Thank you, Dick de Graaff, for your introduction.
Good morning, everyone,
This botanical garden has a story.
More than a century ago, a man named John Collins dug a canal right here to transport his mangoes and avocados by boat to the Port of Miami.
Collins was a Quaker farmer from New Jersey.
He was also seventy-five years old when he started.
Seventy-five!
Most people his age were sitting on a porch.
Collins was digging a canal in Florida.
He ran out of money halfway through.
So he struck a deal with a young entrepreneur named Carl Fisher.
Fisher would finance the canal in exchange for land.
That handshake between an old farmer and a young dreamer became the foundation of what we now call Miami Beach.
Water. Ambition. Partnership.
That is not a bad theme for this morning.
We meet at an interesting moment.
The cruise industry is thriving.
Demand is high and ships are fuller than ever.
But at the same time, we all feel the pressure of a changing world.
The future of this industry – as basically with all mobility – is electric.
Cleaner fuels, shore power, zero-emission vessels.
We know this.
But recent events in the Middle East have made something else very clear: moving away from fossil fuels is not just about sustainability.
It is about energy independence and security.
We cannot afford to be dependent on other countries for the fuels that keep our ships moving and our economies running.
The green transition is no longer just the right thing to do.
It is the smart thing to do.
And that is exactly where the Netherlands wants to lead.
We are not just a destination.
We are a maritime nation.
A country of builders, innovators and pioneers.
With our Maritime Manufacturing Strategy, we are investing in the future.
And the cruise sector is our partner in this.
You are the early adopters.
You are testing LNG, shore power, and alternative fuels in real operations, at real scale.
What works for you today, will shape the entire sector tomorrow.
That’s why I am here this morning.
Not just to speak, but to listen – and to have breakfast.
I want to hear your experiences, your challenges, your ideas.
Because policy only works if it connects to practice.
And ambition only matters if we move forward together.
Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Netherlands are also in Florida today and tomorrow.
This visit underlines how seriously we take this partnership.
Tomorrow, I'll be part of a high-level maritime session and I want to bring your voice into that room.
So, please talk to me.
And when you walk across the street to the Seatrade Cruise Global after this breakfast, visit other companies.
Talk to them.
Not as a supplier. But as a partner.
Because the solutions we need for our next ships, our next ports, our next decade: chances are, someone is already building them.
Dear friends,
Collins dug his canal with a shovel and a handshake.
Let's see what we can build today.