Navigator NL is a publication of the Dutch Pilots

Navigator NL is a publication of the Dutch Pilots’ Corporation for external relations
December 2014 | issue 13
A unique educational institution • The
unwritten rules of Europe • Pilotage under
lucky stars • Civil-military cooperation!
• Safety first • The art of prediction
Colophon
Navigator NL, ISSN: 1872-6550
Is published by and under sole responsibility
of Nederlandse Loodsencorporatie
Editor-in-chief:
Clarinda van den Bor
Email: [email protected]
Contents
•Dear reader
•A unique educational institution
three
five
•Piloting is more fascinating than
most peoplebelieve
•Maritime Spatial Planning at sea
eight
twelve
Editorial board:
Eric van Dijk
Jan Frans van den Hoek
Fred Kuipers
Johan van der laan
Bert Oldenbeuving
•Pilotage under lucky stars
ready for use since the beginning of 2014
twenty one
Editorial member:
Charlotte Klaasen
•Civil-military cooperation!
twenty five
Reporters:
Janny Kok
Rob Schoemaker
Rob Wilken
Translation and editing:
Dean Harte
Ellick Sutherland
Photographers:
Flying Focus
Herbert de Jong
Tom Kisjes
Kees Stuip
Design and layout:
TheSign Merkenbouwer, Heerhugowaard
Printing:
SDA Print+Media, Amsterdam
Internet:
Navigator NL can be found on our website: www.loodswezen.nl
Nederlandse Loodsencorporatie
Berghaven 16, 3151 HB Hoek van Holland
P.O. Box 830, NL-3000 AV Rotterdam
Regionale Loodsencorporatie Noord
Schildweg 16a, NL-9979 XR Eemshaven
Regionale Loodsencorporatie Amsterdam-IJmond
Kanaaldijk 242, IJmuiden
P.O. Box 11, NL-1970 AA IJmuiden
Regionale Loodsencorporatie Rotterdam-Rijnmond
Markweg 200, Harbour no. 6335, 3198 NB Europoort (Rotterdam)
Regionale Loodsencorporatie Scheldemonden
Boulevard de Ruyter 8, NL-4381 KA Vlissingen
Paper:
•The unwritten rules of Europe
fourteen
seventeen
•Dutch Pilots’ eDLoran system has been
•Safety first
twenty eight
•Experts are not surprised about
maritime developments
thirty three
•The art of prediction
thirty seven
•ISPO is steadily growing
•The Netherlands Lighthouse Association
fourty
fourty two
Dear reader,
When writing the preface to our magazine Navigator NL, I suddenly realized that the year
2014 is entering its final months. It may be due to the age of this writer, but the year really
seems to have passed by very quickly. Not a bad sign in itself, of course, as it makes you
realize that time flies when you enjoy life. Seen in that light, it is absolutely no punishment
- rather a reward - to write a preface to this issue. An issue which in my opinion is a particularly successful one. That is why I would like to say a big ’thank you very much’ to everyone
who has made a contribution to the magazine. It is also why I hope you’ll read the magazine
with just as much pleasure as we did when we worked towards its realization. Together, we
have made a difference - and a successful one. Congratulations!
The year 2014 has been an unusual year and
as our region has not yet seen a restoration to
stable economic conditions, we anticipate that
concerns about the economy will continue to
preoccupy our minds. In this context the
present issue of Navigator NL features a very
interesting article on the expected ship movements in relation to the worldwide freight flows.
For the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organization,
2014 will be remembered as the year when
the large pilot vessel replacement project was
finally completed. With the completion, a
very fascinating period has come to an end
and we are extremely grateful to everyone
inside and outside our organization who have
contributed to the success of this project.
It is worth noting that 2014 has also been a
year in which the maritime pilot’s profession
has featured importantly on the Agenda
of the European Commission. At the very
last minute, just before the change of the
European Commission, the original proposal
for pilotage services was amended in such
a way that the existing situation of the
pilotage service in the Netherlands can be
maintained. It is now up to the European
Parliament to make such changes as it
deems necessary and appropriate. In this
process we are working closely together
with our German and French colleagues as
well as with EMPA, trying to convince the
European Parliament of the necessity to stick
to their initial position, i.e. that pilotage
services should remain in the transparency
part and be left out of the market operation
part of the Commission’s proposal.
In this issue we also look at the way in which
the new maritime pilot-training programme
in the Netherlands has been set up and
implemented. After all, appropriate training is
and remains the basis on which we are able to
keep our high-quality services at the required
level and, wherever possible, to improve.
Despite the ongoing developments in science
and technology in the shipping industry, the
maritime pilot, together with the captain
on board ship, offers the most effective and
efficient solution to the safe handling of
shipping traffic to and from the ports.
Looking ahead to next year, we think that
2015 should be the year when a series
of long-term issues between the Dutch
Maritime Pilots’ Organization and the Dutch
Government (especially the Ministry of
Infrastructure and the Environment) and
between our organization and the European
authorities should be concluded. We need
clarity about market surveillance and
compulsory pilotage as well as about new
rules and regulations - if any - from Brussels.
This clarity is needed to be able to take a
fresh look at the world and to ensure that
- in cooperation with all the other nautical
service providers - the logistic chain on
the seaward side keeps moving like a Swiss
timepiece.
I would like to conclude by wishing you all
a very Merry Christmas and a happy and
healthy New Year! We hope you will enjoy
reading this issue of the Navigator.
Eric M. van Dijk
President
A unique
educational
institution
“Maritime pilot is the best profession in the world”. Pilots to be Wessel Bruijn and
Arjen Straates are in the last months of their schooling to become maritime pilots in the
Amsterdam-IJmond region. If all goes according to plan, they will be sworn in somewhere in
early 2015; the two men will then be among the first graduates allowed to carry the title of
Master in Maritime Piloting. This title is part of the recent upgrade of the programme which
now officially leads up to a so-called HBO master’s degree.
Traditionally, the Dutch pilots have always
trained their own recruits. Since the
organisation became autonomous in 1988,
STODEL (the educational organisation of
the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Association)
has born responsibility for this. To overall
satisfaction, but around 2010 the idea
however still arose to further formalise the
status of the training for maritime pilots
and raise it to the level of an HBO master’s
degree (HBO in Dutch stands for Hoger
Beroepsonderwijs or higher professional
education). In this way, making it possible to
anticipate expected new national legislation
and safeguard the quality of the training
programme for the future.
meets the requirements of an HBO master’s
degree. An intensive process, as Eline van
der Vlist (coordinator of education and
training at STODEL) and Marc Tijthoff
(secretary of the Dutch Pilots’ Corporation)
have experienced. “In terms of content, our
programme was already very solid. But each
pilotage region interpreted certain aspects
in its own way, including the method of
examining for example. In order to qualify
for the HBO master’s accreditation, this
had to be made more uniform. There was
also still room for improvement in terms of
structure. Furthermore, a number of elements
essential to an HBO master’s degree were
lacking, especially regarding research and
development”.
Intensive
For the programme to be recognised as an
HBO master’s, an application had to be
submitted to the Accreditation Organisation
of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO),
an independent governing body that
oversees the quality of higher education in
the Netherlands and Flanders. Accreditation
is far from easy. The assessment procedure
is strict and based on sixteen highly diverse
criteria. Before an application can actually
be filed, the applying organisation must
therefore be sure that the programme fully
Objectivity
In the end, Dutch Pilots’ Association
submitted the application to the NVAO in
early 2013. A standard procedure is used
for assessment, explains Fred Mulder, staff
member at NVAO. An independent panel
assesses the submitted application, visits
on-site and then advises the NVAO board
on whether or not a programme deserves
recognition. “One ‘problem’ in this case
was that there is only one Loodswezen,”
recollects Mulder. “So how do you go about
five
finding an assessment committee with
independent expertise?” The solution was
found in a registered pilot from AmsterdamIJmond who had been retired for more
than five years and a chief pilot from
Antwerp. Other panel participants included
an educational consultant and a master’s
student. Mulder: “After carefully examining
the dossier and speaking to various people
involved in the programme on location in
IJmuiden, the panel ultimately unanimously
advised in favour of accreditation. This advice
was next endorsed by the Board of NVAO”.
