Page 39 - NAVIGATOR NL22

HERMAN BROERS
with other nautical service providers such as Rijkswaterstaat, the
Port of Rotterdam Authority, Customs, the water taxi, tug operators and boatmen. “For example, there is already a water taxi that runs on hydrogen. What can we as pilots learn from that? Similarly, we should want to look at what pilotage organisations in other countries are doing as well. All over the world, people are contemplating the technical solutions of tomorrow. Why not do this together?”
REDUCTION THROUGH EFFICIENCY
There is one aspect of sustainability that Broers wants to draw particular attention to. “Together with our logistics chain partners, such as tug operators, boatmen, agents, terminals, etc., we ensure that the maritime logistics chain consistently runs as smoothly as possible and we always aim to further improve it. For me, that big picture is the most effective way to avoid CO2 emissions. Suppose we fail to reach
a large container ship of 400 metres in time, so that it needs to wait
at sea. I believe that such a ship emits 17 tonnes of CO2 per hour. By designing the logistics chain efficiently, we can achieve much greater reductions at the macro level than is possible at the micro level by using a different type of propulsion for our fleet or cars.”
PROFESSIONALISM AT SEA
In addition to that optimal organisation of the chain, Broers in conclusion points out the significance of professionalism at sea. “How do you handle a ship as a pilot? Do you tell the captain to go full or half speed ahead? If you know when a berth is available, you
can anticipate this when piloting a vessel. The same applies to our NLBV staff members who embark and disembark the pilots from the ships. Where necessary, we try to make them more aware of their sailing behaviour. In general, however, as the new director of NLBV and as a pilot, it is good to see that the issue of sustainability is now firmly entrenched among everyone here at the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation!”
‘From a safety and operational perspective, we do not want to compromise the quality of our service provision in any way’
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