Comparative maritime safety: the Netherlands

The Netherlands has a rich maritime history and remains to this day an important maritime nation. The Dutch government closely follows maritime law developments and is generally very active in ratifying and implementing maritime (safety) conventions. This chapter looks into the maritime safety regulations in the Netherlands. Contrary to private maritime law, which is to a large extent concentrated in Book 8 of the Dutch Civil Code, public maritime law is dispersed over several different Acts and Regulations. This chapter provides a guide to these Acts and to the entities charged with implementing and enforcing maritime safety law.