First class ready in early 2015
Backed by the positive decision of the
NVAO, but at that time still waiting
for the official green light from the
Inspectorate of Education and the Ministry
of Education, Culture and Science (which
in the meantime both have approved
the application) the first fifteen pilots to
be commenced the new HBO master’s
programme in February 2014. As before,
the curriculum still consists of a mainly
theoretical central part (the first nine weeks
in IJmuiden) and a substantial regional part
in which the pilots-to-be branch out to the
regions they will be active in later. Here,
carrying out 200 pilotage trips is the main
aspect. “Regional differences are inevitable,
but the programme has definitely become
much more uniform,” says programme
coordinator Van der Vlist. “For example,
both theory and practice are now being
tested in a much more consistent manner.
This is done immediately following the
central part and at 50 percent, 85 percent
and 100 percent of the course”. Also new
in the programme is the research that pilots
to be are expected to carry out and further
flesh out in a thesis. For this purpose, the
programme has been extended by one
month to thirteen months in the regions
Rotterdam-Rijnmond and AmsterdamIJmond and, due to lengthier pilotage trips,
to fourteen months in the Scheldemonden
region. Through courses in public
administration and organisational studies,
the students are furthermore prepared for
their future roles as partners in a partnership.
After successfully graduating, this will
already be the case for the first Masters in
Maritime Piloting in early 2015!
HBO master’s
An HBO master’s degree is an advanced
higher vocational (HBO) programme that
students can pursue after having obtained a
relevant HBO bachelor’s degree. In addition
to this diploma, a certain measure of relevant
professional experience is required. For
the master’s course for registered pilot this
latter requirement is very strict. Candidates
are expected to have gained substantial
hands-on experience at sea with at least the
qualification of first mate for all ships. All
details are available at www.loodswezen.nl.
Wessel Bruijn and Arjen Straates
“To be honest, we were unaware that
the programme for registered pilot had
become an HBO master’s degree until
the introductory session in February
2014. We both applied to become pilots
about three years ago and ended up on
the waiting list”. The patience of Wessel
Bruijn (31) and Arjen Straates (35)
was rewarded this year. Both were able
to enrol in the programme, with the
aim of becoming registered pilots in the
Amsterdam-IJmond region. The two
students have a lot of experience at sea,
among other fields in shortsea tanker
shipping. Especially the manoeuvring this
involves greatly appealed to them. “Once
you have done this, only one option
remains: the profession of maritime pilot.
That is the ultimate in manoeuvring”.
Bruijn and Straates are quite passionate
about the programme, which they attend
in the Amsterdam-IJmond region from
the pilot’s office in IJmuiden. The two
aspiring pilots have a great degree of
seven
flexibility when it comes to dividing their
time between theory and practice. “We
can schedule the required 200 pilot trips
ourselves. In this way, we can familiarise
ourselves with each type of vessel and
each little port here in the region”. The
new elements in the course which are
associated with an HBO master’s degree research and thesis, public administration
and organisational studies - do of
course require extra time and energy
on their part. “Especially regarding the
research and the thesis. It was decided to
incorporate this throughout the year in
the programme and not - as is often the
case in other studies - reserve time for it
at the end. This decision makes it more
difficult to truly explore the subject. After
all, you also have to spend a lot of time
on the water”. If it were up to them, this
is the only thing that Bruijn and Straates
would change about the programme. “It
only enhances our challenge. After all,
we want to and must provide a thesis
worthy of an HBO master’s degree”.
Piloting is more
fascinating than
most people believe
Regional presidents loath to give up piloting
When he became President of the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Association, Eric van Dijk announced that he would continue to work as a pilot for
one day a week, “if only to test in practice whether everything we - the management - have thought up makes any sense at all”, or words to
that effect. Although the relatively new Presidents of the Regions Amsterdam-IJmond and Noord (Johan van der Laan and Bert Oldenbeuving
respectively) use less evocative language, they too emphasize that they wish to combine their chairmanship with their job as pilot. Van der Laan
says, “at first I did not want to become a pilot. I thought that continually entering and leaving the same port would be very dull - but nothing
was further from the truth”.
The assumption is understandable; piloting in a certain port area does
Northerner
not exactly look like one of the most exciting elements of the nautical
Oldenbeuving was born in Emmen and attended the nautical college
profession. Before he found out that everything that happens in a port
in Delfzijl; he obtained both his second and first mate’s licences at the
area can be of continuing interest to pilots, Van der Laan (49) worked as
nautical college in Groningen after which he sailed as a first mate and as
a Semi-Integrated and Navigating Officer on Wijsmuller’s and Mammoet’s
a Captain with Wagenborg. Although being a real Northerner, he chose
fleet of heavy lift vessels. Oldenbeuving (44) had worked as a Navigating
to become a pilot in Scheldemonden because there were no vacancies in
Officer before he became a Captain with Wagenborg.
Region Noord at that time. He moved to Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (Zeeland
Flanders) in 2002.
Both are willing to admit to Navigator.NL that circumstances in their
regions force them to remain alert and to anticipate anything that might
“My wife Susan and I toured all around the Netherlands to find out in
happen in their port areas. From their own practice they know that a pilot
which region we would like to live and work. The choice fell on the Region
on board is no luxury. Although the ship’s Captain is ultimately responsible
Scheldemonden, with pilotage carried out from Flushing. I had a very good
for the course he wants to steer, he does not know the specific port area
time there. Nevertheless, we decided to move back to the Region Noord in
very well and has insufficient knowledge of the rules and regulations.
2011 - we wanted to be closer to our families. There was an opportunity
Moreover, he may be too occupied with manoeuvring his own vessel.
to work in the Region Noord, and I seized it”.
Van der Laan lived in Bedum (in the northern province of Groningen),
When the posts of Regional President became available, both Van der
when he finally decided to apply for a job with Loodswezen. He knew the
Laan and Oldenbeuving were far from keen to apply for these vacancies.
Region Noord did not have any vacancies at that time, so in his application
The news had got out that Willem Bentinck, the present Director of
he mentioned no specific preference for a region. This resulted in his being
Nederlands Loodswezen BV and at that time President of the Region
appointed as a pilot in IJmuiden and, consequently, a move to Castricum.
Amsterdam-IJmond, wished to resign his seven-year chairmanship. Van der
Laan, as an active pilot, had been a member of the board of that Regional
eight
Pilots’ Organisation for eight years. His colleagues saw in him a likely
candidate. “Wouldn’t you like to become our Regional President?”
was the - often unspoken - question.
And that is what happened in the beginning of March 2013. “But without
the possibility of remaining an active pilot, I wouldn’t have taken the job.
I wish to remain a member of the team. As a matter of fact, Willem Bentinck
also works as a pilot for one day a week”.
Continue to work as a pilot
To be able to continue his work as a pilot was also a prerequisite
for Oldenbeuving for taking up the presidency. With regard to the
interpretation of the job of President he says, “you have to be transparent
and invite people to think along with you; let them take part in deciding
things. It means that a President has to confine himself to ’what’ and
’why’, while the people involved - both inside and outside the organisation
- are to decide ’how’. To my way of thinking, good management consists
of solving problems and offering solutions”.
It is from this perspective that these two “Leaders” look at their regions.
