Infrastructure, regulation, financing and collaboration required
September 7, 2026By Seawork Press FP
Damen Shipyards
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Damen Shipyards Group placed the acceleration of the maritime energy transition firmly in the spotlight with three advanced vessels on show at World Port Days.
The fully electric tug Aqua Pollux shows that electric workboats are already a reality. The electric waterbus Blue Amsterdam illustrates how passenger transport by water can be made more sustainable. The Galatea demonstrates how public and private parties can work together to provide additional capacity for monitoring and protecting vital infrastructure in the North Sea.
The message is clear: the technology is ready. What is needed now is the infrastructure, regulation, financing and collaboration to scale it up. Damen is calling for public-private investment in shared maritime charging points, shore power and energy hubs. The company also wants the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) to be extended to workboats, with revenues reinvested in the sector’s transition. This would help accelerate investment in emission-free technology and infrastructure.
Damen supports the European Industrial Maritime Strategy and has launched the Workboat Alliance, which aims to strengthen Europe’s position in workboats for ports, inland waterways, offshore infrastructure and maritime security.
“The first emission-free vessels are already in operation. The challenge now is to move from pilots to large-scale deployment,” said Martin Bloem, Vice President at Damen Shipyards. “If government, ports and industry work together to create the right conditions, the Netherlands can take an international lead in making the maritime sector more sustainable.”
Bloem says that new technologies must be tested, deployed and scaled within the Netherlands, which will require sufficient charging infrastructure and grid capacity, suitable financing and regulation that actively supports innovation.
