On Thursday 1 of August 2013 00:00 UTC (02:00 local time) the routeing system in the Dutch part of the North Sea will change extensively.

Shipping routes have changed before, but a change to this extent is exceptional.

It is therefore important that all seagoing vessels are well informed and that shipmasters obtain the new nautical charts well ahead of the moment of transition.
 
Rijkswaterstaat, the Ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands Coastguard and the Netherlands Hydrographic Office jointly manage the transition.

Preparations include the production of new charts, a schedule for the moving of buoys and a safety plan for the transition period on 30 and 31 July and 1 August.

It is important that all national and international users of the North Sea are well informed about the changes.

Gareth Turnbull, general manager for The Yacht Harbour Association
(TYHA), said: ‘The visitors of TYHA Yacht Harbours may also visit the
Dutch North Sea this summer and it is in the interest of their personal
safety that they are aware of the changes and what this means for them.’

To aid a safe transition, Rijkswaterstaat is deploying factsheets, which can be found online at: www.rws.nl/newshippingroutes