Oldenbeuving sees opportunities for future collaboration with the German
pilots in the Northern port areas. When this option was examined for the
first time, some ten years ago, the time was not ripe for it. But as prospects
for Groningen Seaports have significantly improved, it may now be the
time to reconsider this idea. The Eemshaven in particular has developed
into a mainport for wind energy. The coal-fired power plant (still under
construction) will come into operation next year and the plans for an LNG
terminal as a storage facility and as a bunker station are at an advanced
stage. The port of Harlingen, in the meantime, aims to position itself as the
port for a cruise terminal.
In Amsterdam-IJmond, work is currently underway on the preparation for
the construction of a new bigger lock. The shipping market is dynamic
and there are continuous developments in maritime and technical areas.
And once the Averijhaven has been dredged and the sludge has been
dumped in the Slufter in Rotterdam, the lightering operations of deepdraught vessels - which are currently being carried out alongside dolphins
situated in the main fairway - will move to the newly constructed berths
in the Averijhaven. This will not only increase the safety of the lightering
operations, but will also result in smoother movements of maritime traffic
in the port area.
That much is true; if the number of nautical specialists decreases, the
added value of pilotage services will increase. Well-trained maritime pilots
seem to be becoming scarce, but Oldebeuving and Van der Laan think
there is light at the end of the tunnel. “We often see that in times of crisis
students find nautical colleges an attractive option; and that is good for
the future of our profession”.
Maritime Spatial Planning at sea:
Planning offshore
wind farms requires
nautical expertise
It may come as a surprise to landlubbers that representatives from various maritime disciplines have been meeting regularly for six years now to
contribute their knowledge and skills to the development of spatial planning at sea. Their contribution is needed now as more and more plans
for the construction of offshore and near-shore wind farms are being carried out in the North Sea. Although there appears to be enough space at
sea, nothing could be less true! There are many busy shipping routes in the North Sea.
deep sea pilots of Royal Dirkzwager, the
maritime pilots of Nederlands Loodswezen,
the Dutch Coastguard, the fishing
industry, the recreational craft industry
and the Amsterdam and Rotterdam port
authorities. The operational department of
the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and
the Environment (I & M) is responsible for
spatial planning in Dutch territorial waters.
When he talks about the impact of maritime
spatial planning on the ports, Ben van
Scherpenzeel, who is Director Nautical
Developments, Policy and Plans of the Port
of Rotterdam’s Harbour Master Division,
turns out to be a true advocate of Safety
and Efficiency. When monitoring plans for
large offshore projects such as wind farms,
the maritime advisory group, which was set
up in 2006, considers safety and efficiency
of paramount importance. The Dutch
Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZ) and the
Directorate-General for Public Works and
Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat, RWS)
are advised on this issue by representatives
of shipping companies, the Netherlands
Shipmasters’ Association (NVKK), the
The central question is how much space is
needed between shipping routes and offshore
wind farms. Via the General Provisions
on Ships’ Routeing (GPSR), the IMO has
issued guidelines for objects such as offshore
production platforms. However, offshore
wind farms have not been included for the
simple reason that they did not exist at the
time these guidelines were formulated. The
International Regulations for Preventing
Collisions at Sea (Colregs) likewise provide
no grip. So there are no detailed guidelines
for large sea areas with individual offshore
structures such as turbines in offshore wind
farms.
In his presentation “Impact of Maritime
Spatial Planning on Ports’ for members
of the European Commission”, Van
Scherpenzeel demonstrated the need for
twelve
tailor-made rules for multiple offshore
structures such as wind farms. These rules
could be incorporated in the General
Provisions on Ships’ Routeing (GPSR). His
presentation included a radar picture that
clearly showed that recreational craft sailing
near offshore wind farms are very difficult
to discern, yet other ships may have to base
their decision to give way to recreational
craft on information obtained by radar.
Moreover, offshore wind farms often cause
radar interference when ships pass too close
to a wind farm.
Van Scherpenzeel adds, “My presentation
received a warm welcome by the
representatives of the Member States. The
next step will be to make a proposal for an
extra paragraph in the General Provisions on
Ships’ Routeing (GPSR) that will take into
account the development of offshore wind
farms”.
That much is clear, it is of the utmost
importance that maritime experts are
members of the Shipping Advisory Group
North Sea (SAN). The Advisory Group
has initiated collaborative thinking about
how the North Sea could be better used.
With some caution Scherpenzeel expresses
the idea that shore side maritime expertise
is waning. Elco Oskam, who is a board
member of the Regional Maritime Pilots’
Association Rotterdam-Rijnmond and a
member of the Advisory Group on behalf
of the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Association,
expresses his views on the disappearance of
maritime knowledge as follows, “and that is
why they have to consult the members of the
Shipping Advisory Group North Sea”. That
said, Oskam, who joined the Advisory Group
at the beginning of 2014, has an optimistic
view of the maritime stakeholders in the
Group, many of its members have been at
sea and therefore speak the same language.
The representatives of the Dutch Ministries
of Economic Affairs (EZ) and Infrastructure
and the Environment (I & M) listen to our
arguments, but a number of them have little
maritime expertise and so we have to keep a
finger on the pulse.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs would
like to have 16 percent of its energy
produced from sustainable energy and this
includes wind energy. But there are more
interests at stake - within and outside the
various Ministries. It is a matter of good
coordination and keeping a careful eye
on the planning of offshore wind farms,
especially near Maasvlakte 2.
Oskam adds, “and recreational craft are a
point requiring attention”. Wind farms off
the Dutch coast are prohibited areas for
recreational craft, whereas in other countries
small ships are allowed to navigate through
offshore wind farms. “For safety at sea, at
least AIS Class B transponders should be
made compulsory, including a compulsory
listening watch on VHF for all recreational
craft. In a European context, especially,
there should be agreements on regulations
concerning the distance between wind
farms and shipping routes. A distance of 500
metres has been established off the Belgian
coast. But according to the Advisory Group
this distance is too short. And then there
is another issue as well - the issue of why
clustering offshore wind farms in the search
area ’IJmuiden Ver’ is not allowed. It would
definitely be a bad idea to create small
clusters of wind farms in the southern part of
the North Sea”.
The unwritten
rules of Europe
On the 1st of July 2014, the new European Parliament took office. Over the next five years, 751 members from 28 member states will
consider a huge variety of subjects, transport being only one of them. Within this policy area, the third attempt of the European Commission
at establishing a European ports policy directly impacts Nederlands Loodswezen. The proposal to introduce more market access negatively
affects safety.
“I am glad that there is a European
Commission that initiates and monitors”.
Wim van de Camp realises that this
comment is quite remarkable coming
from a Member of European Parliament
(MEP). “With 751 members, the
European Parliament is just a huge melee
of information and all kinds of different
interests. Bearing this in mind, the progress
we have made with Europe in the last sixty
years is actually amazing”. The seasoned
politician immediately adds that in his
opinion the internal market of the EU
functions fine. “Being critical of Europe is
okay, but the basic principle is definitely
sound”. In the new term of the European
Parliament, Van de Camp represents the
Dutch political party CDA as transport
coordinator within the large political group
of the EPP. This means that all of his 222
fellow EPP representatives will initially
come to him for all transport-related
matters. Interest groups from the transport
industry too are eager to talk with him. Van
de Camp is fine with this. “What makes
a lobbyist valuable? Providing A4’s with
good information. In that respect, it is also
important that a lobbyist becomes involved
early in the decision-making process and
regularly makes an appearance. Showing
up in Brussels once every six months
doesn’t cut it”. Van de Camp shares more
about his approach. “To form my opinion
about specific dossiers, I often talk with
representatives of organisations on both
ends of the spectrum. This yields more
valuable information than talking with their
European interest group, who is logically
seeking the compromise”.
European ports policy
One of the long-running dossiers in Europe
is the proposal for a European ports policy.
