Holland maritime at a glance

This year, Vietship will take place January 24-26 in Hanoi. As a country with one of the world’s most developed maritime industries, the Netherlands does not want to miss the chance to participate in this event with a “Holland booth”. Pauline Eizema, Deputy Head of Mission for the Embassy of the Netherlands in Vietnam, shared her country’s excitement about the event with VIR’s Hoang Anh.

With the long-established maritime sector that allowed the Netherlands to become successful traders throughout the world, what will you bring to Vietship this year?

The maritime sector in the Netherlands indeed developed very early, back in the 16th century. When travelling from one place to another was still a big deal, Dutch traders were already present in the most exotic lands, all thanks to the maritime and shipbuilding industry.

Nowadays, we are still operating Europe’s largest seaport in Rotterdam and its largest inland shipping fleet, with world-leading manufacturers of high-end yachts and special vessels. Our strength lies in the drive to innovate and apply advanced technologies, all the while developing niche markets and market specialisation. We have been an exhibitor at Vietship for many years.

We have always found this trade show an excellent opportunity to uphold our reputation as a seafaring nation and to help Dutch companies find potential partners. This time, we will have several companies attending, including Damen, Alewijnse, and Van der Leun.

What will make the Netherlands stand out from many other appealing exhibitors at this event?

The Dutch maritime sector and the shipbuilding industry in particular are highly competitive on a global scale.

The Dutch maritime cluster in the Netherlands is comprised of 11 different, yet complementary industries that operate within a 100-kilometre radius.

This encourages close co-operation on innovation and production, allowing industries to build on each other’s strengths.

With a focus on high-end, added-value markets, suppliers to the offshore maritime industry and specialised research-and-development institutes are key elements that allow us to provide high levels of expertise, exceptional craftsmanship, and research-based innovation.

Over the past few years, not only our equipment industry was active in Vietnam – Dutch ship-owners and brokers, shipyards, and knowledge institutions have also increased their presence. Therefore, our Holland Booth at Vietship is like a glance into the whole sector.

Whether you want to know about our latest innovations or are interested to get in contact with our companies, you will find it there.

What expectations do you have for Vietship this year?

A lot of work has been put into this event by the organisers, but also by exhibitors like us. We hope that our Dutch companies will find Vietnam an open economy with the potential to become a regional hub for export, and that Vietnamese partners will come to realise that Dutch expertise and skills can solve any maritime challenge.