Netherlands Coastguard
{{short description|Maritime law enforcement branch of the Royal Netherlands Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname = Netherlands Coastguard
| nativename = {{lang|nl|Kustwacht Nederland}}
| patch = File:Netherlands Coast Guard emblem.svg
| patchcaption = Netherlands Coast Guard emblem
| logo = File:Netherlands Coast Guard flag.svg
| logocaption = Ensign
| badge =
| badgecaption =
| flag = File:Netherlands Coast Guard racing stripe.svg
| flagcaption = Racing stripe
| imagesize =
| motto = {{lang|la|Servamus Servientes}}
| mottotranslated =
| formedmonthday = February 26
| formedyear = 1987
| constitution1 = Regulation on organization of Netherlands Coastguard, 2019{{cite act|type=Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management and of the Minister of Defence|index=IENW/BSK-2019/95910|year=2019|url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0042251/2019-07-01|language=nl|trans-title=Regulation on organization of Netherlands Coastguard|title=Regeling organisatie Kustwacht Nederland}}
| employees =
| volunteers =
| budget = {{currency|64258000|EUR}} (2020){{cite web|url=https://kustwacht.nl/sites/default/files/Jaarverslag%202020%20KWNL%20infographic.pdf|title=KUSTWACHT NEDERLAND 2020|publisher=Netherlands Coastguard|access-date=2022-03-19|year=2021}}
| country = Netherlands
| speciality1 = coast
| overviewtype =
| overviewbody =
| headquarters =
| electeetype =
| minister1name = Ruben Brekelmans
| minister1pfo = Minister of Defense
| chief1name = Nicole Kuipers{{cite web|url=https://kustwacht.nl/directeur-kustwacht/|title=Directeur Kustwacht Nederland Nicole Kuipers|publisher=Netherlands Coastguard|access-date=2022-06-24|date=2022-04-21}}
| chief1position = Director
| parentagency = Royal Netherlands Navy
| child1agency =
| website = {{url|www.kustwacht.nl}}
| footnotes =
| reference =
}}
The Netherlands Coastguard ({{langx|nl|Kustwacht Nederland}}) is a civil organisation that carries out tasks on the Netherlands North Sea for six Ministries under administration of the Royal Netherlands Navy.{{Cite web |url=http://www.kustwacht.nl/en/whatwedo.html |title=Netherlands Coastguard - What we do |publisher=Netherlands Coastguard |access-date=5 July 2017}} Its operational command falls under the Ministry of Defence, and the Royal Netherlands Navy is responsible for its coordination.{{Cite web |url=https://www.defensie.nl/onderwerpen/taken-in-nederland/inhoud/kustwacht |title=Kustwacht |publisher=Netherlands Ministry of Defence |language=nl |access-date=5 July 2017}}
The headquarters of the Netherlands Coastguard is located in Den Helder, and the director is former naval commander Nicole Kuipers.{{Cite web |title=Director of the Netherlands Coastguard Nicole Kuipers |url=https://kustwacht.nl/en/director-of-the-netherlands-coastguard/ |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Netherlands Coastguard |language=en-US}}
History
While the Netherlands Coastguard was officially established on 26 February 1987,{{cite web|url=http://www.kustwacht.nl/nl/nl_historie.html|title=Historie|publisher=Nederlandse Kustwacht|language=nl|access-date=21 January 2018}} a less formal Dutch coastguard had been active since 1883. In 1882 the gunboat HNLMS Adder sunk off Scheveningen with the death of all 65 aboard. The public outcry that followed led to reforms, including an improved system of observing, reporting and assisting ships in distress off the coast, with better cooperation between lighthouses and government agencies.
After World War II the area that could be covered off-coast became larger with new technologies such as radar and better means of communication. At the same time, government desire to protect Dutch interests in the North Sea, such as fishery, and extraction of oil, gas, sand and gravel, led to each ministry establishing its own department with, at one point, over twenty government organisations at work off the Dutch coast. To stop this fragmentation, in 1984 Minister Smit-Kroes of Traffic and water management ordered a review to examine how to make guarding the coast of the Netherlands more efficient and effective. The results of this review were published in 1986 and led to the creation of a single coastguard agency, namely the Netherlands Coastguard.