For the third time now, the European
Commission is attempting to create more
market access and transparency in the
fourteen
European ports. The underlying idea is
that more competition will allow ports to
function better. In the initial proposal,
pilotage services would be subjected to
market access as well. At the instigation
of the Transport Council of European
Ministers, this proposal has however now
been amended; member states are allowed
to make exceptions for pilotage services,
which the Netherlands is planning to do. It’s
something that Dutch Pilots’ Associasion
has strongly advocated. Pilotage is about
safety and this should never be the subject
of competition. Together with, among
others, German and French colleagues
and the European Maritime Pilots’
Association (EMPA) this position has
been communicated as widely as possible
in Brussels for some time now. From the
office of Dröge & van Drimmelen in the
European capital, lobbyist Marlene ten Ham
offers support in this. “We maintain good
contacts with the European Commission,
the European Transport Ministries and the
European Parliament, follow their agendas
and try to proactively anticipate these”.
Nederlands Loodswezen chairman Eric van
Dijk himself also has an important role
to play in that, says Ten Ham. “He does
the talking in Brussels and is also willing
to invest the time for this. We identify
opportunities, prepare meetings and guide
him through the political process”. For Ten
Ham, the strength of Van Dijk’s message
is undeniable. “Through the supervision
exercised by the Authority for Consumers
and Markets (ACM) in the Netherlands,
Loodswezen is already financially transparent
anyway. And look at Denmark, where
pilotage was opened up to the market; tariffs
there have increased by twenty percent.
Fortunately, many parties in Europe also
support the notion that safety may not be
subject of competition”.
already discussed the dossier for six months.
Due to the controversy of the subject, it
was next postponed till after the elections. I
would be surprised if anything gets resolved
this time. The southern member states
have no need for further transparency, the
northern member states want to exclude
pilotage, but for example also the boatmen,
from the agreements. What will remain is a
watery compromise. If that happens, I will
No watery compromise
MEP Peter van Dalen from the Dutch
ChristenUnie party and affiliated with
the ECR political group in the European
Parliament agrees with this position. “Safety
is something that needs to be closely
controlled by the government. You shouldn’t
subject this to market forces. Before you
know it, earnings will take prevalence over
quality”. Before embarking on his second
term in the European Parliament, Van Dalen
already gained a wealth of experience in
national and international transport policy
in many other positions. He too is open to
input from third parties. “But make sure you
know what you want as an organisation and
keep it simple. Your fifteen-year-old nephew
should be able to understand it. All too
often, I also see lobbyists only spring into
action at the last minute. That is really way
too late”.
European Parliament’s move
It is now up to the European Parliament to
further assess the proposal of the European
Commission for a European ports policy. Van
Dalen: “Prior to the European elections, we
fifteen
say: Commission, stay alert to illegitimate
government aid to ports, but just leave the
ports policy for what it is”.
Van de Camp has not yet reached this
point. He feels that more market access
and transparency are good developments in
their own right. “But pilotage should really
be excluded. This concerns public services
which revolve around safety”.
Pilotage under lucky stars
Pilot vessel procyon in operation
even before her christening
The President of the Region Amsterdam-IJmond, Johan van der Laan, was chauvinistic enough to remark that the most beautiful aspect of the
third new pilot vessel was the name ’IJmuiden’ - the ship’s home port - on its stern. The new vessel’s name is ’Procyon’. She is a so-called Pilot
Station Vessel (PSV) and the last one in a series of three newly built ships which have all been named after stars. However, she will not come
into action in this region before 2015 when the large maritime festival Sail Amsterdam will be held.
But that does not mean that the pilot vessel is unsuitable to
be taken into service in the region Amsterdam-IJmond. It is
only for operational reasons that Nederlands Loodswezen (the
Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organization) has decided to deploy PSV
Procyon (length 81 metres, beam 13 metres) elsewhere. With
her sister ships Polaris and Pollux, she will see service in the Port
of Rotterdam and in the Dutch and Flemish ports on the River
Scheldt. The new pilot vessel has been especially designed for
staying at sea for longer periods under adverse weather conditions.
With its long, sharp and narrow hull shape, Procyon can sail
relatively smoothly through the unpredictable wave patterns of the
North Sea.
The three new ships replace the M-class pilot vessels which,
although 35 years of age, do not look their age and do not seem
so old-fashioned with respect to their design. Experts are of
the opinion that in spite of their ages, the M-class vessels still
outwardly boast a modern-looking design. Their crew’s quarters,
though, are outdated. In addition, it was getting increasingly
difficult to find spare parts for the M-class pilot vessels to carry out
repairs when necessary.
No wonder the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organization went to
look for alternatives for this type of vessel in 2005. In the end,
Barkmeijer Shipyards secured the contract for the construction of
the series of three PSVs. The shipyard in the province of Friesland
in the north of the Netherlands succeeded in contracting about 25
suppliers from Friesland and the neighbouring provinces Groningen
and Drenthe for the new-building programme.
A total investment sum of 90 million euros was involved. The
maritime pilots themselves brought in the risk-bearing capital. The
ABN AMRO bank and the Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten agreed
to take care of the external funding.
Managing Director Jos de Groot of Barkmeijer Shipyards showed
nostalgic feelings at the christening of the PSV Procyon, “This
feels like the end of a seven-year period that started with the
submission of a tender, the preparation for the design, the receipt
of the engineering contract, the uncertainty whether we would
be awarded the contract for the construction and, in the end,
the awarding of that contract. Despite rumours that the Dutch
Maritime Pilots’ Organization could be an awkward customer
there has not been one single quarrel during the whole seven-year
period”.
But it was beyond question that the list of demands was
formidable. It consisted of requirements with respect to the ship’s
behaviour at sea, its manoeuvrability, acceleration power, damage
stability, power generation redundancy, propulsion, steering,
maintenance-friendliness, robustness, ergonomics, comfort, and
the possibility to interact with the other means of transport used
by the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organization.
During the christening ceremony of PSV Procyon, it became clear
that the requirement to interact with other means of transport had
been fulfilled. Without any problem, multifunctional performer
Ellen ten Damme was lowered from a SAR (Search And Rescue)type Pilot Helicopter onto the deck of the Procyon. There she sang,
among other things, the Kate Bush-song ’The Man with a Child in
his Eyes’ after which she performed the christening ceremony.
The bottle of champagne was smashed at the first attempt, luckily.
According to superstition, it would mean bad luck for the ship and
its crew if the bottle did not smash on the first swing. In any case,
the Dutch pilots are not superstitious, seeing that the Procyon had
been in action for several weeks prior to the day of the christening.
Willem Bentinck, the managing director of the Dutch Pilots’
Organization, explained, “we could not postpone the deployment
of the ship, so we decided to postpone the christening until after
the holidays so that everybody would be able to attend the
ceremony. We had such good experiences with Pollux and Polaris Procyon’s sister ships that were put into service at earlier instances
- that we were not afraid to deploy Procyon. And, besides, we are
not superstitious”.
seventeen
Dutch Pilots’ eDLoran system has been
ready for use since the beginning of 2014
Project Accseas has been
outpaced by market player
“History is repeating itself”, that is what insiders in the transport and logistics sector will probably think when they hear the story about
how the eLoran navigation system that is used in the Maasgeul and Eurogeul deep-draught channels has been further developed into eDLoran.
Serving as a back-up system to GPS and other satellite navigation systems, eDLoran is now meeting all requirements and is ready for use.
As part of the INTERREG IVB North Sea Region Programme, the three-year ACCSEAS project aims to guarantee the safety of the busy shipping
traffic on the North Sea; and although there is already a satisfactory back-up navigation system available, ACCSEAS continues to carry out
research into new back-up systems.
