The infrastructure ministry’s roads and waterways department Rijkswaterstaat spent €1m on two speedboats that were unfit for purpose, minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen told MPs on Monday.

The announcement came after newspaper the Volkskrant requested information about the purchase under the Dutch freedom of information act (Wob).

The boats, which are used to support inspections on the open sea by coastguard vessel Barend Biesheuvel, were bought in 2015 but were immediately found to be  dangerous for use under North Sea circumstances.

When commissioning the boats from Italian firm Arimar the agency specified the boats had to be fast and able to cope with high waves. However, it failed to mention the boats had to display the two requisites at the same time. That means Arimar cannot be held responsible for the debacle, the paper said.

Inspectors

Speedboats are used to ferry inspectors to vessels which may be involved in criminal activities such as drug smuggling or illegal fishing. Speed is of the essence as the occupants of the boats may be trying to get rid of the evidence. The boats can cope with an unruly sea at 11 kph but at their top speed of 60 kph they capsize.

Rijkswaterstaat tried to sell the boats for €75,000 a piece but failed to find a buyer.

It is not the first time Rijkswaterstaat has purchased the wrong boats. The previous speedboats also fell foul of a wrong set of specifications because they were too heavy and unstable. Two inspectors nearly drowned when one of the boats capsized on its way to a fishing vessel.

Rijkswaterstaat is now hiring speedboats to carry out inspections.