Moving from the US to the UK with a dog is a bit of a hassle. I’ve written in much greater deal about the process here but long story short – you can’t fly from the US to the UK with your dog in the cabin with you but our dog is only ~10 lbs and so we wanted to have her in the cabin with us That meant we had to fly to Europe and take a ferry over to England on an approved pet-friendly route then we took an overnight ferry with DFDS from Amsterdam to Newcastle A few years ago we took an overnight ferry from Liverpool to Belfast which I reviewed here so I thought it might be interesting to review the ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle as it’s an interesting way to travel between the Netherlands and UK and could be a good option if you’re planning on visiting the north of England or Scotland rather than London or the south of England We originally booked one of the pet-friendly cabins for £153 (~$203) as foot passengers When initially entering our dates and passenger numbers after selecting that we’d be foot passengers the option to include a dog disappeared and it said we had to contact them to make a reservation with a dog I dropped DFDS an email and they replied stating that this was an error on their site – that we could book a ticket online They said we should ignore that warning and we’d be given an option to book a pet-friendly cabin which If you don’t see a pet-friendly cabin for your dates that likely means they’ve sold out of them Our trip was originally booked for mid-March but the vet paperwork for our pup got delayed and so we didn’t end up moving until the first week of April We’d already booked our seemingly non-refundable ferry journey by that point Thankfully DFDS were happy to change our dates to a few weeks later for a £20 fee plus the difference in the higher price of the ticket for the date we needed but it was far better than having to pay the full price all over again you can prepay for an evening meal in one of the restaurants as well as prepaying for your breakfast which gets you a discount Prepaying for your evening meal is worth doing as you can select a dining time and a table will be reserved for you you might have to wait for an available table depending on how busy it is we booked a dinner buffet for each of us and the breakfast buffet for each of us This came to a total of £76.90 ($102) which isn’t cheap but also isn’t outrageous for two people where they have a captive audience especially with it being an all-you-can-eat buffet Something to bear in mind when paying is that Visa I didn’t test to see what would happen if I tried to pay with an Amex card in my PayPal wallet We arrived at Amsterdam airport early in the morning and the ferry wasn’t due to depart until 5:30pm We decided to hang out at the airport for a little while seeing as there were a bunch of cafes our dog Truffles started getting a little antsy; she’d done fine at Dulles airport and then on the flight itself (the transatlantic crossing was her first ever flight) but Amsterdam airport seemed a little overwhelming for her after that and so we made our way to the ferry terminal earlier than planned The reason we’d chosen to route to the UK via Amsterdam is because the transfer from the airport to the ferry terminal was the easiest we would’ve had a 2+ hour drive from Paris to one of the many ferry terminals around the French coastline to the UK whereas an Uber ride from Amsterdam airport to the DFDS ferry terminal in IJmuiden was only 20-25 minutes long the first foot passengers when we arrived at 11am Knowing that we’d be on a long ferry ride with limited opportunities for activity for her I took Truffles on several short walks down the road to the end of the water If you get to the ferry terminal early and want something to eat there was a fish & chips restaurant that seemed popular We weren’t sure how pet-friendly the waiting area was, so when hanging out there we just had Truffles stay in the carrier we’d brought her over in on the plane. It ended up being an awesome carrier and I’d highly recommend it (here’s our affiliate link) The carrier was a backpack which made it easy to transport her plus it was well-ventilated and surprisingly spacious inside Even better was the fact that the back unzipped and folded out to expand the netted space even more so we went up to the desk as soon as that was open The agent was friendly and spoke very good English Seeing as we were entering the UK with our dog we had to show the UK health certificate we’d had to arrange from a US vet beforehand then she had to have her microchip scanned to ensure everything was in order We were provided with a booklet letting us know all the important pet information for on board… These were credit card-sized and made of card or thick paper but could be held against the cabin door’s sensor to enter rather than inserting it into a key slot Shae and I were pleasantly surprised that even though the ferry wasn’t due to depart until 5:30pm It had been a very long day (we didn’t get much sleep on the flight in economy) so being able to head to our cabin a few hours earlier than planned was awesome Most people traveling from Amsterdam to Newcastle on the DFDS ferry do so in their own vehicles but there were also quite a few foot passengers but because we were in the process of actually moving overseas we had more suitcases than your average people one of the employees helped us get up to the next floor on a stairlift/elevator I headed up first with several of our cases then Shae headed up with our other cases and Truffles on her back we headed along the gangway on to the boat another helpful employee assisted us with our bags and took us on a slightly roundabout routing but one which used elevators rather than having to lug all our suitcases downstairs to Deck 4 which is where the pet-friendly corridor is all of the pet-friendly cabins are on Deck 4 and we were in cabin 4203 they also have four beds – two below and two bunk beds on top Even though there were only two of us in the cabin (plus Truffles) it’s still a fairly tight space with very limited space for luggage Although we didn’t need to use the top bunks ourselves we did fold them down in order to put our suitcases on top but we were still able to fit several suitcases on top without needing to worry about that Back by the cabin entrance there were some hooks and clothes hangers as well as a couple of ladders in order to access the top bunks if needed Also on that wall was a loudspeaker system You’ll hear several messages come through that speaker when departing and again in the morning so there shouldn’t be much danger that you’ll oversleep The announcements aren’t obnoxious though and they don’t go on too late in the evening or start too early in the morning Beneath a small shelf was an ottoman and a mini trash can with sections for recycling too Above that small shelf were some power outlets but perhaps they were European power outlets we had to use our adaptors to plug in our US devices to charge overnight Each cabin has its own private bathroom which is also a wetroom The shower was surprisingly good as the water pressure was much better than I’d anticipated There was also a shower curtain which did a good job of ensuring the rest of the wetroom didn’t get quite so wet Maybe it’s just because we were so exhausted but the beds in the cabin were extremely comfortable There was no thermostat in the cabin (that I noticed) but they kept it at a reasonable temperature The duvet/comforter was thicker than you might expect which is great for coziness but it did mean we got a little warm in the night at times we had a very nice nap when first boarding and slept extremely well overnight as our room was so dark Dogs can be on board the ferry in one of three ways: Leaving your dog inside your vehicle isn’t ideal because it’s a long ferry crossing and you can’t return to your vehicle once the car decks close at departure and they don’t reopen until 10 minutes before arrival That means your pup won’t be able to use the bathroom for the entire crossing If you’re in a pet-friendly cabin or if you book a kennel in the “Dog Hotel” you can take your dog to the pet relief area walk all the way down the hallway to the end; there are signs pointing you in the right direction Exit through there and you’ll see yellow pawprints on the floor They lead left to the Dog Hotel for those who’ve booked a kennel rather than a pet-friendly cabin… …and straight ahead to get to the pet relief area so you have to walk up a couple of flights of stairs Truffles was fine peeing on the artificial grass simply walking around on the pet-friendly deck area on Deck 6 helped move things along It was then time for Truffles to say goodbye to Amsterdam for the first – but hopefully not last – time We napped for a couple of hours after boarding then left Truffles in the cabin to head up to the Sky Bar to have a drink as the ferry departed considering the ferry has a captive audience on board the drinks prices at the Sky Bar weren’t unreasonable but with a light jacket on and