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ICL: SAIL Amsterdam 2015

On Wednesday 19th August 2015, the largest public event in the world, Parade of Sail, took place in Amsterdam, with ICL arranging for a large vessel named Ocean Diva to carry 750 employees, guests and VIPs from across Europe.

The vessel, Ocean Diva, was stationed at Amfert’s North Quay for ICL employees’ exclusive use and was in a unique location, providing a fantastic view of the event.

The large vessel gave ICL employees an opportunity to participate in the event, also known as SAIL Amsterdam 2015. It was a part of a Europe-wide effort to involve employees with the internal ICL Sail programme.

A fleet of tall sailing ships from many countries passed the ICL Amfert factory on the North Sea Canal, together with replicas of old Dutch sailing ships from the Golden Age and furthermore accompanied by “everything that can float”. This made for a beautiful scene as the ships sailed with the Dutch city of Amsterdam providing a perfect, picturesque backdrop.

Traditionally, the event attracts over a million spectators who gather on the banks alongside the canal and it is the largest free nautical event in the world, which only serves to increase its popularity.

The celebration has been held every five years since 1975 and its aims are to highlight maritime heritage by inviting ships from across the world to moor in Amsterdam.

Although SAIL Amsterdam has now become the largest public celebration in the world, the Tall Sailing ships are still at the heart of the event, with many arriving from all over the globe, in addition to older ships from the Middle Ages and beautiful replicas.