For some time now, the maritime sector has been NOM's focus sector. This is for good reason. The maritime industry has a rich history and is still of great regional significance. At the same time, the sector faces considerable challenges in the transition to a climate-neutral society.
Renowned shipyards, shipowners, suppliers, maritime knowledge institutions, ports and a strategic location on the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. For years, the maritime sector, especially in Groningen and Friesland, has played a prominent role in the Northern Netherlands economy. Whereas the province of Groningen focuses primarily on coastal shipping and offshore activities, the focus in Friesland is more on recreational shipping and yacht building.
For a long time, the industry had an image of being rather conservative and not very innovative. But in recent decades that has been steadily changing. Especially after Conoship was founded in 1952 as a joint design office for northern shipyards. More cooperation was to ensure an (even) stronger position of the yards on the world market. Today, cooperation is at least as important to meet challenges in the areas of sustainability and innovation. And it is precisely in accelerating these developments that NOM can and wants to be significant.
Major task
Until recently, NOM was only sparsely active in the maritime sector. At least, it was not a focus sector. For about two years now, it has emphatically been. This has everything to do with market demands and the major task facing the maritime industry.
Moreover, it is a unique sector for the region that provides a lot of employment. Yet: innovation and sustainability are still in their infancy for part of the sector. While the northern maritime industry has the ambition and potential to lead the way in the transition to emission-free shipping and digitized shipbuilding.
NOM wants to make a targeted contribution to making the sector more future-proof. With investments, of course, but also by focusing on innovation and internationalization with a broad sector team. However, NOM does not finance objects. In other words, even if it is so innovative, it does not invest in an individual ship. NOM only invests in innovative companies that demonstrably contribute to the sustainability of the maritime
sector in the northern Netherlands.
Green Maritime Coalition
There is plenty happening, that much is clear. Also, parties from the northern maritime sector, on their way to a green future, are increasingly and more intensively cooperating with each other. For example, under the name Green Maritime Coalition, knowledge centers, shipyards, shipping companies and entrepreneurs have been working together on the development of sustainable maritime technologies since 2022. Already this has resulted, among other things, in the project "Green & Digital Maritime Innovation Ecosystem North Netherlands (GDMIEN-NL). The goal of GDMIEN-NL is to create a maritime innovation ecosystem in order to make the most of the opportunities offered by energy transition.
Capital, knowledge and network
Meanwhile, there is also a Maritime Master Plan, a national subsidy scheme, which aims to develop, build and bring into service reliable and competitive climate-neutral ships. As a matter of course, NOM is happy to link up with this. In any case, the door is always open to entrepreneurs working on the maritime industry of tomorrow. For startups and scale-ups with groundbreaking innovation, but also for mature companies that really help the sector move forward. NOM has capital, knowledge and a network. In other words, NOM has everything you need to invest in a sustainable, smart and healthy maritime sector. And yes, we are only too happy to let the region benefit from that!
Collaborating with a true pioneer: Econowind
A great example of such an innovative company is Econowind, which has been pioneering wind-assisted ship propulsion since 2016. Because yes, wind is always there. Not always everywhere, but always somewhere. It's a shame if marine vessels don't take more advantage of it. Especially now that sustainability in shipping is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. That is why Econowind devised and developed the so-called VentoFoils: flexible, vertical wings that convert wind into extra thrust. By using these turbo sails, ship owners can save up to 15% on fuel consumption on an annual basis.
The large steel VentoFoils will be commissioned by Econowind to be built at sites in the Northern Netherlands and Flevoland. The smaller wings with dimensions up to 16 meters high in Flevoland, the larger ones up to 30 meters high will be made in the North. By 2027, the scale-up aims to make at least one VentoFoil every day. A big ambition, but given the market potential not unrealistic, thinks CEO Frank Nieuwenhuis. Simply because, partly due to stricter regulations, some 30,000 ocean-going vessels will not be able to do without wind propulsion in the coming years. However, accelerated growth requires capital.
So Nieuwenhuis decided to approach NOM, among others. NOM was immediately enthusiastic. Logical, because although basically an industrial company, Econowind provides an innovative solution to an urgent issue in the maritime sector. At the same time, the production of the VentoFoils leads to additional employment in the northern Netherlands. Not unimportant for NOM, of course, either.