He Accseas research is being carried out with
the aid of partners in Denmark, Germany,
the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and
the United Kingdom. The Netherlands,
however, is no longer contributing towards
the maintenance of Loran transmitters in
North Sea coastal states. So while Accseas
is continuing to do research into this type
of locator systems, it seems the Netherlands
does not recognize the potential of eDLoran
as a guarantee to the safety of navigation.
By sticking to the idea of individually
carrying out a project for a back-up
navigation system, Accseas will probably
not succeed in getting the system ready
for production. It more or less resembles
the case of intermodal transport of pallet
wide 45-feet containers. The designers of
specific solutions for the safety of transport
of this type of container have been busy
for years, trying to explain to the European
Commission that firstly, this type of
container meets all statutory requirements
for transport by land and by sea; secondly,
that this container standard has been
accepted by all parties concerned and thirdly,
that the developments for intermodal
transport of this container are continuing.
Nevertheless, the European Union (EU) has
remained a supporter of the development
of standardisation for pallet wide
containerisation within its own organisation;
a standard called the European Intermodal
Loading Unit (EILU).
eDLoran works
The way in which a solution for the standard
pallet wide 45-feet container has been
found and accepted bears similarities to
the eDLoran solution for the Maasgeul and
Eurogeul. Wim van Buuren is a RotterdamRijnmond registered pilot and a member of
the Pilotage Technical Committee, Data and
Technology. He and his team (the parties
involved in the development of eDLoran)
continue to show that their invention is
working successfully and can be put into
practice. They have demonstrated the system
to René de Vries, who is Harbour Master
and State Harbour Master of Rotterdam.
The system developed by Van Buuren and
his co-workers has even been co-financed
by the Rotterdam Harbour Master Division.
A top-ranking official of the Ministry of
Infrastructure and the Environment has
said in a speech that he is thinking along
the same lines as Wim van Buuren does in
his Loodswezen 2020 Plan, a plan for the
future (until 2020) of the Dutch Pilots’
Organisation. The Plan specifically mentions
the development of eDLoran. His Plan has
now been submitted to the Dutch Pilot’s
Organisation for approval.
twenty one
Van Buuren leads the development of
a useful alternative to the GNSS PNT
(Positioning, Navigation and Timing) system
and aims at a further development of the
eLoran system and its derivative Differential
eLoran (DLoran). “Generally speaking, GPS
is more accurate than eLoran, but since
eLoran uses stronger signals, it can cope
better with interferences and this makes it
a more robust system than GPS. We saw
the benefits of combining the two systems,
as this would result in a more accurate
and, in particular, a more reliable locator
system. This is how eDLoran has come into
existence. The combination serves as a
back-up for GPS under all circumstances”.
The past has shown, globally, that a good
back-up for GPS is no luxury. Professor
David Last, a GPS and navigation specialist,
always receives support from his audiences
when he tells them that any experimentloving teenager, with the help of available
information and cheap software, will be able
to cause GPS interference. The invention to
use eDLoran as a back-up for GPS can count
on Prof Last’s support.
Interesting
The Presidents of the Dutch Maritime Pilots’
Association and the Rotterdam-Rijnmond
Regional Maritime Pilots’ Association have
shown an interest in the invention of Van
Buuren and his team. It illustrates, they
say, that Nederlands Loodswezen is indeed
fulfilling its government-imposed obligation
to work on innovation.
Also practical experience shows that
implementation of a reliable back-up system
is necessary. In an interview by the Dutch
daily newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Van
Buuren gave an example of GPS interference
he experienced during a trial. “We were
under the impression that we were still on
the right track, but then it appeared we
had gradually diverged from it and were no
longer in the channel. At first we thought
that by compensating for the tidal current
we would be able to return to our track,
however, we soon found out that the error
was due to interference of the GPS signal.
So by compensating for the tidal current we
deviated even further from our course”.
GPS interference, also called ’jamming’, is a
worldwide phenomenon. At least 173 GPS
jammers were intercepted in the Netherlands
in 2013. Not only inventive teenagers (as
mentioned by Prof Last), but also truckers
and criminals are guilty of GPS jamming.
twenty two
They use them to stop being tracked by
scanners. It is not inconceivable that
terrorists may become GPS jammers. They
could interfere with existing navigation
systems in ports and not only disrupt air
traffic, but WiFi signals as well.
Seen in this light, the introduction of
eDLoran has not come a moment too soon.
While Europe evidently sees eLoran as an
old-fashioned system that will have to be
replaced by a system still to be determined by
Accseas, the United States is reinstalling the
eLoran navigation system. Apparently, the
authorities on the other side of the Atlantic
have become aware of the usefulness of the
system and its possible successor, eDLoran.
For the time being, European governments
have adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
twenty four
Civil-military
cooperation!
Midshipmen - adelborsten in Dutch - arching in the courtyard, a head building steeped
in history, but also the very latest maritime training simulator available in the Netherlands,
the Royal Netherlands Naval College in the city of Den Helder offers unique higher professional education aimed at training naval officers. This also involves constructive cooperation
with Loodswezen.
Students who opt for a so-called university bachelor’s degree
from the Royal Netherlands Naval College - Koninklijk Instituut
voor de Marine or KIM in Dutch - also make the fundamental
choice to be a part of the military. This is clear from day one.
The new student is immediately hoisted into a uniform and
next heads off for a four-week bivouac on the island of Texel.
Commander Richard Platel, Head of Maritime Education and
Training Facilities at KIM: “Over the course of five years, students
receive a mixture of military training, vocational training and
courses related to a regular bachelor’s degree in military science.
Throughout the entire educational programme, we also attach
great importance to the cultivation of community spirit. During
their training, the adelborsten live at the barracks and only go
home on the weekends. Educative social and sporting activities
are often organised in the evening and on the weekend as well”.
Also different: contrary to other bachelor courses, the midshipmen
are paid a wage from day one instead of having to pay tuition
themselves. “Furthermore, we offer a shortened two-year
educational course for young people who already have a higher
vocational or university degree,” explains Platel. “Logically, their
curriculum specifically focuses on the military and vocational
components”.
Sailing!
Depending on their selected field of study, all KIM graduates start
working as officers at one of the four branches within the Royal
Netherlands Navy: technical service, logistics, marines or naval
service. The latter of course relates the most to Loodswezen.
Platel, who also made ​​his career in the naval service: “As a fresh
KIM graduate, you are a certified Officer of the Watch A; this
means you are capable of sailing a navy vessel from A to B. After
this, you can proceed to Officer of the Watch B, which means you
are also able to handle the vessel in challenging and operational
circumstances. As an extra, you can follow an advanced
navigational course to be able to maneuver naval ships in confined
waters like ports. Next, you can train to work in the command
centre of the naval vessel, the nerve centre from which all military
operations are coordinated”.
“With high waves, you definitely have the
tendency to grab onto something”
Brain tricked
It takes many sailing hours, starting at KIM, before a naval officer
reaches this point. Two training vessels of the institute are used for
this and students also gain hands-on experience during internships
aboard vessels of the navy fleet itself. Last but not least, KIM
has a high-tech training simulator at the barracks. In July 2014,
the configuration was completely renewed, explains Platel
during a tour of the state-of-the-art equipment which comprises
four bridge simulators with a 120-degree visual field and two
360-degree bridge simulators. Especially the latter are spectacular.
The bridge of any random navy vessel can be simulated, both in
terms of controls and performance. The simulators perfectly mimic
conditions at sea, including wave and wind effects and more.
