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She’s beautiful, she’s retro and she’s on a mission that’s taking her way around the world. The 76 metre long, 31-sailed Clipper Stad Amsterdam is now more than halfway into her two-year voyage, currently in the Far East where GAC is acting as her agent.
Traditional build, modern mission
The idea of the modern sailing ship built in traditional fashion was born during SAIL Amsterdam 1995, and she has been sailing the world's oceans as a passenger vessel since 2000.
The clipper offers young people with work opportunities, training and unique life experiences. Hundreds have worked hand-in-hand with her permanent crew, learning through collaboration, discovering new cultures and overcoming fears to develop skills and boost their self-confidence. Between ports, passengers of all ages can join the crew in sailing the vessel to her next destination – a wonderful experience that has enriched many lives during the nearly 25 years of operation of the clipper’s operation.
The voyage
The Stad Amsterdam’s latest adventure started in August last year when she set off on her world tour from her home port, Amsterdam. Much of the second leg of that voyage has been in the Asia-Pacific region, where GAC has acted as agent in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia and Singapore.
Further travels will take her to India, the Maldives and South Africa before heading across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and the USA East Coast before returning to Europe on the third and final leg. She will return to her home port for the city’s 750th anniversary celebrations, as SAIL Amsterdam's flagship in August 2025.
GAC’s previous cooperation with Rederij Clipper Stad Amsterdam led to its appointment as the Stad Amsterdam’s ship agent, further supported by the Group’s successful handling of a similar vessel, the Norwegian tall ship Stadsraad Lehmkuhl, in 24 countries during its world tour two years ago.
Central support hub
For the Stad Amsterdam, GAC’s global agency support is streamlined with GAC UK’s Global Offshore Agency Services (GOAS) team acting its hub of contact for operations and administration – even enabling consolidated invoicing in the same currency - wherever the vessel goes.
By drawing on the local knowledge and contacts of its global network, the team was able to pre-empt any issues arising due to rules and regulations varying from one port to another. In Australia, for example, the ship needed a Temporary Coastal License to sail with passengers from Sydney to Brisbane – something which colleagues at GAC Australia were able to easily arrange.
“By consolidating the coordination and management of the global requirements, we were able to easily collate all relevant information, requirements and rates at all locations to provide a streamlined management solution.
“This is particularly important when supporting business across multiple locations, especially in locations where the vessel has not previously visited. During these port calls, there is often a lot of crew movement and visitors, so it is important that GAC are providing accurate information in terms of visitor information and any immigration/visa requirements too.”
Reinoud van der Heijden, Operations Manager at Rederij Clipper Stad Amsterdam, adds: “GAC-GOAS has proven to be a valuable partner for the Clipper Stad Amsterdam during her world tour. Preparing and planning our vessel's port calls takes considerable time and coordination by GAC-GOAS improves the outcome.”
For more about the Stad Amsterdam go to https://www.stadamsterdam.com/en/
