Dutch shipbuilders build complex ships. In what way do Dutch shipyards differ from their foreign competitors?

Today, each shipyard in the Netherlands focuses on its own specific market sector. That may be the serial production of a particular vessel, as at Damen; or highly specialised ships, such as Royal IHC. Other yards have already been supplying a niche market for many years, like those in the north of the country that build ships for coastal waters, or for inland waterways, and – since the beginning of the century, in fact – yards that focus on building super yachts. A key departure from the past is that shipyards no longer produce everything themselves. Hulls are imported from countries where labour is cheap and the welding can be done at lower cost. Today’s ships are like construction kits. All the parts are collected at the shipyard where the vessel is then assembled.