After days of freezing weather, icebreakers have been deployed on the IJsselmeer to keep the main route between Amsterdam and Lemmer open for commercial shipping.

Sailing ahead of the cargo ships, the icebreakers clear a pathway so they can proceed safely and swiftly. Pending the icy weather, ships under 20 metres have been temporarily banned from the country's main lakes, including the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer. To prevent them from breaking, light buoys on the IJsselmeer and other nearby lakes have been replaced by concrete buoys without lights.
 

The severe winter weather has brought construction to a standstill in many places across the country. The branch's collective labour agreement stipulates that construction workers cannot be forced to work when the wind chill factor pushes the temperature down to minus six degrees Celsius, which is currently the case in many parts of the country.

Last year's ice on the IJsselmeer (Photo: Flickr /Wouter Kiel)