Executive profile: Arjen van Dijk: decarbonisation, port congestion key towage drivers

What inspired you to pursue a career in the maritime industry?

When living in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, just after graduating, I was drawn to the maritime industry, watching the large vessels entering and leaving the port and all the activity on and around the water. I found the business fascinating and was also excited by its global reach, as I had an ambition to explore the world.

At that time, Smit (later Boskalis) was an iconic name in the industry. Its passion for the maritime industry was so evident and inspiring that I knew I wanted to work for that company at some point. And somehow, my dream became reality years later when I was employed by Smit and sent to Latin America for my first role.

What are your key responsibilities in your current role?

Overall, Svitzer has set an ambitious growth target to become a DKr10Bn (US$1.54Bn) company by 2030. This means that our revenue must grow by 10% every year over the next five years. So, my key responsibility as managing director of Svitzer Europe is to ensure that we deliver sustainable growth in the coming years. This must come from growing our business in our core markets, which is very much about being the preferred partner to customers because of our safe and reliable marine services.

With our TRAnsverse tug, we have a clear competitive advantage because the tug offers safer and even more efficient towage operations – something in dire demand due to the growing challenges with port congestion and more extreme weather.

But part of our growth will also come from entering new markets, most likely through acquisitions, such as the one we recently made of Búkser and Berging. Finally, we are also exploring new revenue streams. For instance, we have developed an articulated tug-barge solution to transport liquified CO2 as part of the carbon capture and storage value chain.

What have been your biggest achievements to date?

I am not particularly fond of talking about my biggest achievements. I believe that is for others to judge. What truly makes me proud, however, is building teams and helping talented people develop into capable senior leaders. That gives me not only great joy but also a valuable opportunity to learn. Working closely with people who think differently, bring other skills, or come from different cultural backgrounds is incredibly rewarding. It also keeps me humble because it constantly challenges my view of what the right answer is.

What have been your biggest hurdles along the way?

One of the biggest challenges, both personally and professionally, is changing people’s behaviour and actions. That is never easy. A defining moment for me was when I was appointed managing director of Svitzer Americas in 2020. The mandate was clear: build a new management team, drive performance and grow the business. But at the same time, the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

I found myself in the Netherlands, leading the Americas region from my desktop, trying to inspire and motivate people to think and act differently, while also hiring an entirely new leadership team remotely. That was a significant leadership and business challenge.

What I learned is that change becomes much more manageable when you have the right people in place and a clear narrative and strategy that people believe in. That is what builds trust across an organisation. And once trust is there, you can start implementing new ways of working, improving efficiency, and ultimately laying the foundation for growth.

Where do you see yourself in 2030?

With the current geopolitical unrest, I do not like to speculate. It seems like the unthinkable is not so unthinkable anymore. But I hope that I will still be at Svitzer, looking back at five exciting years where we have transformed the company into an even more dominant player in the marine service industry, thanks to our great people and differentiating commercial strategy delivering the best service to our customers. Our annual revenue has hit DKr10Bn, and we have the most satisfied customers and most engaged employees, creating the foundation for our significant growth in recent years.

What advice do you give to young people considering a career in the maritime industry?

Go for it. Few industries offer the same breadth of opportunities as maritime. You can build not just one career, but several, all within the same sector. What makes it truly special is its reach, being both local and global at the same time. You might start working in a single port, but very quickly find yourself part of something much bigger, connected to operations and colleagues around the world. That is something we see every day at Svitzer.

It is also an industry of contrasts. On one hand, it is deeply rooted in tradition – we are still towing ships with a rope, just as we have for generations. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly high-tech, with digitalisation and artificial intelligence set to reshape how we operate.

But what stands out most to me is the people. This is a hands-on, team-driven industry where trust matters – and where professional relationships often turn into lifelong personal ones.

If you are looking for a career that is dynamic, meaningful and grounded in both history and innovation, this is a great place to be.

Arjen van Dijk – career in brief

2004: joined Smit International

2012: appointed general manager Americas, Smit harbour towage

2017: promoted to commercial direction, Boskalis Offshore and Fairmount

2019: joined Svitzer Americas as chief commercial officer

2020: promoted to managing director, Svitzer Americas

2025: elected as European Tugowner Association chair

2026: became managing director, Svitzer Europe

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