it being a sunny late afternoon it was a nice spot to have a drink as we left When booking our tickets for the DFDS ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle I’d prebooked our dinner at Explorer’s Kitchen I hadn’t known at the time that we’d be able to preboard so early we could have dinner shortly after departure then we could head back to our cabin to sleep if needed That meant that after having a drink at the Sky Bar we went down to Explorer’s Kitchen for dinner both in terms of the wide range of cuisines and the quality of the food Picking 6pm as our dining time ended up being a great choice but the lines for the food were getting longer by the time we were done but there’s also a drinks menu that you pay for separately at the end of your meal The other restaurant dinner option is Bistro North Sea which has two and three course a la carte options there’s both Columbus Club nightclub and Navigator Pub there’s a vending machine with those available In addition to all the dining and drinking options on board For those interested in whiling away the time watching a movie each one showing three different movies over the course of the voyage Both cinema rooms are on Deck 8 behind some nondescript doors There’s a small arcade game area with video games head up to Deck 10 where you can chill in a Relax-O-Matic chair for only €4 (~$4.60) per 8 minutes they’ve got you covered for that too There’s a large duty free store selling candy On Deck 6 there’s a Guest Service Center where you can get assistance Opposite that desk there are also lots of sheets with more information about kids activities that are on Deck 7 location of various activities and amenities For the first hour or two after departing Amsterdam we still had internet connection on our phones (we were on Google Fi) That ended up disappearing until shortly before arriving in Newcastle but neither of us had to work and so we just made do with no internet for ~12 hours which was a little weird but thankfully we slept through much of that The ferry does have Wi-Fi available if you want/need though – here are the prices In case you’re curious about why you’d want to book a 44 hour package you can take the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam spend the day in the Netherlands capital and then return to Newcastle (or vice versa) so that Surf MiniCruise package presumably gives you connectivity in both directions We’d set our alarms early (for me) the next morning so that we could beat the breakfast rush Explorer’s Kitchen had a great selection of food options for breakfast – many hot items coffee and juice is also included and is brought to your table by servers we brought all of our bags out of our cabin and took them up to Deck 5 or 6 It subsequently turned out that we should’ve just stayed on Deck 4 as that’s where we’d be disembarking from (apparently the deck number depends on the sea level when arriving) One of the ferry employees helped us bring our bags back down then he loaded all the large ones on to a cart He then waited while we showed all our pet paperwork at the immigration desk then he continued pushing them to the entrance/exit hall where we unloaded it all Shae and I both really enjoyed our trip on the ferry it gave us an opportunity for a good night’s sleep which we really needed Ever since I was a kid and my family took a ferry from the UK to France and back for a holiday Despite there being some mildly rough seas and a few noticeable (but not major) waves I was fine having taken some Dramamine before we departed I’d highly recommend taking a Dramamine pill even if you don’t normally suffer from seasickness as that’s not the kind of thing you want to regret once it’s too late I’d gotten the less-drowsy version so that I wouldn’t have a problem waking up the next morning I wanted to add this section to specifically highlight that we encountered excellent service at all times not only on the ferry journey but any other time we interacted with DFDS employees When emailing them with a question regarding our initial booking I received a proper human reply addressing my specific question rather than them directing me to some random FAQs page When having to call to adjust our dates a few weeks later the phone agent was very friendly and helpful the employee who checked us in was very friendly plus she helped us with using the stairlift to maneuver our bags up another employee proactively helped us take our bags to our cabin seeing as we had so many compared to your average passenger and he seemed keen to help I stopped by the guest services desk to get some change for the vending machine and she was very friendly She was still there the next morning and was as perky as ever We had the same server in Explorer’s Kitchen for both dinner and breakfast and she was lovely She also remembered us from the night before which was impressive seeing as there are hundreds of people on board on each sailing another employee gladly helped us disembark by pushing all four of our large suitcases off on a cart With the ferry sailing between two countries and having a lot of people from many different nationalities working on board due to freedom of movement it was a fantastic example of everyone working together to provide an excellent passenger experience I’m sure there are people out there who have poor experiences on a DFDS sailing but I was struck by how genuinely kind and helpful every single employee we interacted with was choosing to fly from Amsterdam to the UK will make more sense as it’s a much faster option and in many cases (courtesy of European low cost carriers or by redeeming miles) That wasn’t an option for us on this journey seeing as we had Truffles with us and so we couldn’t fly into the UK with her Even though flying will be an option in the future Shae and I have already discussed returning to Amsterdam by ferry We’ll likely be moving up north somewhere so driving to Newcastle shouldn’t be too bad plus our auto insurance in the UK covers us for up to 90 days of driving in the EU Traveling by car ferry would therefore allow us to explore further afield without incurring the additional cost of renting a car in Amsterdam Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Thank you for the review 🙂 looking forward to some UK and Europe-centric points and miles posts in the future hopefully Truffles has her own Instagram account! https://www.instagram.com/trufflestravelsus My wife and I recently took the train from Toledo to Barcelona and an overnight ferry onwards to Palma de Majorca (having waited too late to get cheap airfare) We paid the foot passenger fare and added a private two berth cabin for under 200 euro all in We didn’t pay for any food because the crossing was 10 pm to 6 am and we had about 6 hours in Barcelona to eat We were really surprised by the amenities on board and the comfort of the cabin (private bathroom It’s wasn’t fancy but it was also more like an a la carte cruise ship than a ferry Traveling by ferry with a cabin really brought back a sense of adventure to the trip and I’ll certainly look for other opportunities for this kind of travel in the future Yep – it’s not as convenient as flying but it’s definitely a fun travel experience that can enhance a trip even if it takes you longer to get there informative and living in the UK myself it’s not too expensive either for cabin There seemed to be loads of Brits on our crossing coming back from a day or weekend away in Amsterdam particularly for those living in the north It’s also particularly good value if you’re traveling as a family of four compared to the cost of four plane tickets So nice to have a worth while review posted on this site that is actually.interesting… wish that nick and Greg would contribute to the site like you do I can confirm that you can fly to DUB on DL with a dog much to my surprise I saw a lady with a small dog in the cabin on a recent trip That’s good to know – thank you […] wrote an even more lengthy review of our DFDS ferry experience over on Frequent Miler so I recommend checking that out to get an even better idea about what to […] Read more here… Our Resources Page has a collection of our most useful complete guides and posts. Here are a few complete guides to get you started… Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page A consortium of GE Vernova and Seatrium has held a steel-cutting ceremony to mark the start of construction work on TenneT’s IJmuiden Ver Beta offshore converter platform one of the first Dutch 2 GW grid connection projects The first steel was cut at Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard shipyard in Singapore The high voltage direct current (HVDC) offshore converter platform will connect the IJmuiden Ver Beta wind farm and will be installed in the Dutch North Sea in 2028 a joint venture between Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Zeevonk II was awarded development permits for the IJmuiden Ver Beta offshore wind site in the Netherlands TenneT selected the GE Vernova-Seatrium consortium to supply the offshore HVDC