdles...Read more
The waterborne transport sector is on the radar of the European institutions. In June, the European Council approved the Council conclusions entitled “EU Waterborne Transport Sector – Future outlook: Towards a carbon-neutral, zero accidents, automated...Read more
SWZ|Maritime’s December issue is traditionally a special with a focus on the shipbuilding industry in a specific country, last year Japan. This time we focused on Europe. Not a state, but a cooperating group of...Read more
New international requirements are needed for large container ships. This should prevent another disaster such as the one with MSC Zoe almost two years ago north of the Wadden Islands.Read more
The plan of global shipping to set up a USD 5 billion innovation fund through a fuel tax seems to have the support of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This became clear at last week’s...Read more
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved the proposal to introduce an energy label for shipping. This system should lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.Read more
The European Commission wants to increase offshore wind energy generation 25-fold over the next thirty years. In ten years’ time, offshore wind turbines will have to supply five times more energy. To meet these targets,...Read more
Next spring, pulse fishing will be reviewed again after already being banned by the European Parliament. The European Commission promised this when discussing the ICES report during the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries on 16...Read more
A 73-year-old inland skipper from Gorinchem, the Netherlands, was caught degassing his cargo tanks on the Waal river near Tiel. With an upcoming European ban, and strict measures already in place in the Netherlands in...Read more
The discussion about weather dependent lashing has continued both nationally and internationally, including within the IMO, for over 10 years. No consensus was ever reached about a so-called Unified Interpretation of the Code of Safe...Read more
The Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen is tightening advice for container shipping on the shipping routes north of the Wadden Islands. This follows from research into the MSC Zoe disaster.Read more
IMO’s plan to legislate a 40 per cent reduction in maritime CO2 emissions within ten years has resulted in a mixed response from shipping organisations. The environmental movement, on the other hand, has sharply criticised...Read more
Sailing ice-covered waters is a risky business. The Polar Code covers many of the requirements for navigating these waters safely. However, with arctic shipping on the rise and many newcomers venturing out into these areas,...Read more
The Dutch Ministry of Defence is struggling with the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) over naval vessels being moored in the naval port of Den Helder without an environmental permit. The watchdog has imposed...Read more
European shipping is likely to be subjected to much stricter CO2 requirements than hitherto agreed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the sector worldwide. The Environment Committee of the European Parliament has agreed to...Read more
Following the MSC Zoe disaster, the Dutch Safety Board asked research organisations Deltares and MARIN to cooperate in an investigation. The key research questions were: what could cause container losses above the Wadden Sea and...Read more
Despite efforts being made to improve crew changeovers, not enough progress is being made, according to Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR) Managing Director Annet Koster. The corona crisis has forced thousands of seafarers to...Read more
Dutch Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen is going to do her best to better protect the Wadden area against shipping accidents such as the one involving the container ship MSC Zoe. However, she cannot yet promise...Read more
