Dutch Maritime Industry Showing Signs of Recovery
At its May 24networking meeting, the Netherlands Maritime Technology trade association reported that the Dutch maritime industry continues to recover with recent declines in turnover leveling off. In 2017, turnover decreased by five percent for yards and suppliers, and the total workforce decreased by just more than three percent.
Bas Ort, chair of the Netherlands Maritime Technology trade association, said, “Over the past year we received one of the few large orders made by the global offshore market plus orders for the most powerful cutter suction dredger built to date, several other dredgers, and the first seagoing cruise vessel to be commissioned in years. Moreover, in 2017, we launched several record-breaking superyachts and dozens of smaller cutter suction dredgers for export, while also starting construction of a fleet of fishing boats. The number of orders for inland vessels has also seen a brisk increase.”
New orders made in 2017 accounted for more than twice as large a tonnage as in 2016; however, this was not enough to provide work for all the world’s yards. As a result, the global order books decreased and several yards, especially in China and South Korea, struggled. European shipbuilders were the only ones to see an increase in order books with 58 seagoing vessels were delivered in 2017 (compared to 42 in 2016) and 56 new vessels were ordered in 2017 (42 in 2016).
Turnover for maritime suppliers amounted to 3.4 billion euros ($3.98 billion USD) in 2017 (3.8 billion euros [$3.98 billion USD] in 2016) with total employment of 16,413 full-time employees in 2017 (16,838 in 2016) and an average of 1,460 FTEs of temporary workers. Turnover for ship repair in 2017 was 381 million euros ($446.48 million USD) (442 million euros [$517.96 million USD] in 2016), with total employment of 1,710 FTEs (2,020 in 2016).
