its supply chain. These impacts are as
follows; maritime academy –type training in 2012, an
11% increase from 2004.
In 2013, the Netherlands shipping industry
consisted of more or less 12,000
companies, provided employment to
approximately 224,000 people and achieved
a total value added of 21 billion euro which
is 3.3% of the GDP of the Netherlands. The
port industry complex and port related
transport when added to this total amounts
to 7.3%. Taking all the impacts together, direct and
indirect and induced, the total GDP
contribution of the Netherlands shipping
industry in 2012 is estimated to have been
145 billion euro. All this makes the
Netherlands ―the‖ maritime heart of
Europe with one of the strongest maritime
clusters in the world.
The Royal Netherlands Navy is also
included in this cluster. It contribute to an
adequate protection of vital Dutch maritime
interest by ensuring unhindered global
transport of raw materials of goods and
secure access to maritime infrastructure.
The maritime shipping industry is a booster
for innovation and knowledge development.
In other industries, through the annual
overflow of employees from the maritime
shipping industries, important knowledge is
transferred to the offshore industries,
maritime engineering, ports and maritime
service providers.
Shipping is a high productivity industry; each
worker is estimated to have generated 88
billion euro of GDP, significantly above the
EU average of 53,000 euro. The skills and
experiences of seafarers are vital to the
smooth functioning of the shipping industry,
and are also highly valued by firms in the
wider maritime cluster and beyond. Also,
indicative estimates suggest their were
approximately 38,000 students/cadets in
The ambitions and
maritime interests of the
Netherlands
The ambitions
As part of one of the most open economies
in the world, the Dutch maritime cluster
has invested significantly in its development,
and with success. This cluster is powerful,
innovative and has a strong international
position. Therefore, the national
government opts for the following
ambitions;
An internationally sustainable maritime
position for the Netherlands, achieved by
an integral cooperation between the
national government and the maritime
cluster on a basis of a shared maritime
strategy.
In order to assess the extent to which this
ambition is achieved, international reference
material is needed. This is only partly