platforms for the 2 GW Maasvlakte cluster GE Vernova is responsible for the 2 GW HVDC system and Seatrium will engineer and manufacture the platform engineering company Iv-Offshore & Energy won a contract for the design of the offshore converter platform “After years of preparation engineering and procurement in a challenging time it is a great pleasure to see that the IJmuiden Ver Beta platform will now begin to take physical shape It is a memorable and proud moment as it is also the very first 2GW platform of which at least 12 are to follow in the next years” Associate Director of Large Projects Offshore (2 GW) the grid connection will deliver 2 GW of electricity from the IJmuiden Ver Beta offshore wind farm in the North Sea The wind power produced offshore will be transported as alternating current to the offshore converter platform using a 66-kV connection The converter station converts the alternating current to direct current which is then transported via a 155-kilometre-long 525 kV cable connection to the onshore converter station at Amaliahaven (Maasvlakte) Here the electricity is converted back into alternating current and fed into the high voltage grid via the converter station The GE Vernova-Seatrium consortium was awarded three Dutch projects that will be connected to the high-voltage grid at Maasvlakte (Rotterdam) Get in front of your target audience in one move OffshoreWIND.biz is read by thousands of offshore wind professionals daily Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] UK’s Port of Tyne and its partners have officially launched a green shipping corridor project to connect the Port of Tyne in North East England and the Port of IJmuiden in Amsterdam and decarbonize shipping routes with low-carbon-fueled ships The Green North Sea Shipping Corridor project is a joint effort by the two ports maritime data and communication provider KSVA The project is part of a £9 million investment package announced by the Maritime Minister to decarbonize shipping and create green jobs and one of the winners of the International Green Corridors Funds the central part of the Green North Sea Shipping Corridor initiative will be DFDS plans to transition to methanol-fueled RoRo/RoPax vessels targeting a significant reduction in CO2 emissions Declan Walsh, DFDS, commented: “DFDS is committed to becoming a carbon neutral Transport & Logistics company by 2050 and the decarbonisation of our Passenger business is a key part of this journey Transforming our current Amsterdam-Newcastle route to a RoPAX Green Corridor is a massive undertaking and we are fortunate to have such great partners to help us make this happen.” Ricardo will be the lead environmental consultancy in the next phase of the development of this project providing insight into sustainable shipping and low-carbon fuel choices to help determine a viable path for decarbonization between the two ports This content is available after accepting the cookies said: “This initiative represents another step forward for the port in our sustainability journey By establishing this green corridor between the Port of Tyne and the Port of IJmuiden we aim to significantly reduce carbon emissions between the Northeast of England and northern Europe with the aim of saving up to 850,000 tonnes of CO2 annually The success of this project will bring more green jobs to the region and drive the development of port infrastructure for electrification and the refuelling of state-of-the-art clean powered vessels.” Managing Director of Zeehaven IJmuiden N.V added: “This project is very important for us as we need to accelerate the reduction of our shipping emissions With the ‘zero emission’ new tonnage of DFDS since a lot needs still to be done on both sides of the North Sea and this project helps enormously speed up and achieve our goals.” The Pioneers of Offshore Engineering GustoMSC part of NOV’s Marine and Construction business is recognized for providing advanced design & engineering consultancy for mobile offshore units and reliable equipment and technical knowledge into realistic & innovative ideas The performance of new and existing jack-ups The 2GW HVDC platform is scheduled for installation in the Dutch North Sea by 2028 Construction has commenced in Singapore on TenneT’s Ijmuiden Ver Beta offshore wind converter platform The 2GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) platform is a significant development for the Ijmuiden Ver Beta wind farm a joint venture between Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) The steel-cutting ceremony took place at Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard shipyard in the island country The platform is scheduled for installation in the Dutch North Sea by 2028 GE Vernova is tasked with the HVDC system’s delivery will oversee the engineering and manufacturing of the platform The partnership leverages GE Vernova’s expertise in HVDC technology and Seatrium’s capabilities in offshore construction Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis GE Vernova grid systems integration business line leader Johan Bindele stated: “We are excited about the start of construction of the Ijmuiden Ver Beta platform This marks a major milestone in TenneT’s innovative 2GW programme “Together with our consortium partner Seatrium we look forward to helping accelerate the expansion of the European offshore grid which is critical to the continent’s climate-neutral goals.” GE Vernova and Seatrium consortium has secured a framework agreement with TenneT for three Dutch platform projects: Ijmuiden Ver Beta These platforms will be integral to the connection of offshore wind energy to onshore converter stations at Amaliahaven enhancing the Netherlands’ renewable energy capacity Seatrium Energy (Fixed Platforms) executive vice-president Samuel Wong stated: “After almost 18 months of engineering and procurement work we are pleased to commence the first steel fabrication milestone for the construction of the first offshore HDVC platform for TenneT “We have taken time to prepare meticulously for this project through detailed engineering work which will enable us to achieve greater operational synergies for subsequent projects.” In August 2024, TenneT entered into a time-bound connection and transmission agreement with GIGA Storage in the Netherlands Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Tata Steel is about to announce a massive reorganization in which it will cut almost one in five jobs to save costs That amounts to 1,800 people facing layoffs Tata Steel staff have been told that an important announcement will be made today A spokesperson for the steel factory in IJmuiden refused to comment Tata Steel is facing major financial headwinds and had to announce two major cutbacks last year due to cash flow problems The company closed the previous financial year The European steel market is facing fierce competition from cheaper Chinese steel and now also has to deal with American import duties on steel of 25 percent the American market accounts for 12 percent of its sales Tata Steel plans to convert its blast furnace complex near IJmuiden into a green steel factory, eventually replacing polluting coal with cleaner hydrogen to fuel its furnaces. The company is in talks with the government about support for the necessary investments Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information Tata Steel Netherlands will face fines of almost €27 million ($28 million) if it doesn’t take measures at its coke plants within eight weeks, the North Sea Canal Area Environment Agency said on Thursday. Emissions of volatile organic compounds and heavy metals at the plants continue to exceed the limit, the regulator said. 2025 Photo: Dutch NewsTata Steel in IJmuiden is pressing ahead with a major reorganisation that will result in the loss of 1,600 full-time jobs part of Indian conglomerate Tata Steel Limited said it remains committed to ensuring that its Dutch operations remain “one of the most competitive successful and efficient” steel plants in Europe The restructuring will be carried out through a “comprehensive transformation programme” aimed at improving efficiency cutting costs and optimising product mix and margins The company said the plan would result in the loss of around 1,600 jobs in management and support functions and that changes would also be made to the local board Tata Steel, which is facing court action from environmental and health campaigners posted a loss of €556 million in its 2023–2024 financial year Steel producers in Europe have been particularly affected by high energy prices and are also expected to be impacted by new US steel tariffs The company said it has an “ambitious green steel transition plan” which includes replacing one of the two blast furnaces and it intends to go beyond legal requirements to improve environmental quality for residential communities around IJmuiden “We are working closely with the Dutch government and other stakeholders and are in constructive discussions about our joint investments in the green steel plan,” said Tata Steel