Platel: “It is easy to forget that the simulator is actually anchored
to the ground. The 360-degree images all around trick our brain
into believing that we are actually moving back and forth on the
swell. With high waves, you definitely have the tendency to grab
onto something. It is not without reason that one hour on this
360-degree simulator counts as one hour of actual sailing at sea”.
twenty five
“The aim of the cooperation agreement
between Looodswezen and KIM is to learn
from one another”
Three-year cooperation agreement
Pilot on the bridge
Training on the simulator entails much more than the teaching
of technical skills, continues the Commander. “So-called crew
resource management (CRM) is also addressed. This covers aspects
such as leadership, assertiveness, flexibility, communication and
situational awareness. 90 percent of all incidents happening on
the bridge are related to these kinds of factors”. Sometimes, a
maritime pilot is present on the bridge of the simulator to ’sail
along’. “This allows the trainee to get a first taste of what it feels
like to actually sail in a port”.
The collaboration also provides the option for (initially two)
aspiring pilots to make use of the new training simulator of
KIM for the research they do as part of their master’s degree
programme. According to Platel, KIM is open to other forms of
civil-military cooperation as well. “As the Royal Netherlands Navy
we of course have a specific mission, but at the same time we also
endeavour to be a part of society as much as possible. One of the
specific ideas for this is to add more merchant ships to the new
simulator. This will allow other parties, such us the pilots and the
nautical colleges, to also train their students here in the future”.
“We endeavour to be a part of society
as much as possible”
twenty seven
The presence of a pilot on the bridge of the training
simulator is only a small aspect of the cooperation between
KIM and Loodswezen. On the 11th of September 2014, a
new three-year cooperation agreement was signed. The aim
of this agreement is to learn from one another, in order to
strengthen the mutual educational programmes (also see
article on the Master in Maritime Piloting programme on
pages 4 - 7). Platel: “We for example share case studies for
CRM with each other and also develop educational material
together. Furthermore, we organise a joint workshop for
our respective instructors at least once a year in which we
further explore a specific topic. In addition, pilots teach
manoeuvring here at KIM. After all, the pilots have elevated
manoeuvring into an art”.
Safety first:
Noordzee helikopters
Vlaanderen helps Dutch
maritime pilots to get
airborne
The helipad at the Maasvlakte Pistoolhaven had been a mess for years, so they say. But today, the helicopter take-off and landing area for the
Dauphin AS 365N3 is spick and span and ready for use. However, visitors expecting the crew to be on standby near their aircraft - ready to start
a Search And Rescue (SAR) operation - are in for a disappointment. “SAR operations are mostly carried out from Den Helder”, is the businesslike remark. “We only carry out SAR operations from here in case of incidents in the area close to this location. We mainly render our services
to the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organization and only occasionally do we fly for third parties.
And that’s the reason why Navigator.NL
will not be witnessing any exciting activities
that look like scenes from an action movie.
The gleaming, polished, yellow helicopter
sits in its hangar behind the yellow and blue
building of the Maritime Pilots’ Association
in the region Rotterdam-Rijnmond.
Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV)
base manager, Karel Wielockx, and NHV
helicopter pilot, Hendrik Crop, are sitting
in a relaxed manner on the terrace in front
of the hangar, talking about their regular
work in which anticipation of potentially
dangerous situations is an important aspect.
Hendrik Crop explains, “Motorists on the
autostrada generally only react when they
are confronted with a dangerous situation.
In aviation, especially during pilotage
by helicopter under adverse weather
conditions, we are always anticipating
potential problems. Wind force, temperature,
visibility, weight of the helicopter, and other
factors have to be taken into account and
for everybody the situation has to remain
absolutely safe. The hoist operator on board
the helicopter will therefore always consult
the maritime pilot about the desired safe
location on the ship onto which he is going
to be hoisted. Both the hoist operator and
the maritime pilot have to agree about the
safety of the operation. If they don’t agree,
the operation will be aborted”.
It is common practice to complete a
procedural checklist before helicopter takeoff and the determination of cloud cover
and visibility are also included in these
procedures.
More issues have been procedurally
established to guarantee optimal safety as
much as possible. There were a number
twenty eight
of requirements NHV had to fulfil before
it could be appointed by the Dutch
Maritime Pilots’ Organization to carry
out its pilotage by helicopter. The most
important requirement stated by the Pilots’
Organization was that a twin-engine
helicopter had to be deployed.
The helicopter crew carries out flight
simulator exercises every six months. During
these exercises they are confronted with
engine failure of one engine, or - in a worst
case scenario - failure of both engines. “But
if that happens, the helicopter will not
immediately fall out of the sky”, says Crop.
The crew of the Dauphin AS 365N3
normally consists of one ’pilot flying’ and
one ’pilot non flying’; the latter has the task
of monitoring the operations. The captain
has the ultimate responsibility.
Of course, the lines of communication
are clearly established. The helicopter
crew maintains communication via the
Amsterdam Flight Information Centre. The
Amsterdam FIC is the air traffic control for
the offshore industry. Communication with
the maritime pilots is carried out via VTS
Pilot Maas.
It goes without saying that good
communication is essential for maintaining
safety at sea as well as in the air. But more is
necessary to guarantee that safety. Among
other things, steps must be taken to ensure
that the helicopter crew is always well rested
before commencing operations. When a
helicopter pilot has been on duty or on
standby for three nights in a row, he must
have at least one night of undisturbed rest
at home. Over a period of 28 days he should
not be on duty for more than 190 hours.
NHV base manager, Wielockx, explains,
“We believe fatigue is a serious topic. To
prevent fatigue, work and rest hours are
monitored very carefully. We have to keep
to a work schedule of 12-hour shifts - this
is according to regulations. The issue of
work and rest hours may sometimes cause
difficulties in crew planning; a puzzle for
twenty nine
which - in the end - a solution is always
found. Although there will always be some
minor problems or irritations to be solved,
there are no big issues or concerns at the
moment. The important thing is to keep the
crew happy. We all do this for the Dutch
Maritime Pilots’ Organization; they have to
be happy as well”.
thirty two
Experts are not surprised
about maritime developments:
“Deployment of increasingly larger ships
and consolidation of shipping companies
an ongoing process”
The interview with Ben Vree, CEO Europe of APM Terminals, with Navigator NL has barely
started when he kicks off with the following statement, “what we are discussing today is,
in fact, ’knocking on an open door’. Shipping companies continue to consolidate and the
tendency of putting ever larger ships into service has not stopped. So in any case it is important to continue investing in larger cranes and to ensure smooth transport operations. After all,
whole boat-loads of containers are coming in and whole boat-loads of them are going out again”.
So it should come as no surprise that he is
recommending that we put the focus for
follow-up transport further into hinterland
areas. “We need better hinterland
connections”, he adds, “but terminals in
ports should also be better equipped to deal
with peak loads instead of reckoning with
homogeneous loads for their own terminals.
That brings me onto my question why
terminals in ports - and not only the Port
of Rotterdam - are not cooperating more
closely with each other to eliminate those
peak loads. Le Havre and Bremerhaven, for
instance, have three terminals lying next
to each other. Surely these terminals could
arrange cooperation in any form whatsoever
to serve their big clients if the need arises.
According to Vree, cooperation should not
be restricted to the ports. This option should
be considered by all big ports as an answer
to the consolidation of shipping companies
and as a means to adequately respond to
the handling of ever larger ships and as a
solution for peak loads at moments when
these ships arrive in port.
Vree realises that there is still quite a long
way to go before the terminals in a port
realise efficient cooperation. To start with,
their IT systems should be aligned and
then the so-called Port Community systems
should be developed further.
thirty three
In Vree’s perception, the shipping sectors
must become more aware of the effect
of so-called slow steaming on port calls.
Deep-draught ships sailing at slower
speeds for cost-efficiency reasons could, for
instance, discharge parts of their cargoes in
Mediterranean Sea ports, especially if the
final destinations of those cargoes are in
Southern Europe. That is why he adds, “in
fact, the deeper ports in the Mediterranean
Sea area have become part of the Hamburg Le Havre range”.
Europe. Vree notes that all parties in port
have been focussing on activities on the
seaward side up to now. “But we should
focus much more on the hinterland and align
our activities accordingly”.
