This year’s Ultimate Maritime Logistics Team Day brought colleagues from within and outside the Netherlands together at De Kooi in Bunschoten–Spakenburg. Having all of us in one place created the perfect environment to exchange perspectives, strengthen our collaboration and shape our direction for the coming years.
We started the day with a dynamic hands-on AI workshop led by Dennis Claassen. The session was not only practical, but also super inspiring and incredibly insightful. Dennis gave us a clear introduction to what AI is and how we can apply it in our daily work. We learned a tremendous amount in a very short time, and many of us left the workshop full of new ideas and possibilities to explore.
After a delicious lunch, we continued with an interactive strategy and culture workshop facilitated by Meike and Lotte from Sticky Marketing.
Sharpening our direction for 2026
The workshop was energetic, collaborative and designed to bring out the best ideas from everyone. In small, mixed groups (combining colleagues from various continents, teams and areas of expertise), we explored two key themes:
1. External positioning: how should we present Ultimate Maritime Logistics in 2026?
Together, we discussed where our focus should lie in the coming years, considering global customer expectations, industry developments and the strengths that make us unique. Our goal was to define how we want to show up as a brand in a fast-moving, international market.
2. Internal collaboration: how can we improve communication, teamwork and processes?
We also looked inward, at how we collaborate across borders and departments. We identified what already works well and what improvements would have the biggest impact on our daily workflows. Each group selected a top 3 ideas, ensuring our outcomes were concrete and actionable.
Once all ideas were shared, we took part in a dot-voting round to select the initiatives with the most impact. In total, 15 overarching priorities emerged. These were assigned to our five team captains, ensuring ownership and guaranteeing that these initiatives will be developed further in the coming year.
A key milestone in quality & certification
After the workshop, our colleague Josune Villate Martínez joined us from Spain to present an important update. She walked us through everything we have achieved in the field of quality and certifications. An essential milestone that strengthens our organisation and supports our long-term growth. Her presentation highlighted the hard work behind these achievements and the value they bring to both our team and our customers.
Looking back and moving forward
In the afternoon, Dirk Sijtsma guided us through a reflection on the past year and gave us an exciting preview of the projects ahead for 2026. He also took time to recognise several colleagues for their contributions, including the celebration of a 25-year anniversary, honoured with a warm and heartfelt speech.
We ended the day with a relaxed drink and a wonderful three-course dinner. A perfect moment to unwind together, enjoy good conversations and share plenty of laughter in a non-work setting.
The day made one thing very clear: the strength of Ultimate Maritime Logistics lies in all of us. No matter where in the world we are based.
By learning together, improving together and shaping our future together, we continue to build a stronger organisation for 2026 and beyond.