chief executive Thachat Narendran “This transformation is a building block towards this future where we ensure that Tata Steel Netherlands has the required robust operating and financial profile to become one of the best and most sustainable steel companies in Europe.” The reorganisation plan has now been submitted to the plant’s works council for assessment MPs backed plans to give subsidies to Tata Steel to help pay for energy efficiency and counter-pollution measures but were divided on what conditions should apply trade union FNV and the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance told the government it must make haste with financial support to enable Tata Steel to comply with emission norms to prevent job losses and the decline of the country’s industrial base We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey SSE and APG (acting on behalf of Dutch pension fund ABP) which last month jointly secured the rights to develop the IJmuiden Ver Alpha offshore wind site in the Netherlands now confirmed they are moving forward with the 2 GW project whose focus who own the project through the 50:50 consortium Noordzeker expect to reach a Final Investment Decision (FID) by late 2025 with the wind farm then expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of the decade SSE Renewables will build the project on behalf of the Noordzeker consortium The consortium was one of the two that the Dutch government selected in the 4 GW IJmuiden Ver Alpha & Beta tender in June comprising Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) with the additional criterion for the Alpha site (secured by the Noordzeker consortium) being the contribution of the wind farm to the ecosystem of the Dutch North Sea and for the Beta site (secured by the Zeevonk consortium) the government put emphasis on system integration After being announced as the winner of the IJmuiden Ver Alpha part of the tender the SSE-APG consortium said it would refine the 2 GW project before filing the decision on whether to progress development to the Dutch government for which the winning bidders had four weeks In its proposal submitted to the Dutch government Noordzeker laid out plans to have more than 75 per cent of the wind turbines acting as artificial reefs that will provide a protected habitat for reef-building sand tube worms and various types of fish To this end, Noordzeker will also collaborate with Naturalis, the Dutch research institute for biodiversity, with which the consortium signed an agreement in October 2023 According to the government’s press release from June Noordzeker will announce more details about other investments innovations and research programmes no later than six months after the permit has become irrevocable – which has now started with the consortium’s confirmation to continue with the project As explained by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy last month the winning bidders had four weeks to provide a bank guarantee or a deposit of EUR 200 million confirming their commitment to develop the projects the developers are then obliged to build the wind farms and make the other investments detailed in their bids the IJmuiden Ver Alpha project would be capable of generating enough offshore wind energy annually to meet around 7 per cent of the current Dutch electricity demand The project marks the first-ever offshore wind farm SSE is building in the Netherlands renewable energy is key to the future of our planet we have over 60 years’ experience and an in-depth understanding of the power and temperature control needs of wind farms We have a dedicated Wind Energy Team whose innovative strategies […] Netherlands-headquartered subsea solutions provider N-Sea Group is planning to develop a new-built operations support base in IJmuiden in 2025 said to enable it to support all offshore activities in the Europe region from one location N-Sea Group has signed a contract to build a new operations support base with partner MSCY B.V which develops and operates facilities at Zeehaven IJmuiden Port (NL) “We are excited that N-Sea has been able to secure this prime location for development of its future primary operations support base As per Q4 2025 we shall able to support all our offshore activities in the Europe region from one unique location,” said Dennis Stolk and logistical activities under one roof on one location allowing N-Sea to provide safer and more efficient operations Through this initiative N-Sea will be positioned to extend its subsea solution service portfolio and capabilities in alignment with current and future needs of our valued customers.” The newbuild base is planned to be completed and fully operational by the end of Q4 2025 while the outdoor storage yard will enter into use from mid-Q1 2025 onwards the offshore support base is strategically well-situated with open access to the North Sea without the need to use the locks of the North Sea Canal and is within a 20-minute drive from Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport “The unique location and (organisational) set-up allows us to optimally manage our asset base and support the use of digitised track & trace systems all supported by a dedicated team of in house technicians and experts will allow us to reduce operational downtime within our projects to a minimum,” said Joosse As the most recent news, it is worth noting that the company earlier this month signed a long-term charter agreement with Mainport Shipping for a newbuild hybrid survey and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support vessel scheduled for delivery in 2026 The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) has published draft regulations and plot decisions for the offshore wind tender for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I areas and said that the government would open the tendering procedure in September 2025 the procedure will offer three sites as one is being put on hold the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth split the IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I areas into four smaller 1 GW sites previously planned to be offered as two 2 GW sites to reduce the financial risks for offshore wind farm developers RVO said it expected the permit application window to open and close by the end of the third quarter of 2025 and to publish the details of this permit round in the fourth quarter of 2024 On 21 November, RVO published the draft documents and said the tender would be launched in September 2025 with the exact opening and closing date to be announced at the beginning of 2025 offshore wind developers and other stakeholders who wish to respond to the draft regulations can enter into discussions with the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth The feedback may lead to adjustments in the final permit regulations which will probably be published in March or April 2025 The tender was initially planned to offer 4 GW across two sites which were later split into four 1 GW sites: IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A RVO informed that the permitting procedure for the Nederwiek IB site is being postponed meaning the upcoming tender will award 3 GW of offshore wind capacity across the three sites The postponement of the Nededrwiek IB tender came as further examination is needed because it is in proximity to a gas platform transit area Research is still being conducted into how helicopters can safely reach this platform with a wind farm nearby The Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth has decided to split the sites for the IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek I wind farms into four smaller 1 GW sites to reduce the financial risks for offshore wind farm developers according to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) The Dutch Government decided to divide the 2 GW IJmuiden Ver Gamma into two sections: IJmuiden Ver Gamma-A the 2 GW Nederwiek I will be split into Nederwiek IA Each site can support an offshore wind farm with a 1 GW capacity The IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone contains three 2 GW sites: Alpha The total area of the four lots in the zone is approximately 650 square kilometres Site Gamma-A starts around 53 kilometres from the west coast of the Netherlands while site Gamma-B is located about 61 kilometres from the coast The Nederwiek Wind Farm Zone is one of the three new offshore wind areas the Dutch Government designated in 2022 Sites IA and IB start approximately 95 kilometres from the west coast of the Netherlands and the total surface area of the zone is approximately 600 square kilometres In the last permit round for 2 GW offshore wind projects though the number was lower than anticipated including increased costs and uncertain revenues To make the investments more manageable and reduce financial risks for the developers the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth is splitting the 2 GW areas into smaller 1 GW sites The permit application window for these plots is anticipated to open and close by the end of the