Vree points out that ports such as Thessaloniki,
Piraeus, Gioia Tauro en Valencia have long
been made suitable for the loading and
unloading of large container ships. They have
justified their existence in practice as well as
in relation to their hinterland connections.
So it’s not a given any more that deepdraught container ships can only go to
Rotterdam or to other ports in North West
In any case, that is something Vree tries
to avoid. For the same reason he does not
commit himself to discussing the Level
Playing Field Survey carried out by the
Erasmus University Rotterdam and Ecorys.
“Of course there should be a fair level
playing field in Europe, but the challenges
per port are different - that’s just the way it
is - and therefore the local interpretation
In everything he says you can hear that it is
important to maintain a high-quality service
for the customers of the port. His message
is that constructive criticism of the state of
affairs is good, “but you shouldn’t publicly
foul your own nest”.
thirty four
will be different as well. Take, for instance,
Algeciras. Algeciras is a transhipment port,
so things work differently there than in an
import and export port such as Rotterdam”.
With regard to Rotterdam, Vree has
nothing but praise for the cooperation
between the service providers such as the
tug boat companies, the maritime pilots,
the Port Authority, and the linesmen. “The
combination of service providers is good.
They are really world class and belong to
the Top League. The cooperation between
all the parties in the Port of Rotterdam
is unique. They are all professionals and
keep each other on the ball. The Port of
Rotterdam also plays an important role by
involving the parties in the cooperation
project ’Schip Centraal’ (Focus on the
Ship). So I think we can be quite satisfied
with what is happening in Rotterdam in this
respect”.
The art of
prediction
Each year, the government watchdog ACM (Authority for
Consumers and Market) sets the height of the pilotage tariffs in the
Netherlands. In theory, the calculation formula is straightforward: the
costs incurred by the pilots divided by the number of pilotage trips
determines the pilotage fee. There is one important caveat though:
ACM requires Nederlands Loodswezen to already estimate and substantiate the number of pilotage trips in the year before. Corrections
afterwards are not possible. To ensure that the prediction is as accurate as possible, research agency Ecorys has therefore been brought
in to refine the prognosis methodology. Starting with 2015.
The crisis of 2008 has changed the world and making economic
forecasts has proved far more complex. Loodswezen too has
experienced first-hand that existing models no longer suffice: for
four out of the last five years, there was a substantial discrepancy
between the actual number of pilotage trips and the forecast
submitted to ACM. Predicting the number of pilotage trips using
only forecasts for the development of world trade by the Dutch
Central Planning Bureau (CPB) proved less and less efficient.
After initial, more in-depth research together with PwC for 2014,
Ecorys has now been brought in to further refine the prognosis
methodology for 2015. Their approach is highly comprehensive.
Marten van den Bossche, Director Transport & Mobility at Ecorys:
“Our starting point is always to try to understand why certain
things happen. What are the underlying reasons and key drivers
for ship movements? Our methodology comprises several model
components. First, we draw up a cargo flow prognosis for six
distinctive types of cargo - containers, liquid bulk, agri-bulk, ore/
steel/scrap, coal, other dry bulk and miscellaneous (general cargo,
RoRo, cruise, etc.). We do this at the global level, but we can
subsequently refine this prognosis to the local level, in this case
the Netherlands and Northwest Europe”. The research agency
bases its cargo flow prognosis on sector-specific knowledge and
the information of renowned international organisations such as
the IMF, OECD, IEA, World Bank, WTO and others. “So we make
good use of what experts all over the world tell us. For container
handling, we however continue to use the traditional indicator for
expected economic development”.
Objectively verifiable
“For the local situation, we next also look at the expected
developments in for example a port or the hinterland,” continues
Van den Bossche. “Here, we include objectively verifiable
information in the methodology. Think of Shell announcing a
major maintenance project; as a result, their refinery will be out of
commission for a couple of months and therefore process less oil
that year. Or the closure of power plants in Germany, which could
result in less coal being handled in Rotterdam”.
A third element in the Ecorys model is the expected development
of ship types, ship sizes and the actual draught of vessels visiting
the Dutch ports. Unlike other countries, the actual draught of a
ship is one of the factors for determining the pilotage tariffs in the
Netherlands. Van den Bossche: “Our analysis shows that both ship
sizes and load factors have substantially increased in recent years.
It’s a development trend that we incorporate in our model as well.
It explains to a great extent why the number of ship calls has been
decreasing while volumes have been modestly recovering from the
crisis a few years ago”.
Container distribution model
A separate aspect in the approach of Ecorys is the use of a
Container Port Competition Model. “Containers are the most
important cargo flow for which ports truly compete with one
another,” explains Van den Bossche this extra attention. “In our
container distribution model, we can offer great insight into what
happens with the volumes if a port for example introduces a tariff
change. Or if ports such as Hamburg and Antwerp would have
to fully pass on the costs for the construction of infrastructure
as is the case in the Netherlands. By the way, we did not really
need to use the Container Port Competition Model to predict
the number of pilotage trips for 2015. For next year, simply no
significant changes in the competitive situation are expected.
thirty seven
However, once these types of changes are envisioned, the model
can be applied to further increase the quality and accuracy of our
forecasts”.
Concrete prediction
Altogether, the Ecorys methodology as applied in March 2014
pointed to some 80,330 pilotage trips for Loodswezen in 2015.
The forecast was updated in September 2014 using the most
recent developments, which resulted in a final prognosis for 2015
of 82,068 pilotage trips. Van den Bossche: “One thing is for sure:
our prognosis will also not be 100% correct. But we are confident
our margin of error will be significantly smaller than was the case
for earlier forecasts”.
“Our model can also be used for mid-term and long-term
forecasts,” concludes Van den Bossche. A lot however depends on
how the economy in Europe further develops. And this is highly
uncertain, he explains. “We therefore work with four scenarios,
based on two major uncertainties. The first uncertainty relates to
the future level of the European economy. Will it grow or shrink?
Experts differ greatly in their long-term forecasts, which of course
will have great impact on the imports and exports for Northwest
Europe. The second uncertainty is the trend of globalisation of
production. Will it continue, or will we observe a major tendency
to resourcing, bringing production back much closer to the
consumers? You can also imagine the impact of this uncertainty on
volumes and cargo types for Northwest European ports. Therefore,
in our long-term forecasts we consider four scenarios - which are
the result of combining the two major uncertainties - for which
predictions can be made”.
Top 3
If the forecasts of Ecorys prove accurate, then these
vessel types will receive the most pilotage assistance in
the Dutch seaports in 2015:
1.Container vessels 20,032
2.Chemical tankers 17,982
3.Bulk carriers
15,261
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thirty nine
ISPO is steadily
growing
At its launch about ten years ago, ISPO was met with some scepticism. Nowadays, however, the International Standard for maritime Pilot
Organisations is increasingly gaining recognition the world over. The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) is the organisation’s fourteenth member and
the first one in the Middle-East, Asia and Africa region. The state-owned company aspires an active participation in ISPO.
As a state-owned company, Kuwait Oil Company is responsible
for all exploration, drilling and production of oil and gas within
the state of Kuwait. The distribution of oil to the refineries,
storage and direct export are also among its business activities,
as are the marine operations at Kuwait’s oil and gas ports.
Including subcontractors, the company employs approximately
24,000 people. Currently, KOC produces three million barrels of
crude oil daily; the aim is to increase this to four million barrels a
day by 2030.
to meet the requirements. The hardest part was to document
the existing training practices into training and development
procedures,” says Capt. Lafi. In the course of 2013, KOC was
audited by Lloyds Register. All the non-conformances raised during
their initial audit were next systematically eliminated to zero before
the certification audit. “We also asked them to hold familiarisation
sessions to explain to all our pilots what ISPO entails and how it
can benefit them and KOC”.
