Pilotage Service

Geeft indruk van ons bezoek aan het werkveld van het loodswezen

Cultural Insights will train the Dutch Pilotage Service in intercultural communication. To learn more about their work, all three of us were allowed to spend a day sailing with a pilot. What an experience that was!

With over 460 pilots, spread across three partnerships and four ports (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Vlissingen, and Delfzijl), the Pilotage Service ensures that all seagoing vessels enter and leave our ports safely.

A whole chain of people is active around such a canal: on small boats, tugboats, on shore, at traffic control. They all work closely together to ensure that shipping traffic runs smoothly. It is Dutch logistics in all its glory, very impressive!

During the voyage, it became clear how important effective communication between the pilot and the captain is. On ships with international crews, this requires mutual understanding and trust.

It was an inspiring introduction to an organization that literally and figuratively connects the world. Thanks to Alex Flinkerbusch, Jelle Douma, and Maaike Spee from The Dutch Pilotage Service for this special experience. We look forward to an inspiring and enjoyable collaboration!

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Saskia Maarse

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Saskia Maarse is a Dutch intercultural speaker, trainer and author. For six years, she researched how Dutch culture is experienced by people from other cultures. She did so through in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs and managers from 30 different countries. She wrote two books on the subject: Tutti frutti – Success in a colourful and entreprising Netherlands and Onder de zeespiegel – collaborating and living together with the Dutch.

Saskia’s fascination for cultural differences started at a young age. She worked in tourism for over ten years, including several years in France, Spain, Italy and Austria. Her work experience abroad and her subsequent trip around the world broadened her view of the world and its inhabitants. Her research provided Saskia with much: more cultural awareness and extensive knowledge about Dutch culture in relation to other cultures.

Saskia’s mission is to provide as many people and organisations as possible with cultural insights and awareness in an accessible and inspiring way, so that more understanding of different cultures is created.

“During our team building day in Openluchtmuseum Arnhem we have had the pleasure to enjoy a very interesting cultural awareness workshop focussing on the Dutch culture in comparison with other cultures, how other cultures see us Dutch and what we can learn with the 6 principles of intercultural working from Saskia Maarse. The diverse group that we were with 25 people, 6 nationalities and even more cultures (including Frisian and Limburg) were really enthusiastic and even more understood the importance of good communication (verbal and visual) in international business.”
Marko van der Smitte, Sales Director Alfa Laval