third quarter of 2025 RVO expects to announce the details of this permit round in the fourth quarter of 2024 Transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT has signed a realisation agreement with the consortium of pension fund ABP and wind energy developer SSE for the Dutch offshore grid connection of the 2 GW IJmuiden Ver Alpha wind farm The realisation agreement enables the development and construction of the physical grid infrastructure required to connect the offshore wind farm to the Dutch high-voltage grid The electricity generated from the 2 GW project will come ashore in Borssele and will be converted to alternating current at a converter station so that the power can be transported on the high-voltage grid to end users TenneT’s offshore grid connection is planned to be operational by the end of 2029 is proud to take this first step towards the realisation of the newest and largest wind farm in the Dutch North Sea TenneT is introducing an impressive new standard with the 2GW direct current connection This will soon allow the generated green power – about 7% of the current Dutch electricity demand – to be efficiently transmitted from the sea to households and businesses in the country,” said Bart Saenen Senior Director Infrastructure Investments at APG The Noordzeker consortium, consisting of ABP/APG and SSE Renewables, won the tender for the development of the IJmuiden Ver Alpha offshore wind farm in June 2024 The project is planned to be built 60 kilometres off the Dutch coast and is expected to be commissioned by the end of this decade IJmuiden Ver Alpha would be the first wind farm to be connected according to the new 2 GW standard The TSO is realising seven of these new grid connections for offshore wind farms in the Dutch North Sea until 2032 The Netherlands aims to achieve 21 GW of energy from offshore wind by 2032 the country currently has 4.7 GW of installed offshore wind capacity The Dutch environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion has begun targeting cruise ships seeking to call attention to its allegations of pollution and environmental impact The group has so far blocked two cruise ships as the vessels were attempting to exit the locks leading to Amsterdam The Dutch group is citing the media reports after research released last week by the NGO Transport & Environment that cited the rapid growth in cruise travel. The NGO is calling for a tax on cruise tickets to help fund the development and distribution of alternative non-carbon fuels. Seven protestors from Extinction Rebellion chained and glued themselves to the roadway bridge and gate at the Ijmuiden locks. Located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal, the new IJmuiden Marine Lock was opened in 2022 to accommodate larger vessels accessing the Port of Amsterdam. It is also a critical control to limit the entry of seawater into the inland freshwater flows. The protestors arrived at the lock around 3:00 a.m. local time intent on deliberately preventing the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Jewel of the Seas (90,000 gross tons) from returning to Amsterdam. The ship holds up to 2,700 passengers and was completing a cruise due to dock in Amsterdam at 0600.  Pictures show the protestors on the gate and waving torches to signal the ship. The group wrote in its statement, “Extinction Rebellion demands an immediate and total stop to the destructive cruise industry.” The local police went to the scene but did not remove the protestors. A spokesperson for the police said as long as they were not endangering anyone’s welfare, there is a right to protest in The Netherlands. The following day, on August 11, protestors returned to the roadway and gate to block another cruise ship, the Seven Seas Mariner (48,000 gross tons) of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The ship which has a capacity of 700 passengers was also bound for Amsterdam. The group was again deliberately delaying the arrival of the cruise ship. The Port Authority called the police and since the protestors were not willing to move away, the police ended the protest. The cruise ship was delayed by about three hours but was able to reach Amsterdam and depart yesterday without further disruptions. It is unclear if the group will attempt to stage further protests against the cruise industry. The Jewel of the Seas is due to return to Amsterdam on August 22 for its final port call of the summer season. © Copyright 2025 The Maritime Executive, LLC. All rights reserved. 2025 Photo: Depositphotos.comUS president Donald Trump’s plans to introduce tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will impact Tata Steel’s IJmuiden operations Tata, often criticized in the Netherlands for environmental impact, stated it is considering “all possible options” should the tariffs take effect, according to news agency ANP Trump announced a proposed 25% import duty on foreign steel and 10% on aluminum but did not provide further details “Import tariffs always affect our overseas sales,” said Tata Approximately 12% of the Dutch steel plant’s production—800,000 to 900,000 tonnes annually—is exported to the US The focus is on specialised steel products such as that used in electric batteries The company said it is in close contact with the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands The US primarily imports steel from Canada “This won’t improve conditions for US companies,” Martijn Schippers, a customs and tariffs expert at EY and Erasmus University, told BNR radio “US car manufacturers relying on foreign steel may have to pass higher costs onto consumers.” Trump imposed steel tariffs during his first term prompting the EU to introduce duties on American products such as jeans and whiskey The tariffs were gradually reduced over time The European Commission said on Monday it had not received official communication from Washington and would wait for more details before commenting it would respond to any tariffs targeting EU companies To continue reading this article you must log in If you've never set a password you may need to register for free here and get unlimited access TTG Media Limited.Place of registration: England and Wales.Company number 08723341.Registered address: 2-6 Boundary Row The consortium of pension fund ABP, pension investor APG and wind energy developer SSE has signed a Realization Agreement with Transmission System Operator TenneT for the Dutch offshore grid connection of the IJmuiden Ver Alpha wind farm The wind farm will be built more than 60 km off The Netherlands coast as the first offshore wind farm to be connected by TenneT according to the new 2-GW direct current standard and it is expected to be commissioned by the end of this decade.  The Realization Agreement enables the development and construction of the physical grid infrastructure required to connect the wind farm to the Dutch high-voltage grid.  Generated electricity from the wind farm will come ashore in Borssele and will be converted to alternating current at a converter station so that the power can be transported on the high-voltage grid to end users TenneT’s offshore grid connection is expected to be operational by the end of 2029.  The consortium of ABP/APG and SSE Renewables won the tender for the development of IJmuiden Ver Alpha wind farm, an offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 2 GW The Dutch/German offshore transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT has awarded ABL a contract to provide marine warranty survey services for the installation of three 2 GW export cable systems in the Netherlands which are all part of TenneT’s 2 GW programme includes the technical review and approval of all documentation and drawings related to the warranted activities ABL’s German operation will also resource on-site attendance at both fabrication and loadout sites to review and approve warranted transportation and installation operations the cables for the three projects are over 500 kilometres in length and will export 6 GW of electricity to the grid enough to power up the equivalent of six million homes “This project award represents our continued strong collaboration with TenneT to support its critical subsea cables operations and electrification campaign We are very pleased to have been selected to support this important 2GW Program which will make a significant contribution to the transmission of clean net-zero energy to the Netherlands Germany and beyond in Europe,” said Tilo Klappenbach Under the framework agreement signed with TenneT, the GE Vernova-Seatrium consortium is responsible for three Dutch projects The cable connections for the IJmuiden Ver Beta and Nederwiek 2 offshore areas are being built by NKT under a contract signed with TenneT in 2023 Jewel of the Seas was one of two ships impacted by protesters Travel advisors booking clients on ships that depart or end in Amsterdam may have one more thing to warn their clients about – protesters preventing or delaying ships from getting into the Dutch capital As reported by the Maritime Executive