Netherlands Coastguard

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.

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}}

• Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Justice and Security
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Economic Affairs
• Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature

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.

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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

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}}

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* = Multiple smaller vessels as opposed to one vessel.

• Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard
• Dutch National Police
• Rijkswaterstaat
• Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution
• Tax and Customs Administration

{{reflist}}

• [https://kustwacht.nl/en/ Netherlands Coastguard]

{{European Border and Coast Guard|state=expanded}}

{{Coast guards}}

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Category:Coast guards

Category:Government agencies of the Netherlands

Category:1987 establishments in the Netherlands

Category:Military units and formations established in 1987