Country Manager GL Netherlands says ”vaarwel”

After more than 23 years of service with German classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL), Ronald Diederik (Ron) Kampinga 64 has retired. As Country Manager GL Netherlands, Managing Director of GL Netherlands B.V. and Deputy Area Manager Benelux/Northwest Europe Ron Kampinga has helped to shape the company’s development by enhancing and expanding the regional network and service portfolio. Mr. Niels Appel succeeds him as new Country Manager and Managing Director of GL Netherlands B.V..

After studying naval architecture at the Hogere Technische School in Haarlem and his military service, Ron Kampinga worked in the construction office of the Amsterdamsche Droogdok Maatschapij from 1969 to 1970. At the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschapij, RDM, he acted as Deputy Managing Director of the subsidiary ship yard De Nieuwe Waterweg in Schiedam from 1970 to 1983. After the closure of the yard he continued as Project Manager in the repair department of the mother company at Heijplaat. Before joining GL in 1985, Ron Kampinga also was a project manager of the Vlaardingen Oost repair yard, HVO, in Vlaardingen.

In October 1985 Ronald Kampinga entered Germanischer Lloyd as Hull Surveyor in Rotterdam. “As an experienced ship repair expert Mr. Kampinga was much appreciated by clients and colleagues alike”, GL’s COO Torsten Schramm said at the farewell reception. “Even very demanding clients respected the profound expertise and flexible approach of an old warhorse like him.”

Ron Kampinga left his traces as surveyor in such repair yards as Wilton Feijenoord, Van Brink, Vlaardingen Oost and Scheepswerf Reimerswaal. He got deeply involved in a number of interesting, big repair projects.

Also a few newbuilding projects mark the path of Ron Kampinga’s career, amongst them the GENEVE, the first chemical tanker in the Netherlands ever built with Duplex stainless steel in 1992. Mr. Kampinga approved the numerous special welding procedures and supervised the project until delivery to an Italian owner.

Further remarkable projects include the HELEN MARY, ROS 785. At the date of delivery in 1996 this was the most advanced trawler for schooling fish in Europe. In 1997 Mr. Kampinga started the supervision of the ferries SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN and DEUTSCHLAND, built at the yard Van der Giessen de Noord, Krimpen aan den IJssel. These double-ended ferries were purpose built for the ferry line between Puttgarden in Germany and Rǿdby in Denmark, Vogelfluglinie, and featured a Diesel-electric propulsion with 4 pod drives.

In 1992 Ron Kampinga became Deputy Station Manager of GL Rotterdam. In 1999 he was promoted to the position of Central Office Manager The Netherlands (later renamed to Country Manager) with the title Senior Lead Surveyor.

Ronald Kampinga and GL’s Area Manager Harald Seibicke conducted the transformation of the local branch office into the subsidiary Germanischer Lloyd Netherlands B.V. in the year 2000 and took over the positions of the first Managing Directors later. As of 1 June 2006 Mr. Kampinga was appointed to the function of Deputy Area Manager.

On behalf of Germanischer Lloyd COO Torsten Schramm thanked Ronald Kampinga for 23 years of service and dedication: “You have seen our society grow and expand across the globe.” Today, GL employs more than 5,500 engineers, surveyors, experts and administrative staff in 77 countries. Schramm: “This amazing development has only been possible because people like Mr. Kampinga have dedicated 100 per cent to a common cause: propagating technical competence, uncompromising quality and first-class services.”