Dutch environmental protesters have already struck twice the environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion prevented Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas from docking at the port by blocking locks the ship needed to pass through The ship was forced to backtrack and disembark guests at the smaller port of Ijmuiden about 25 miles away from Amsterdam Guests scheduled to embark the same day in Amsterdam had to make the same journey to get to the ship in Ijmuiden Royal Caribbean and the Amsterdam Port Authority provided the transfers both ways protesters returned and again blocked the lock this time delaying Seven Seas Mariner by about three hours While police did not stop the protest in the first case allowing Seven Seas Mariner to continue on to Amsterdam There have been no further protests but the next ocean going cruise ship is not due into Amsterdam until tomorrow Serenade of the Seas is scheduled to stop in Amsterdam on Aug 19 and Jewel of the Seas is due back to the port on Aug The protests come a little one month after the City of Amsterdam announced it will cap cruise ship visits to just 100 per year starting in 2026 and will end all ocean-going cruise visits by 2035 Subscribe to TMR From a new sunset Sky Deck dinner option to lively after-dinner entertainment Avalon is extending the typical river cruise day First-time ASTA River Cruise Expo attendees talk about why you shouldn’t miss next year’s event — and how to make the most of it TMR sat down with Uniworld’s executive vice president of sales for North America at the 2025 ASTA River Cruise Expo Expedition travel isn’t a trend — it’s a mindset shift Princess said the move is part of its global deployment strategy TMR was among the first guests onboard Avalon’s all-new Bordeaux river cruise Tata Steel Nederland's plan to cut at least 1,600 full-time jobs at its IJmuiden plant is reportedly the latest sign of mounting pressure on Dutch industry, and analysts warn that more companies may follow as high energy costs and aggressive environmental policies strain competitiveness, Het Parool reports. The reorganization announced Wednesday will eliminate nearly one in five jobs according to internal company communication The plant is grappling with severe financial losses having reported a net loss of 556 million euros in the last fiscal year “This is not just about Tata,” Henk Volberda professor of strategic management at the University of Amsterdam “Tata Steel is merely the tip of the iceberg There are more companies considering relocating their production out of the Netherlands.” Volberda cited the extreme disparity in energy costs as a key factor: “Energy costs in the Netherlands are five times higher than in the U.S. and also higher than in countries like Germany and France.” The U.S. with less progressive environmental policies does not penalize emissions to the same extent giving American producers a significant cost advantage These conditions have already triggered closures across Dutch industry Two chemical plants in Rotterdam and a zinc smelter in Budel have recently ceased operations due to rising production costs Volberda said the threat extends across sectors: “Strategic autonomy is also good for employment But companies with headquarters abroad are not loyal to the Netherlands I fear that Tata’s management will decide that IJmuiden is no longer competitive and will close the plant.” industrial producers in the Netherlands face a double burden of carbon pricing: the European Union’s CO₂ tax and an additional national surcharge imposed by the Dutch government “This makes production significantly more expensive than in other countries,” Volberda added Volberda urged the Dutch government to intervene swiftly to prevent a broader collapse He recommended short-term measures to reduce energy costs and scrap the domestic CO₂ surcharge he called for support in facilitating industrial decarbonization through tailored agreements “Minister Sophie Hermans wants to develop company-specific sustainability agreements with the largest polluters The committee responsible for negotiating with Tata Steel is apparently deadlocked.” Dutch companies attempting to switch from natural gas to electricity as part of their sustainability goals often face years-long delays due to congested electricity grids “Companies can't proceed because of long wait times for connections,” Volberda continued Professor further emphasized that state aid should be strategic “Companies must invest in their own sustainability The government should support efforts like building infrastructure for green hydrogen.” The timing and scale of Tata Steel’s job cuts have drawn sharp criticism from unions and politicians. Trade union FNV called the decision “peculiar,” pointing out that employment retention is a central condition in Tata's ongoing talks with the government for sustainability support Although unions cannot legally block the layoffs they are now focused on negotiating a Social Plan to cushion the blow Tata Steel is required under Dutch law to consult with labor unions and share key financial documents including profit and loss statements and production data The company must also prove it considered other cost-saving options before turning to layoffs The works council must also be consulted under the Dutch Works Councils Act Tata may also pursue individual termination agreements with affected employees offering financial compensation and career support GroenLinks-PvdA called the layoffs “shameless and unacceptable,” accusing Tata Steel of using its green transition to justify workforce reductions Ines Kostic of the Party for the Animals said the move reflected “monstrous” treatment of workers and blamed “corporate greed” for using public sustainability money while slashing jobs warning against undermining Dutch industry and stressing the need for a strong domestic production base The fallout from Tata Steel's decision is raising alarms about the viability of Dutch industry under current policies Critics say the Netherlands’ green ambitions are pushing vital manufacturing sectors to the brink Volberda emphasized the need for strategic self-sufficiency amid global instability we’ve learned that relying on global supply chains makes countries vulnerable With the war in Ukraine and rising geopolitical tensions it’s clear that Europe must produce its own essential goods — including steel “Being dependent makes Europe vulnerable,” he added “It is crucial to keep these foundational industries in Europe They are not only key to our economy but to our independence.” Despite the government’s stated commitment to sustainability and strategic autonomy Volberda warned that without urgent action more companies will cut jobs or exit the Netherlands altogether “There are more companies under pressure,” he said “If Tata has to slash jobs to stay competitive other companies will probably have to do so The largest Dutch offshore wind tender is now completed with winning bidders announced the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) said that despite challenging market conditions we’re bringing a few more details about the tendering procedure and who placed bids in the 4 GW tender the winning bids in the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta tender were filed by the Noordzeker consortium (SSE Renewables and AGP asset manager for Dutch pension fund ABP) and the Zeevonk joint venture (Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners) the 2 GW area secured by the Noordzeker consortium is focused on making a positive contribution to nature for which the developer proposed several nature-positive measures including a bird protection solution and artificial reefs for marine wildlife The area secured by the Zeevonk joint venture, the 2 GW IJmuiden Ver Beta, will house an offshore wind farm which will be integrated with a large-scale floating solar plant offshore and a large-scale electrolyser on land The two developers are set to pay a total of EUR 21 million per year for 40 years and cover the environmental impact assessment costs In a press release following the announcement of the tender results, the Noordzeker consortium said it would refine its project ahead of the decision on whether to progress the development which is required to be made by July In response to offshoreWIND.biz‘s query a spokesperson from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy explained that the winning bidders have four weeks to provide a bank guarantee or a deposit of EUR 200 million they are then obliged to build the wind farms and make the other investments they detailed in their bids in case a developer does not provide the financial guarantee on time the right to the permit expires and the permit then goes to the second most successful applicant RVO has now listed all the bids in the 4 GW tender which shows there were two applications for each 2 GW area besides the winning Noordzeker consortium that filed the proposal through a project company named Lely Alpha Offshore Wind Projco C.V. a proposal was also