REM Island was a marine platform originally located in international waters about six miles off the Dutch coast near Noordwijk and anchored to the sea-bed. The REM island‘s purpose was for offshore “pirate” radio and TV broadcasting by Radio & TV Noordzee which had been founded a year earler, in 1963.

REM is an acronym, standing for Reclame Exploitatie Maatschappij, which means advertising exploitation company. Commercial broadcasts aimed at the Dutch market commenced in mid August 1964 with a radio programme on 1400kHz and TV using Channel E11 (System B).

The Dutch authorities took action against the station by passing the REM Law on 12th December 1964, which designated the sea bed under the REM Island as Dutch territory. Five days later Dutch authorities boarded the platform and ended broadcasting. About one year later, Radio Noordzee resumed transmissions legally, on land, as the TROS.

Meantime the REM Island itself was abandoned and was for some time used by the Dutch government to measure sea temperature and salt concentrations. In 2004, after a failed attempt to sell the REM, it was eventually dismantled in 2006.

Since March 2011 the REM platform has been located in the harbour of Amsterdam and serves as a restaurant.

More information about the REM island is available here and here.

Pictures of the abandoned REM island shown below were taken by Fred Bunzl during a sight-seeing boat trip in August 1972.

All photos © Fred Bunzl