At the end of the Java Island, this sailor stands keeping a lookout over the river Ij, a monument to sailors that lost their lives in the Second World War.

He was moved back to this spot a couple of years ago, after keeping watch for a while on the quay beside the Central Railway Station.

From this vantage point he has a clear view over the wide expanse of the river Ij.

It’s a busy stretch of the river here. Barges laden with shipping containers, coal, sand and all manner of goods and equipment, power by day and night, making their way to and from the Amsterdam-Rhine canal, one of the major inland shipping routes of Europe.

At night you can hear the low thump of the barge engines as they head down river into the darkness, protected by their ever vigilant watchman.