submitted by the Belgium-based offshore wind developer Parkwind The second bid for IJmuiden Ver Beta, secured by the Varrenfall-CIP joint venture, came from the Noordzeker consortium RVO states that both applications met the main tender requirements and that they were ranked according to how they scored on the comparative test criteria Dutch renewable energy developer Eneco and Norwegian energy company Equinor also had plans to bid in the 4 GW IJmuiden Ver tender but, when the application period closed on 28 March, Eneco revealed that they were withdrawing from the tender. In a white paper published in March, Eneco cited high interest rates, high material costs, and an uncertain electricity market as the reasons behind the decision to withdraw. Get in front of your target audience in one move! OffshoreWIND.biz is read by thousands of offshore wind professionals daily. As our energy demands grow greater, renewable energy is key to the future of our planet. Harnessing the power of wind is essential. At Aggreko, we have over 60 years’ experience and an in-depth understanding of the power and temperature control needs of wind farms. We have a dedicated Wind Energy Team whose innovative strategies […] 2025 Photo: DutchNews.nlTata Steel in IJmuiden is preparing a major reorganisation that could result in the loss of 1,600 full-time jobs this would amount to a 20% reduction in the company’s workforce which is part of Indian conglomerate Tata Steel Limited has so far declined to comment on the report but has said it will issue a statement later in the day At the end of 2023, the company announced plans to cut 800 jobs as part of a reorganisation, but the proposal was shelved after protests from staff. We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day. Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days! We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here. Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey. ProductionTata Steel to import liquid hydrogen from Norway to Netherlands for green steelmakingThe steelmaker plans to ship residual CO2 emissions back to Norway for storage Employees of Tata Steel have a 1.5 times higher chance of dying before retirement than men of the same age in the rest of the Netherlands, EenVandaag discovered based on its own research almost 2,400 steel factory workers died before 65 Compared to the national mortality rate among men up to that age So it is not much of a surprise that this is even more true for the Tata Steel workers who spend years working right on top of the source of the emissions EenVandaag delved into the archives of the Hoogovens Museum library and the Noord-Hollands Archief looking for obituaries in the staff magazines De Gijper The study focused on men under the age of 65 because many people lose touch with their employer and the company magazine after retirement The program found that at least 2,388 male Tata Steel employees died before their retirement between 1975 and 2010 Based on Statistics Netherlands figures on Dutch mortality for the same period and men of the same age converted to the size of the company over the years About half of the “in memoriam” messages in the company magazines stated the cause of death either outright or in veiled terms like “long fought,” “the disease everyone fears,” or “unfair fight.” Of these messages 67 percent died of an incurable disease and 22 percent died after becoming unwell at work and industrial accidents (1 percent) follow at a great distance Almost half of the messages included information about the number of years of service They show that over 60 percent of the involved men had worked for the company for 20 to 40 years “The number of years of service worked is relevant because that really says something about the long-term exposure to certain harmful substances And that exposure ultimately leads to inflammatory processes in the lungs,” Onno van Schayck a professor of preventive medicine at Maastricht University That is why you see the peak in deaths among the older generation of employees.” “These are really considerable numbers,” Van Schayck told EenVandaag the number of dead Tata Steel employees starts to increase this has more to do with Tata outsourcing maintenance and transport activities than actually fewer people dying there are around 3,000 people who work on the steel factory site but are not on the Tata Steel payroll the emission of these carcinogenic substances shows that the problem is still current and even bigger than ever EenVandaag presented its findings to Tata Steel and received this response: “Our people are the linchpin on which Tata Steel operates Tata Steel is closely monitoring the potential threat of new U.S warning that such measures could significantly impact its exports which operates a major steel production facility in IJmuiden exports about 12 percent of its total annual sales to the U.S. amounting to approximately 800,000 to 900,000 tons of steel per year “That is not insignificant,” a Tata Steel spokesperson said with specialized steel used in electric vehicle batteries government has threatened to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports it will affect us," Tata Steel said in a statement we are preparing for all possible scenarios are in close contact with relevant parties such as the American Chamber of Commerce During former President Donald Trump’s first term but it remains unclear whether such an exception would be granted again “We do not yet know which way this will go so we are keeping a close watch,” the spokesperson said The European Commission also addressed the issue, stating that it had not received any official notification from the U.S “We will not respond to broad announcements without details or written clarification,” the Commission said in a statement “The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on its exports We will react to protect the interests of European businesses The Commission warned that tariffs would be “unlawful and economically counterproductive,” citing the deeply integrated production chains between the EU and U.S “Tariffs are essentially taxes,” the statement read tariffs heighten economic uncertainty and disrupt the efficiency and integration of global markets.” Tata Steel IJmuiden will cut expenditure by another 60 million euros in the first quarter of next year, the Financieele Dagblad reported based on a message sent to employees earlier this week It is the second round of cutbacks the IJmuiden steel producer announced in a period of three months The additional cuts are necessary because the measures announced at the end of September have proven insufficient to improve the cash position we cannot afford not to achieve the target of 60 million euros,” the Tata Steel management wrote The company is also tightening control over its finances this means weekly instead of monthly financial checks “Everyone who spends money does so for a good reason but we will have to think and act differently than we used to,” the management wrote Tata Steel is struggling with a weak European steel market About a third of its production goes to the automotive industry and several of its biggest clients - German car manufacturers - are struggling The steel price is also under pressure due to the import of cheaper steel from China The developments in the steel market are reflected in Tata Steel’s results the company’s gross operating result was considerably lower than average at 73.5 million euros Tata Steel IJmuiden suffered a loss of 556 million euros mainly due to major maintenance on several installations taking much longer than expected The company’s liquidity position also declined sharply as a result from 849 million to 104 million euros at the end of March this year Association for cooperation and knowledge exchange Amsterdam IJmuiden Offshore Ports (AYOP) is an active association of around 80 companies and government bodies in the North Sea Canal region focused on the offshore extraction of gas & oil and wind energy The organisation has a strong focus on offshore wind maintenance (including cable logistics) adjustments and maintenance of work vessels and platforms and the disassembly of offshore constructions and vessels AYOP (Offshore Energy Association) promotes the region to companies within the Netherlands and abroad as an ideal place to establish themselves The arrival of Hollandse Kust wind farms off the coast of IJmuiden makes the region even more interesting to companies the association helps members find innovative business opportunities in the offshore sector AYOP recently organised an introductory supply meeting for its members with Vattenfall which will be building the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farms AYOP also stimulates cooperation and knowledge exchange among members via activities such as regular meetings.The active involvement and cooperation of the members is above average By participating in (international) exhibitions together all members (large and small) have the opportunity to present their company AYOP takes care of all