Jewish groups condemn Nazi-linked name of giant ship

A Dutch-Swiss maritime engineering company is refusing to change the name of a giant ship being fitted out in Rotterdam that is named for a convicted Dutch Nazi. The Pieter Schelte's name honors the father of Edward Heerema, founder and president of the ship's operator Allseas Group SA.

Pieter Schelte Herrema is considered a pioneer in maritime engineering who helped open oil exploration in the North Sea. But for Jewish groups in the Netherlands and Britain the name is a grim reminder of Pieter Schelte Heerema's World War II role as an officer in the Nazi's Waffen SS and his subsequent war crimes conviction.