Building smart, specialised vessels: how Holland Shipyards Group turns customer questions into practical innovation

“In our organisation, office and production really work side by side,” says Shanna van Berchum, Commercial Manager at Holland Shipyards Group. “People from the yard walk upstairs, but colleagues from the office are just as often in the workshop or on board the vessels. We solve things together, on the spot. That openness works.”

Over the past few years, the organisation has grown from around 60 to 70 people to roughly 120. The projects have grown with it. Where a 40 metre vessel used to be a major milestone, the yard now regularly takes on builds in the 70 to 120 metre range. With that comes more complexity, more specialist partners, and a greater need to make the right choices early.

“A few years ago, a 40 metre vessel was already a challenge,” Shanna explains. “Now we are building vessels of 70 to 120 metres on a regular basis. That brings a completely different level of complexity.”

A yard built around custom solutions, not standard products

Holland Shipyards Group does not work from a catalogue of standard products. According to Shanna, their strength is the opposite: thinking with the client and building specialised vessels that solve a specific operational need.

Clients often come with a clear idea, sometimes even with an existing design. The role of the yard is then to challenge, improve and help make choices that are workable in real operations. Shanna describes it simply: shipbuilding is not only about delivering a vessel, it is about understanding what the client needs and translating that into a vessel that performs.

This also shapes how customers experience the company. Many feel comfortable enough to walk in, grab a coffee, and continue a conversation without formality. That ease reflects long-term relationships and a working style where collaboration is the default.

Autonomy as an answer to the crew challenge

One of the strongest themes in the company’s current work is autonomy. Shanna is clear that it is not positioned as a trend for its own sake. The driver is operational: many ferry owners struggle to find captains and crew. If a vessel can operate with more automation, it can reduce the pressure on staffing. That can make it easier to keep services running.

One of the strongest themes in the company’s current work is autonomy, not as a showcase technology, but as a response to real operational pressure. Ferry operators across Europe struggle to find qualified captains and crew. Increasing levels of automation can help keep services running reliably, especially in urban environments.

A recent example is the autonomous ferry developed with technology partner Roboat. The fully 3D-printed vessel was originally intended to operate on the Seine during the Olympic Games in Paris. Although that plan was ultimately cancelled due to changes outside the project partners’ control, the ferry itself was completed and has since moved forward in a different form.

Recently, Holland Shipyards Group demonstrated the autonomous ferry in Paris to a selected group of partners and clients. The demonstration focused on practical use in dense urban settings: short crossings, predictable routes and minimal infrastructure. The vessel operates emission free, is designed with circularity in mind, and can be controlled through a simple interface in a highly controlled environment.

For the yard, the Paris project fits into a broader pattern. Whether it is a ferry in Sweden, France or elsewhere, autonomy is treated as an operational tool, not a headline. “What we learn on one vessel always helps improve the next one,” Shanna adds.

Sustainability without theatre

Sustainability is not treated as a separate chapter in a strategy deck. Shanna describes it as embedded in the way the company thinks. The approach is pragmatic: propose what makes sense, explain the trade offs, and be honest when an option does not fit the route or operational profile.

“It is not innovation just because it sounds good,” she says. “We look at what actually makes sense for a specific vessel and route.”

She gives a clear example. A request for ferries operating in rough water with high waves, where batteries are simply not practical. In those cases, choosing diesel can be the most realistic option. Not because it is ideal, but because forcing a solution that does not work can lead to poor outcomes overall.

At the same time, when sustainability measures do fit, the company brings them to the table. Shanna points to wind assist solutions on coasters, where a fuel reduction of around 12 to 15 percent can be achieved. The message to clients is not that it is mandatory, but that it is an option worth considering, especially over a vessel lifetime.

Human capital and the pressure on Dutch shipbuilding

Growth brings another challenge: people. Shanna notes that office roles are often easier to fill than hands-on technical work. The biggest gap is skilled people who want to weld, engineer, work with wood, and build. The company does bring in people from abroad, but the wider issue remains: fewer young people choose practical work, while the sector still depends on it.

She also describes a bigger pressure point the entire industry faces: international competition, rising wages and rising costs in the Netherlands. Many yards are busy today, but still ask the same question in the background: what does the landscape look like in five years if more work moves to countries with lower labour costs and growing quality levels?

For Holland Shipyards Group, the answer is to stay flexible and keep moving with the market. The ambition is not a fixed prediction, but a commitment to adapt and to keep delivering vessels that solve real problems for owners and operators.

Rotterdam as a practical connector

Commercially, the company’s clients are international. Still, Rotterdam matters as a hub and meeting point.

“Rotterdam is known worldwide as the maritime heart of the Netherlands,” Shanna says. “Many of our partners and suppliers are connected to the region.”

It is also a place where sector organisations and shipyards meet, compare notes and discuss shared challenges such as regulation, staffing and market pressures.

That open exchange fits the company’s wider culture. “Most yards face the same challenges,” she adds. “There is no need to be secretive about that. Talking helps everyone move forward.”