Christening of the Stena Transporter
“Ik doop u Stena Transporter en wens u, bemanning en opvarenden een behouden vaart”. Na het uitspreken van deze traditionele zin lanceerde minister Schultz van Haegen de even traditionele fles champagne in de richting van de boeg van de Stena Transporter. Dit schip is het nieuwste vrachtschip van de toch al grote en moderne vloot van een van de grootste ferrymaatschappijen ter wereld: Stena Line. De fles brak en het aanwezige publiek – waaronder de CEO van Stena Line - applaudisseerde hartstochtelijk.
Durf en daadkracht
De minister prees het ferrybedrijf om haar durf en daadkracht. “Ondanks de moeilijke economische periode wil dit bedrijf een sprong voorwaarts maken. U toont het ondernemerschap waar we onze economie weer vlot mee kunnen trekken. Juist investeren wanneer de tegenwind sterker wordt. En op het moment dat de wind draait, vaart u uw concurrenten voorbij met nieuwe en betere schepen.”
Ambitie
De minister wees voorts op de zonnige economische vooruitzichten van de maritieme sector. “De wereldeconomie trekt weer aan.
Dat is goed voor onze nationale economie en de Nederlandse vloot in het bijzonder. Onze vloot moet de komende jaren verder uitgroeien tot een van de schoonste, veiligste en meest innovatieve van de wereld. Dat moet de ambitie zijn van de sector. En daarin vind u mij aan uw zijde.”
Ladies and gentlemen,
One of the special privileges a female minister of Infrastructure has is christening ships.
Something I enjoy doing.
Although I must confess I am always a little nervous whether I manage to smash the bottle in one go!
The christening today marks yet another milestone in the history of the Stena Line company.
This magnificent new ship stands for the daring ambitions of this company.
Despite the harsh economic times, the company wishes to make a leap forward.
Staying ahead of the competition requires an alert and innovative stance.
Over the past five years, the company has invested nearly a billion euros in building new ships or expanding the capacity of existing vessels.
To put it briefly, Stena is upholding its name as a market leader and one of the largest European ferry companies: innovative, strategic and progressive.
For example, this ship has a 30 per cent increase in capacity, while its fuel consumption remains unchanged!
In addition, all the vessels are equipped for electrical shore-to-ship connections.
Yet another example of smart and future-oriented enterprise.
You are showing the type of enterprise that will enable us to get our economy afloat again by investing precisely when the headwinds are picking up.
And once the wind comes round, you will sail – as a matter of speech - past your competitors with newer and better ships.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my ambition to have our country emerge from the crisis stronger than ever.
We must continue to make our mark as an innovative and strong economy.
Businesses must be given a free rein.
And dare to seize the opportunities that are available to them.
The government, for its part, must demonstrate decisiveness and offer room.
By cutting down the jungle of regulations and by creating an attractive tax climate and by making room for innovations and initiatives from entrepreneurs. But my key goal, as Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, is obviously to have a top of the bill infrastructure; on land, on sea and in the air.
That is why I am investing in our infrastructure.
For that reason, I am focusing my new investments on the economic hubs.
They are facing the largest bottlenecks.
The accessibility of our economic hubs is of vital importance for our competitive strength.
More than half a million people are earning a living in and around the mainports.
The power of the port and shipping sector is crucial for our competitive strength and appealing business climate in the global market.
It is my ambition to improve and sustain the appeal of the Netherlands as a maritime location with a strong business cluster.
Not only for Dutch companies but for all maritime companies worldwide, such as Stena Line.
Our efforts in this respect are increasingly successful, as is demonstrated by the increasing number of ships sailing under Dutch colours.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Fortunately, the world economy is picking up again.
The prospects for the shipping sector are improving.
That is good for our national economy and the Dutch fleet in particular.
In the years to come, our fleet will continue to grow into one of the cleanest, safest and most innovative fleets in the world.
That must be the ambition to be pursued by the sector.
And that is where you will find me on your side.
Thank you for your attention.
Tekst doop [in het Nederlands]:
“Ik doop u Stena Transporter en wens u, bemanning en opvarenden een behouden vaart”