News item | 18-07-2025 | 10:15
Seafarers with an MBO 4 course can enter the HBO training to register in the HBO training from 1 September. In addition, it is made easier for resigned registers to turn to Noordzeeloods. The cabinet makes this possible to prevent a shortage in the inflow for this crucial profession.
A shed advises the captain on board a seagoing vessel on the navigation to be conducted. The registered sheds help sea vessels to get through, in or out of a port smoothly and safely. Noordzeeloodsen works on the North Sea, the Skagerrak and the Channel and are used to minimize the safety risks in these busy waterways and to relieve the captain.
To become a registered shed, seafarers who already have a HBO-Zeevaart diploma can follow the HBO master’s degree in registers. The Noordzeeloods training is a post-HBO training for which a similar admission requirement applies.
The Dutch nautical schools have been struggling with falling numbers of students for some time. This also has an effect on the intake in the training for registered shed and Noordzeeloods. In addition, there is more demand for new sheds in the coming years, due to the increasing bustle in the North Sea and the fact that the existing sheds are getting older.
To turn the tide, the cabinet makes the introduction of a one-year pre-master’s bridging program for prospective registered sheds. By following this previous education, an experienced seafarer with an MBO 4 course can also gain access to the HBO master’s degree in registered shed.
A maximum age of 60 years applies to Registered Loods, not for Noordzeeloodsen. Registered sheds have reached the maximum age and want to continue as Noordzeeloods from now on no longer have to maintain a valid certificate of authority to be able to follow the training for Noordzeeloods.
“I am trained as a seafarer and know that sheds play an indispensable role in our economy,” says Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Robert Tieman. “They ensure that ships can safely refuse the busy North Sea and that transport through our ports runs smoothly and efficiently. I am happy that we make it possible for more people to follow the training to be a shed, and to be able to practice this beautiful profession.”