organisational aspects of exhibiting at a trade show supporting members and providing them with special price agreements Joint exhibition visits abroad are also organised by the association AYOP offers members access to a regional network of government authorities training institutes and offshore companies In doing so it promotes the interests of the offshoresector in the region and initiates programmes in line with the requirements of member employees Find our members and their services via www.ayop.com or request our Essential Guide which features presentations of all our members.In summary • Organisation of and participation in exhibitions and conferences • Connecting members and partners for collaboration • Promotion of the region to the offshore industry More about this company Browse all Business Guide companies which was supposed to arrive in Amsterdam on September 6 A booking website reported this on social media platform X The shipping company fears that it will not be able to dock in Amsterdam "due to problems with access to the port." In recent weeks Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked the lock at IJmuiden in protest against cruise ships A Facebook group shared an email from Disney Cruise Line informing travelers of the changed itinerary the cruise line speaks of "problems beyond our control" without explaining them in more detail the shipping company is offering travelers a credit of 250 dollars (around 224 euros) to spend on board where it will now stay for two days instead of one Disney has not confirmed that the 340-meter-long ship is avoiding Amsterdam because of XR's measures The sea lock in IJmuiden was blocked for the last time on Saturday XR Protesters stood or chained themselves to the lock to prevent a cruise ship from entering Shipping traffic that had to pass through the lock was held up for around two to three hours The lock was reopened to shipping traffic in the early evening GE Vernova and Seatrium Limited have been awarded a third contract by TenneT for the construction of a 2 GW HVDC electric offshore transmission system in the Netherlands. The HVDC system will not only support TenneT's sustainability goal of connecting 40 GW of offshore wind energy in the German and Dutch North Sea but also serve the Nederwiek 2 offshore wind farm, located approximately 95 kilometers off the coast of the Netherlands. The project is scheduled to start in June 2024 and the commissioning is expected by 2031. The contract is part of the five-year Framework Cooperation Agreement with TenneT announced by the GE Vernova-Seatrium consortium in March 2023. The agreement was signed to cover three projects, each worth about $2.15 billion: IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma, and Nederwiek 2. The current contract is for Nederwiek 2, TenneT’s third project with this consortium. While GE Vernova's Grid Solutions will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning of the HVDC converter stations, Seatrium will look after the engineering, procurement, construction, transportation, installation, and commissioning of the 2 GW HVDC Offshore Converter Platform. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) plan to announce the results of the tender for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta offshore wind sites on 11 June. The application period for the two IJmuiden Ver sites, totalling 4 GW in capacity, was opened on 29 February and closed on 28 March. Shortly after the tender was closed, RVO revealed the agency had received several applications despite the current challenging conditions in offshore wind. The tender is for zero-subsidy offshore wind farms and consists of a comparative test (qualitative criteria) with a financial offer. The qualitative criteria include environmental and system integration solutions, as well as international corporate social responsibility and circularity requirements. The IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Beta tender was based on points, with 85 per cent of the total number of points awarded to criteria with a social purpose. The remaining 15 per cent of points can be earned through the amount that a company is willing to pay for the permit to build and operate the offshore wind farm(s). Located 62 kilometres off the west coast of the Netherlands, the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone contains three 2 GW sites: Alpha, Beta and Gamma. The third site, IJmuiden Ver Gamma, is expected to be put out to tender in 2025. Leveraging 20 years of experience with offshore windDecember 2023 will forever mark a milestone in our company history, as we became part of the world-wide CS WIND group. The acquisition goes beyond a mere change in ownership; it marks a leap into a future where our combined strengths will pave the way for optimized production […] Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Leslie Adler and Tomasz Janowski Oversees and coordinates EMEA coverage of power, gas, LNG, coal and carbon markets and has 20 years' experience in journalism. Writes about those markets as well as climate change, climate science, the energy transition and renewable energy and investment. By continuing to browse this website, or closing this message, you agree to our use of cookies Germany and the Netherlands have recently issued the results of their latest offshore wind auction That’s good for Europe’s energy transition But the auction design in both countries included negative bidding This puts unnecessary additional pressure on offshore wind developers – with adverse consequences for the wider wind energy supply chain and Europe’s electricity consumers Germany and the Netherlands have recently awarded 6.5 GW of new offshore wind projects Germany awarded 2.5 GW and the Netherlands 4 GW To put this in context the EU has 19 GW of offshore wind in operation today The auctions in both countries used negative bidding where wind farm developers bid the amount of money they’re ready to pay for the right to build a wind farm – and the higher the price you bid the more likely you are to win Most other countries in Europe use Contract for Difference (CfD) auctions where developers bid the amount of revenue they think they need If you win a negative bidding auction your revenue will be whatever is the wholesale market price of electricity If you win a CfD auction your revenue will be whatever you bid in the auction and if the market prices are higher than the agreed strike price The negative bidding amounts are a straight add-on to the costs of developing an offshore wind farm It’s extra money the developer has to pay which they don’t pay in a CfD auction Project developers have to pass on these costs Either to the wind energy supply chain which is still recovering from supply disruptions and cost increases And/or to electricity consumers in the form of higher electricity prices The results of the latest German auction were: The results of the latest Dutch auction were: Germany and the Netherlands both used negative bidding in their previous offshore wind auctions already The Netherlands previously applied a cap on the bids which equated to €70,000 per MW – their cap is higher now are paying €12.6bn for the right to develop 7 GW – which equates to €1.8m per MW Negative bidding also means higher financing costs than you get with wind farms that are awarded in a CfD auction so banks feel much more comfortable offering more debt finance But projects awarded in a negative bidding auction have variable revenue – the market price of electricity So they need to rely more on (more expensive) equity finance – though they can mitigate this by signing PPAs with offtakers “Negative bidding increases the costs of offshore wind Costs that have to be passed on to consumers and the wind energy supply chain It may be a short-term gain for finance ministries The Dutch auction made extensive use of non-price criteria For the Alpha site these were about biodiversity protection For the Beta site it was system integration The winning bidders made significant commitments to invest in these respective areas Vattenfall and CIP have among other things committed to build a 1 GW electrolyser facility in Rotterdam which will run on renewable electricity from the Beta site And the Alpha wind farm is designed as a “living laboratory” – more than 75% of the wind turbines in the wind farm will have artificial reefs for muscles and other maritime animals “The Dutch auction shows the European wind industry has a great offering on ecology and system integration We are building new wind farms and creating lasting value for Europe’s environment and energy system” The German auction used price criteria only In Germany 90% of the money raised from negative bidding will be used to reduce the grid levies The other 10% are used to support maritime biodiversity and sustainable fishing practices But building these wind farms requires a strengthening of Germany’s offshore wind supply chain and an expansion of port capacity The German Government should consider putting some of the money into that as well