Meet our RBG crew

We’d like to introduce you to our small team of maritime professionals and give you a good idea who to message when you have a question. We work on site a lot to keep ourselves on top of all the rules and regulations and stay connected to the place where they are needed the most: the work floor. Our own experiences at sea motivate us to help other maritime professionals; we stand for quality and transparency in the market. Don’t hesitate to call us twice or send us an extra email when you can’t reach us. We might be at sea, but we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Stephan Kramer

Founder Rood Boven Groen, Compliance manager, Maritime trainer and interim QHSE consultant

Starting as skipper and owner at inland sailing companies I quickly moved on to captain in the international sailing and merchant industry. In the year 2000 I founded RBG to support seagoing sailing vessels and soon support for merchant vessels was added to our services, including maritime training and STCW courses. With Rood Boven Groen we offer compliance management (ISM, ISPS and MLC) and I work as interim QHSE consultant and trainer.

We translate legislation, guidelines and standards in the areas of safety, security, the environment and quality into maritime practices. On a almost daily basis we still find ourselves onboard to stay connected and up to date. To securely store all our experience and make sure crewmembers can profit from our knowledge, we offer a range of high quality (online) STCW courses. From seafarers for seafarers.

Please let us know if you have any questions or if you need our help.

Elske van der Knijff

Marketing and Consultant Crew Matters

Hi! My name is Elske van der Knijff. I literally grew up on the water, when I was 3 months old my parents took me sailing across the Baltic and Wadden Sea on sailing passenger ships. From the age of 20 I have been at the helm of Dutch traditional ships myself.

The arrival of two sons has made me alter my course to shore in terms of work. The passion I still feel for my childhood dream to become a Tall Ship captain sailing the seven seas, is what drives me to help our clients and customers with the best solution(s) possible.

At RBG I take care of crew matters and our marketing activities. Feel free to contact me when you have a question, for example about your Certificate of Competence. You can reach me at info@roodbovengroen.com.

Dominique Kooistra

STCW Training Coordinatior

My name is Dominique Kooistra, I work at Rood Boven Groen since 2015 and I coordinate every single thing that has to do with our STCW training courses. This means that I’m the project manager when it comes to develop new trainings and I advise our clients how to keep their crew trained according to the latest laws and regulations.

And when you completed your course I’m the one who send you the happy news and your certificate too! So feel free to contact me for all your questions concerning your (booked) STCW-training.

Egbert Zuilhof

QHSE Consultant and Compliance Manager

I’m Egbert and I am connected to RBG as interim QHSE consultant and consultant compliance management in the field of ISM, ISPS and MLC at Rood Boven Groen since May 2022.

I worked as a first mate on merchant vessels myself for almost 5 years and I know how important it is to get your administration round all rules and regulations right. I feel fortunate to support our clients with this and I love the places I get to go to work for Rood Boven Groen. In my free time I love to go sailing with my family.

For more information about what we can do for you as interim QHSE consultant and consultant compliance management you can reach us at info@roodbovengroen.com.

Ruth Giesen

Consultant Merchant Shipping/Crew Matters

My name is Ruth and I’m connected to Rood Boven Groen since 2020. I advise about certificates of competence, certification for merchant ships and I research complex rules and regulations.

I also sail as a skipper or captain on traditional sailing ships and I’m enjoying this a lot. There are so many different aspects in this job to dive into and so many dots you need to connect in a practical way once you are on board. Think about travel planning, navigation, ships management and maintenance.

Maritime legislation is one of the aspects I can really get my teeth into. I run into the same challenges other people face when on board. And I’m happy to help when I already have found the answers. Combining working on board and at the office is a perfect fit for me and gives me a lot of satisfaction.