The brown fleet makes an important contribution to keeping Dutch history as a seafaring nation alive and accessible. Offering sailing trips on these historical sailing ships is an indispensable part of this. However, the ships must be well maintained, which is very costly for entrepreneurs. To prevent historical sailing ships from being lost due to the coronavirus crisis, the government supports skippers with this additional scheme, on top of the generic support and recovery package.

The temporary subsidy scheme for the continuity of the brown fleet is aimed at SMEs organizing sailing trips with their own sailing ships that have a laid keel from 1971 or earlier. To qualify, entrepreneurs must have made at least 30% less turnover between April 1 and December 31, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, and have at least €1000 in fixed costs. The subsidy is calculated based on the turnover loss, a percentage of the fixed and variable costs, and a subsidy percentage of 50%. The maximum subsidy amount is € 124,999. Check all conditions of the Temporary subsidy scheme for the continuity of the brown fleet on this website.

Entrepreneurs who meet the conditions can apply starting June 29 at 12:00 PM at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO). The subsidy will be determined directly, without interim advance. The scheme is open until August 24, 2021, at 5:00 PM.

For entrepreneurs who registered in the Trade Register between May 31, 2019, and January 31, 2020, the turnover loss is determined based on the turnover data in the first month(s) after registration until March 1, 2020. Entrepreneurs who registered after January 31, 2020, and therefore cannot demonstrate turnover data in 2019, will receive the minimum subsidy amount of € 1,000 if they meet the other conditions.

You can apply for subsidy from the Temporary scheme for continuity of the brown fleet on the website of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).