Initially, the Coast Guard headquarters was housed in a building belonging to the coast radio station {{ill|Scheveningen Radio|nl}} in IJmuiden. In 1995 the Coast Guard was assigned to the Ministry of Defense and on 23 November 2001 the headquarters moved to the Royal Netherlands Navy's Command in Den Helder.
Organisation
The Netherlands Coastguard carries out duties for six government ministries, these ministries are the:{{Cite web |url=https://www.kustwacht.nl/nl/algemeen.html |title=Over ons |publisher=Nederlandse Kustwacht |language=nl |access-date=23 January 2018}}
= JRCC Den Helder =
The Kustwachtcentrum (English: Coastguard Center) in Den Helder is also the Netherlands Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC Den Helder, Call DEN HELDER RESCUE). It coordinates not only sea rescue (MRCC) but also air rescue (ARCC). Emergency calls in the monitored area of the North Sea and the airspace of the Netherlands are recorded at all times. A back office, which has access to the various databases of the authorities involved, serves to support the front office. For the SAR services, the lifeboats of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij (KNRM) get coordinated.
Tasks
File:Dornier Do 228 Kustwacht-vliegtuig.jpg arrives for the Royal International Air Tattoo, England, UK (2014)]]
The Coastguard tasks can be divided into Provision of service tasks and Law enforcement tasks.
- Provision of service tasks:
- Monitoring, handling and coordinating national and international Distress, Urgency and Safety radio traffic
- Maritime assistance and Search and Rescue
- Limiting and dealing with the aftermath of disasters and incidents
- Wherever necessary, implementing vessel traffic services (buoys, vessel traffic service, instructions)
- Maritime traffic research
- Law enforcement tasks:
- Maintaining law and order (police)
- Monitoring import, export and transit of goods (customs)
- Upholding laws regarding environment, sea fishing, nautical traffic, ships equipment and offshore activities
- Border control
Equipment
= Vessels =
The Coast Guard has no vessels of its own, so resources are made available by the cooperating ministries and services{{Cite web |title=Varende eenheden |url=http://www.kustwacht.nl/eenheden |access-date=24 April 2025 |publisher=Kustwacht Nederland |language=nl}}
File:Barend Biesheuvel (cropped).jpg
File:Zeearend Nederlandse Kustwacht-pjt.jpg
class="wikitable"
! style="text-align:center; background:#aabccc;"|Vessel(s) ! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Origin ! style="text-align:l center; background:#aabccc;"|Type ! style="text-align: center; background:#aabccc;"|Owner |
Arca |
Barend Biesheuvel
|Netherlands |Rijkswaterstaat |
Frans Naerebout
|Netherlands |Rijkswaterstaat |
Guardian
|Netherlands |Multraship |
Multraship Commander
|Netherlands |Shipping safety |Multraship |
Multraship Protector
|Netherlands |Shipping safety |Multraship |
P41
|Netherlands |Patrol boat |
P42
|Netherlands |Patrol boat |Dutch National Police |
P44
|Netherlands |Patrol boat |Dutch National Police |
P45
|Netherlands |Patrol boat |Dutch National Police |
Various classes of lifeboat*
|Netherlands |
RHIB's (Aboard other vessels)*
|Netherlands |Rijkswaterstaat |
Rotterdam
|Netherlands |Buoy tender |Rijkswaterstaat |
Terschelling
|Netherlands |Buoy tender |Rijkswaterstaat |
Visarend
|Netherlands |Patrol boat |Rijkswaterstaat |
Zeearend
|Netherlands |Patrol boat |Rijkswaterstaat |
Waddenstroom
|Netherlands |Multi-purpose vessel |Rijkswaterstaat (lended per case) |
Merwestroom
|Netherlands |Multi-purpose vessel |Rijkswaterstaat (lended per case) |
Scheldestroom
|Netherlands |Multi-purpose vessel |Rijkswaterstaat (lended per case) |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://kustwacht.nl/en/ Netherlands Coastguard]
{{European Border and Coast Guard|state=expanded}}
{{Coast guards}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Government agencies of the Netherlands