For many years, the subscriber/reader of SWZ|Maritime could count on a comprehensive overview for the June issue with a map of the Netherlands of all active shipyards and many photos of all newbuildings completed by Dutch shipbuilders in the previous year. This made this a real keepsake issue for all shipyards and shipbuilders in which they could look back at all their fine achievements. But eventually, all good things come to an end.
For many years, the production of the annual review was in the capable hands of our colleague Gerrit de Boer. In doing so, he delivered a unique achievement. But collecting the necessary data was already no mean feat and has become increasingly difficult due to all kinds of changes. Colleague De Boer now turns his attention to other productions, such as his contributions in the May issue on the construction of the smaller workboats. And as SWZ|Maritime, we are forced to fall back on the figures as collected by NMT-IRO.
Courtesy of this industry association, we have received the Annual Review 2025 under embargo. Given the tight time just before the deadline, we have had to limit ourselves to the most important annual figures in our Markets section. For the full annual report, I would like to refer to NMT-IRO’s publications, which will undoubtedly also appear on their website.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s May 2025 issue: Handling all jobs, big and small
Shipbuilding in the North of the Netherlands
So is there nothing else interesting in this magazine? I would venture to strongly dispute that. We had resolved that the annual review would also pay attention to the Frisian-Groningen, or better, the shipbuilding sector of the northern part of the Netherlands, because impressive ships are also designed in Urk, and of course we don’t forget Thecla Bodewes, which delivers beautiful short-sea ships on a continuous basis. We therefore have two fine productions on this subject: an article on the Hawaikinui 2, a ro-ro ship for a shipowner in French Polynesia, and one by ship design firm Conoship on, among other things, the Digital and Green Maritime Coalition, an initiative to strengthen the maritime manufacturing industry in the North.
Also in this issue a very interesting contribution by Nevesbu on anti-submarine warfare using an unmanned surface vessel (USV), an overview of developments in world shipbuilding by our colleague Willem de Jong and an interview with NMT-IRO director Jeroen de Graaf, who took office last year. In short, a thick issue with, according to your editor-in-chief, lots of articles worth reading.
This is editor-in-chief Antoon Oosting’s editorial accompanying the June 2025 issue.
SWZ app and archive
Our digital archive is available to subscribers both online and in our new app (available for Android and Iphone) and they can read the digitial version of our June issue there. Not yet a subscriber? Visit our subscription page.
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s April 2025 issue: Martin van Dijk’s last inland navigation special
The articles in SWZ|Maritime’s June issue
In addition to the regular sections such as Dutch news, Markets, Global news, KNVTS and Mars Report, the articles in the June issue are:
- World shipbuilding and shipping in 2025
- Fusie brancheverenigingen versterkt maritieme lobby
- The (northern) Dutch maritime industry
- Royal Bodewes delivers new RoRo vessel Hawaikinui 2
- Van mbo to master
- Kom aan Boord
- Diversity leads to more innovation
- Is the maritime sector prepared for GAMMA?
- In memoriam – Kees Dirkse
- USV for anti-submarine warfare
- CEDA – A single source of truth for the dredging industry
- CEDA – Upgraded dredger boosts South Africa’s ports
Picture: For the first time since 1988, Royal Bodewes delivered a RoRo vessel, the Hawaikinui 2, here seen on its sea trials (photo by Royal Bodewes).
Also read: SWZ|Maritime’s March 2025 issue: Dredging special and the hybrid fleet