Benefits of ISPO
KOC’s Marine Operations Group is expanding proportionally. Team
Leader Port Operations Capt. Lafi Mubarak Al-Murtaji explains
that KOC is investing in several dozen new tugs, crane boats, rope
handling boats and pilot vessels. “These will all be in service at the
end of 2015. The number of pilots we employ will also continue to
grow; from the present number of 38 to almost 60 in the future”.
ISPO discovered via the Internet
Furthermore, KOC realised that there is a strong correlation
between the profitability of investments and the way of working.
Capt. Lafi: “In this context, we wondered how our own existing
pilotage procedures would hold up to the international standards.
We started surfing the web and also contacted the global and
European pilotage organisations IMPA and EMPA. This is how
we learned about ISPO. We next studied all the details and
requirements on the ISPO website. We concluded almost straight
away that our own KOC standards are of a high level. From
day one, we were confident that we could achieve the ISPO
certification”.
According to Capt. Lafi, the primary benefit of ISPO participation
is the more systematic approach it brings. The operating
procedures are fixed and clear to all. “A small example is the
qualifications that a pilot needs for a particular type of vessel. The
harbour master can no longer deviate from this based solely on
the trust that he has in the pilots on duty. He simply must follow
the performance identification matrix to assign the appropriate
pilot required to handle the vessel in question. If not, the harbour
master will have to call another qualified pilot who is off-duty or
request an exemption from me in my capacity as Team Leader Port
Operations”.
Another advantage of ISPO mentioned by Capt. Lafi is the
benchmark which an organisation creates for itself and other
fellow pilot organisations, thus creating an opportunity to learn
from each other and exchange experiences. “Furthermore, it gives
us confidence that we are heading in the right direction with our
maritime operations in Kuwait. Certification by ISPO means that
you are part of an international, high-standard environment. We
now know that we are among the finest in the world”.
Audit by Lloyds Register
For a year, a working team within the Marine Operations Group
of KOC subsequently went to work to internally review all the
existing procedures and where necessary adjust them to the
ISPO standard to thus create an ISPO compliant Port Operations
Manual. “It was a lot of work, but basically it was not that difficult
“We want to be an active ISPO member,” concludes Capt. Lafi.
“We will also definitely encourage other ports in the Middle East
to participate, for example during a major event in Dubai next
February”.
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Port of Tyne
’First and foremost we are pilots!’
The Port of Tyne in north-east England is one of the UK’s major
deepsea ports, with a wide variety of activities and visiting ships.
The port is halfway in its second year of ISPO membership. Deputy
harbour master and senior pilot Alan McPherson can clearly list
the benefits of participation. “It enables us to compare ourselves
with other pilot organisations, offers us access to best practices,
drives us to continuously achieve improvements and also creates
transparency towards our environment. This is important: as a UK
trust port, we are committed to our stakeholders to create a vibrant,
safe and sustainable port for the future”. McPherson mentions yet
another manner in which ISPO certification adds value.
“Our ten pilots are employed by the port. That may give a
suggestion of dependency. ISPO proves the contrary though.
Our operating method is fixed. We may be part of the port, but
first and foremost we are pilots!”
What is ISPO?
ISPO (International Standard for maritime Pilot Organisations) is a
safety and quality management system by and for pilots and pilot
organisations. The self-regulation scheme promotes the adoption
of the highest standards, thus creating transparency to all portrelated stakeholders. To participate in ISPO, an initial audit by Lloyds
Register or DNV is required; this is followed by regular follow-up
audits.
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The Netherlands Lighthouse
Association:
Guardian of
nautical heritage
What exactly would happen to navigation if all the lighthouses along the coast were to be
extinguished? This is just a random question put to Johan Bol (68), the new chairman of the
Netherlands Lighthouse Association (Nederlandse Vuurtoren Vereniging). Pointing to the
latest technologies, he answers, “Not much, really”. But this in itself does not mean that lighthouses have become useless. “The historical background of lighthouses is so closely interwoven with coastal communities that it would be unacceptable if these lighthouses were to be
demolished. After all, we are talking about enormously important items of cultural heritage”.
There is little chance, however, that the
remaining 21 lighthouses along the Dutch
North Sea coast and the 9 lighthouses
along the IJsselmeer will be knocked down.
“Most of these lighthouses are national
monuments”, says Bol, “but the question
remains as to how well they are maintained something the Dutch State Property Service
(Movable Goods) does not see as its first
priority. Fortunately, however, there are local
initiatives for conservation and maintenance
in which members of our Association are
involved”.
As an example of these initiatives,
Bol mentions the Breskens Lighthouse
Foundation. This Foundation wishes to
renovate the interior of the tower to make it
suitable for visitors. A small exhibition could
be set up to make a visit to this lighthouse
even more attractive.
Apparently, the efforts of the local
Foundation have inspired Rijkswaterstaat
(the Directorate-General for Public Works
and Water Management) to promise to paint
the outside of the tower. Dow Terneuzen
is going to contribute EUR 20,000 for the
renovation of the Breskens lighthouse.
Members of the Netherlands Lighthouse
Association have been involved in the
renovation of several other lighthouses,
including the lighthouse ’Brandaris’ on
the West Frisian Island of Terschelling.
In its column ’Strooilichtjes’, the Dutch
Lighthouse Association’s magazine
’Vuurboet’ (’Beacon’) reported that the
doors and windows, the elevator, the climate
control system and the sanitary facilities of
the Brandaris have been renewed. Fire safety
and the working comfort of the vessel traffic
operators have been improved as well. This
clearly demonstrates that lighthouses still
fulfil a function.
Bol adds that in some cases lighthouses
serve as observation towers for the lifeguards
of the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue
Institution (Koninklijke Nederlandse
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Redding Maatschappij) to keep watch over
bathers. In other cases, lighthouses could
serve as beacons for mudflat hikers or for
crews of recreational craft. Lighthouse lovers
will probably be setting their hearts upon
staying at a lighthouse, not as an Assistant
Lighthouse Keeper of course, but as a hotel
guest. This is actually possible in the Frisian
town of Harlingen where the lighthouse has
been transformed into hotel accommodation.
Seen in this light, there is certainly a
market for a Lighthouse hotel within the
membership of the Netherlands Lighthouse
Association. Its 450 members share an
interest in the 40 objects at the centre of the
Association’s activities. They all support the
Association’s objectives and are fascinated
by the phenomenon ’lighthouses’ in the
Netherlands and abroad. The Association
sees to it that relevant records of Dutch
maritime heritage will not be lost and will be
made accessible.
Bol emphasizes the importance of records
and their accessibility, especially in the
light of the Association’s objective ’to
preserve maritime cultural heritage’. This
heritage does not only consist of lighthouses
but also of other nautical objects and
collections. When he became the chairman
of the Association in mid-April 2014, he
announced that he would do his best to carry
out the objectives, but that he could not do
this without the assistance of other members.
In cooperation with the Association’s new
committee members he intends to develop a
policy plan for the coming period. “We are
still seen as a social club. And that’s true,
but besides the social aspect there are more
things our Association wishes to pursue.
There are, for instance, concerns about how
archive material is being dealt with. That
is why we aim to find a central location for
our archives - a place where everything can
be brought together and made accessible.
The Association could also investigate
the possibilities for lighthouses to become
self-sufficient by means of appropriate
exploitation. But the only question is how to
realize this”.
To find an answer to this question, the
Netherlands Lighthouse Association
could consult its affiliated organization
FIENS (Federatie Industrieel Erfgoed
Nederland), the Federation Industrial
Heritage Netherlands. Bol and his fellow
members are planning to establish closer
contact with FIENS - all in the interests of
the preservation of the important nautical
heritage which the Netherlands Lighthouse
Association seeks to promote.