The Netherlands Coastguard (Dutch: Kustwacht Nederland) is civil organisation that carries out tasks on the Netherlands North Sea for six Ministries under administration of the Royal Netherlands Navy.^[4] Its operational command falls under the Ministry of Defence, and the Royal Netherlands Navy is responsible for its coordination.^[5]

Headquarters office is in Den Helder. Director is commander Nicole Kuipers.^[6]

While the Netherlands Coastguard was officially established on 26 February 1987,^[7] a less formal Dutch coastguard had been active since 1883. In 1882 the gunboat HNLMS Adder sunk off Scheveningen with the death of all 65 aboard. The public outcry that followed led to reforms, including an improved system of observing, reporting and assisting ships in distress off the coast, with better cooperation between lighthouses and government agencies.^[7]

After World War II the area that could be covered off-coast became larger with new technologies such as radar and better means of communication. At the same time, government desire to protect Dutch interests in the North Sea, such as fishery, and extraction of oil, gas, sand and gravel, led to each ministry establishing its own department with, at one point, over twenty government organisations at work off the Dutch coast. To stop this fragmentation, in 1984 Minister Smit-Kroes of Traffic and water management ordered a review to examine how to make guarding the coast of the Netherlands more efficient and effective. The results of this review were published in 1986 and led to the creation of a single coastguard agency, namely the Netherlands Coastguard.^[7]

Initially, the Coast Guard headquarters was housed in a building belonging to the coast radio station Scheveningen Radio [nl] in IJmuiden. In 1995 the Coast Guard was assigned to the Ministry of Defense and on 23 November 2001 the headquarters moved to the national Navy HQ in Den Helder.

The Netherlands Coastguard carries out duties for six government ministries, these ministries are the:^[8]

• Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Justice and Security
• Ministry of Finance
• Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy
• Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

The Coastguard tasks can be divided into Provision of service tasks and Law enforcement tasks.^[4]

• Provision of service tasks:
  • Monitoring, handling and coordinating national and international Distress, Urgency and Safety radio traffic;
  • Maritime assistance and Search and Rescue;
  • Limiting and dealing with the aftermath of disasters and incidents;
  • Wherever necessary, implementing vessel traffic services (buoys, vessel traffic service, instructions)
  • Maritime traffic research
  • Clearing out explosives
• Law enforcement tasks:
  • Maintaining law and order (police)
  • Monitoring import, export and transit of goods (customs)
  • Upholding laws regarding environment, sea fishing, nautical traffic, ships equipment and offshore activities
  • Border control

• Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard