ENVIRONMENT & CULTURE
SEARCH AND RESCUE EXERCISE ON THE WESTERN SCHELDT, IN COOPERATION WITH THE COAST GUARD.
Photo courtesy of KNRM / Mario Rentmeester
Helping sailors in distress KNRM in Zeeland The Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij, or KNRM) has been helping people in distress at sea – and on other larger bodies of water throughout the Netherlands – for nearly 200 years. With a history of over 60,000 rescue operations, 2019 marked KNRM’s 195 year anniversary. The association’s story starts shortly after a particularly fatal day in October 1824, when no less than 17 ships stranded on the Dutch coast within 24 hours. Outraged by the lack of rescue supplies and volunteers, businessmen and dignitaries in Amsterdam and Rotterdam took to action raising funds to establish an organised rescue association. The ‘Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding Maatschappij (North and South Holland Rescue Institution)’ was founded in Amsterdam, followed nine days later by the ‘Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen’ (South Holland Institution for the Rescue of Shipwrecked) in Rotterdam. Both associations were established to provide assistance to anyone in need at sea, free of charge.
The two associations merged into the current KNRM in 1991, and the foundation’s mission remains the same. It voluntarily helps those in need at sea. To do so, the KNRM relies solely on donations, just as it did in 1824. In those first years after their founding, the foundations’ rescue boats only sailed out several times a year. In 2019, KNRM volunteers sailed out to assist people in need 2,458 times in 2019, rescuing or helping 4,258 people. The organisation now works from 45 rescue stations nationwide, aided by 1,300 volunteers and 80 rescue boats.
KNRM Zeeland The KNRM rescue stations are operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, under all (weather) circumstances. There are six rescue stations in Zeeland; in Breskens, Cadzand, Hansweert, Neeltje Jans, Veere, and Westkapelle. And although the KNRM is mainly known for its North Sea rescue operations, it is also active on the Western Scheldt, Eastern Scheldt and Veerse Meer. Each location deals with its own set of challenges. The Western Scheldt’s biggest danger lies in the sheer amount of constant ship movements. The Eastern Scheldt is notorious for its treacherous currents and shallows, and very busy with leisure crafts, divers and swimmers during summer. The Veerse Meer also gets crowded in summer, as recreational boats,
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