“There is a sense of pride among everyone involved working with the transition”
Please share what is happening short term and long term when it comes to conversion to electric vehicles and renewable fuels in Stromma Netherlands.
Our first electric vessels were built in 2007. Since then, different vessels have been added. Due to policy changes for sailing in Amsterdam, we started electrifying our existing fleet in 2015. We still have more than 20 larger tour boats that must be retrofitted that are still propelled on a diesel or gas engine. In the short term we will have to scale up the number of conversions per year and in the long term we will have to sail completely electrically from 2025 onwards in Amsterdam and keep our eyes open for new developments such as hydrogen.
Will it be possible to convert all the vehicles?
We think we will be on time with electrifying all our vehicles for 2025, this is still on schedule. In 2023 we are also speeding up the process.
What is the reaction from the staff when it comes to the transition?
Our staff generally think that it is positive that Stromma is doing this transition. Both because of sustainability concerns and because they think that the technical part is exciting. There is something very joyful when a boat comes back to the waters of Amsterdam after a retrofitting. There is a sense of pride among everyone involved working with the transition.
What is your view on the business risk of inaction when it comes to conversion of the fleet?
If we do not complete the conversion of our fleet in time, we will not be able to sail at our full capacity. There are currently a lot of zero-emission boats sailing in Amsterdam, but unfortunately, guests still consider price and location as more important factors than environmental concerns.
Personally, which actions and/or investments would you like to see in the transition?
I would like to see the development of hydrogen going quicker. Unfortunately, we are not that far yet. Hopefully, in the future we will be able to create the source of energy ourselves.
