New AYOP Board Member Roon van Maanen: “Together, we have a strong proposition”

AYOP has a new board member! With the departure of Allard Klinkers, Roon van Maanen is taking on the role of board member on behalf of Port of Amsterdam. Van Maanen will officially join the board during the General Members’ Meeting on June 18, 2026, but we are pleased to introduce him to you now.

From lawyer to commercial  director at Port of Amsterdam

Roon van Maanen has been working for Port of Amsterdam since 2008, where he started as a corporate lawyer. Before that, he worked at law firms in Amsterdam: “As a lawyer at a law firm, it often comes down to ‘professional arguing’: you are constantly dealing with conflict situations. As a corporate lawyer, your work is much more constructive and positive. That was the reason I decided to make the move to the port authority at the time,” Van Maanen explains. After several career steps, he eventually moved into the commercial side of the Port of Amsterdam, where he now holds the position of Director Energy, Cargo & Circular Industry. “In this role, I am responsible for three teams: Energy, Cargo & Offshore, and Circular Industry, Construction & Chemicals. There is a huge overlap between these teams. If you look at the wind industry, for example, it is about energy on the one hand, but also about logistics. And when wind farms reach the end of their lifespan, decommissioning becomes an issue, which brings circularity into the picture. That makes the work very diverse.”

Preparing for Decommissioning in the Port Area

At this moment, the decommissioning of wind farms is still in the preparation phase. Wind farms that were built 15 to 20 years ago will soon reach the end of their operational life.“As a region, you need to be ready to secure projects of that scale,” says Van Maanen. “There is a lot involved: the turbines have to be removed, transported, you need space for storage, facilities to dismantle them, and ways to reuse the materials as effectively as possible. All of these aspects require many different companies. I think we are making good progress in the port, and when such a project comes along, the supply chain will be ready to handle it.” The port has also been equipped for the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms: “These decommissioning projects have been on the horizon for quite some time. They are substantial and costly projects. This is also a market that we are actively responding to.”

The Importance of Sustainability

Van Maanen considers the circular aspect of his work particularly important: “Ultimately, we need to move towards a more sustainable society, and the energy transition and circularity are essential parts of that. I find it interesting when ‘tree huggers sustainability’ meets commercial business operations.” This is also reflected in Van Maanen’s role as chairman of the De Groene Leeuwen Foundation, where he focuses on making the Telstar stadium more sustainable. “Port of Amsterdam has been a sponsor of Telstar for years and has also supported the De Groene Leeuwen Foundation since 2019. I was involved in the funding from the port authority and therefore attended meetings annually. When the previous chairman stepped down, they asked me to take on the role. Since then, we have installed solar panels and a waste compactor, replaced all lighting with LED, and added charging stations at the stadium. Besides Telstar being a great club with a unique character, it also represents an important connection with IJmuiden for Port of Amsterdam, as many of our activities take place there. It is an interesting and valuable network for us, so we meet many familiar faces during matches.”

Collaboration Within the Region

The importance of the regional network becomes especially clear when discussing offshore energy ambitions: “The ambitions for offshore wind alone are enormous. There are major opportunities for virtually every region in the Netherlands. To some extent, you are competing with other areas such as Delfzijl, Rotterdam, and Zeeland, but at the same time the market is so large that there is room for every region.” For North Holland, the region in which we operate, it is crucial to prepare as effectively as possible and position ourselves for upcoming projects, says Van Maanen: “All three port locations in North Holland—IJmuiden, Den Helder, and Amsterdam—have business opportunities. And I think our cooperation is particularly strong in that respect. Each port has its own specialty, which allows us to complement one another very effectively. Together, we therefore have the right value proposition for major offshore energy projects.”

AYOP’s Role in the Region

There is no doubt that the ports and companies of North Holland need to work together. What role does Van Maanen see for AYOP and its network in this regard? “I think AYOP is particularly important in putting the spotlight on everything that is already happening and facilitating connections between companies that are already present in the region. That enables them to build partnerships and seize business opportunities together.” However, Van Maanen also sees a challenge here: “AYOP takes the lead in initiatives such as Decommission Blue and Bridge of Europe. But as the initiator, you cannot carry a project on your own: ultimately, it is up to the companies involved to take it further. Businesses are often busy enough with their day-to-day operations, and investing time and money in these kinds of projects is always a matter of assessing the opportunity. Especially when partnerships are involved, it is important to establish clear agreements between all parties.”

A Call to the Network, and to Himself

We conclude with a message to the AYOP network: “First of all, I would like to say to companies within the AYOP network: put yourselves in the spotlight and show what you have to offer. Together, we can demonstrate how rich the network already is and how much potential we have. Secondly, let’s continue looking beyond our own boundaries. We are already doing that, but there is always room to strengthen it further. With these three regions within North Holland, we can achieve much more through collaboration. There is more than enough opportunity at both the national and regional levels. If we can find and connect with one another effectively, it will only make the network and our offering stronger.” In that spirit, Van Maanen ends with a call-to-action of his own: “I intend to spend more time getting to know Den Helder in the coming period. I already know IJmuiden well, but there is still a lot for me to learn about Den Helder. So in that sense, I would also like to make an appeal to myself!”