On November 4th 2015, the Dutch Shipyard Padmos Stellendam BV and Rotortug BV signed the newbuilding contract for the ART10-15 training Rotortug© at the Europort Exhibition. The 10 tons bollard pull tug, designed by Robert Allan Ltd from Vancouver, will be outfitted according to her "sister vessels" of the ART 80-32 Class (winner of the KVNR shipping award 2015) and will be used as a training vessel in addition to simulation training. She will be outfitted according to superior yacht quality and will at the same time serve as a representation – and display vessel to show the Rotortug principle to prospective Clients. History repeats, because Shipyard Padmos Stellendam BV, co-designed and outfitted the first Rotortug class for Ton Kooren and will now construct his ART10-15 Training Rotortug©. Particulars: LOA: 14.95 mtrs; LWL: 13.90 mtrs; Beam mld: 8.00 mtrs; Nav draft: 3.30 mtrs and a Bollard Pull: 10 tons.

source: Hans van der Ster / Towingline

The latest newsletter of the National Towage Museum dated October 2015 is published!

You will find the newsletter in the News category in this website, from where you can download this document, and on Facebook. If you would like to receive the news bulletins directly on your personal mail account, please let us know on the mail page in this website in the Contact chapter.
The newsletter is published once per quarter, in January, April, July and October.
Note: the newsletter is published in the Dutch language only. If you are really interested in a particular item, please contact us and we will inform you more thoroughly.

This bulletin contains:

- preface from the chairman
- the strip story KAPPIE (a tugboat captain) by the late Dutch strip and story writer Marten Toonder once a week on facebook
- tugboat parade during the farewell ceremony for the retiring burgomaster of Maassluis Mr. Koos Karssen
- the importance of morse communication and the radio officer on board seagoing tugs in the past for aid, assistance and salvage at sea
- a report about the opening ceremony of the new exhibition in the Dutch National Towage Museum "Van IJ tot IJmond" about the history and recent status of towage companies in the North Sea Canal area (from Amsterdam to IJmuiden)
- the yearly donor's day: 40 visitors
- experiences of a museum's doorman
- the electronic tug boat visitor's information system of the museum updated
- Piet van Roon made a start in building a 1:150 scale model of the Japan newbuilding long range Dutch seagoing tug ALP STRIKER (25.000 bhp)
- a new object in the museum: a morse decoder: on a screen it is made visible now in normal language for the visitor the morse code he is sending with the morse key
- PR-activities: the museum now has a task force to tackle the important PR field and measures
- the website of the museum has seen a constant rising level of visits during the last 2 years
- from time to time the museum announces vacancies for volunteers with certain skills: this time we need an extra handyman (or woman)

Please press the blue button to download the newsletter.

On the occasion of the opening of a new exhibition in the National Towage Museum at Maassluis a large number of guests had gathered last Saturday in one of the halls of Shipyard De Haas in this town.

The chairman of the museum, Mr. Karel Kaffa, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Govert de Haas for setting spontaneously one of the shipbuilding halls of his yard at the disposal of the museum for the opening ceremony. The title of the exhibition is "Towage from IJ to the IJ-mouth". Mr. Kaffa memorized that the subject once again was a serious challenge to the compilers of the exhibition and the volunteers of the museum. Throughout the years more than 45 towage companies have owned tugs that were active around the North Sea Canal from IJmuiden to Amsterdam. The exhibition shows the visitors to the museum that towage has been of great importance for the development of the Dutch industry in general and of course also for the Amsterdam region.

The next speaker was Mr. Govert de Haas, managing director of the shipyard. He told the audience that his yard not only built and repaired tugs, but also patrol vessels for Rijkswaterstaat, pilot- and customsships as well as police patrolvessels. For him it was an honour to receive the guests of the museum being the first visitors to the new exhibition.

Mr. Cor Oudendijk, former harbourmaster of the port of Amsterdam and nowadays chairman of the Sea- and Harbourmuseum of IJmuiden, was invited to perform the actual openingceremony. First of all he went into the history of the North Sea Canal and its development. The various tugs that sailed on the canal illustrate perfectly the development of towage from the early paddle tugboats to the present compact and advanced bruisers operating in the canal and its locks. A few towage companies survived during the course of the years and new ones settled along the canal, illustrating the progress of the branch.

Mr. David van der Houwen, culture alderman of Maassluis and replacing at the same time the burgomaster of Maassluis (who was this morning very busy with preparations for the reception of some 300 Middle East refugees in the local sports hall) turned out to be very proud of the towage museum. It seemed to him that each exhibition was more impressive than its predecessor. He very properly observed that Maassluis is the towage town of the Netherlands.

The last speaker in the hall was Mr. Hans de Klerk. He agreed that indeed compiling this exhibition was quite a challenge. Everybody knows that there were, and still are, some towage companies along the North Sea Canal, however he was surprised by the large number. ( 47!) Not all companies could be remembered in this exhibition. That's why a choice was made to show the history of quite a number of contributing companies. An accompanying illustrated booklet of no less than 36 pages, written by Mr. J. van Haarlem, tells lots of particulars of a great number of towage companies in the Amsterdan and IJmuiden region. Mr. De Klerk also expressed his gratitude not only for the cooperation of the companies involved, but also for the important support of the Baggermuseum (Dredging Museum). The material that was used for dredging the canal in the early days is showed in pictures and shipmodels, placed at the disposal of the Maassluis museum by the Baggermuseum at Sliedrecht.

Of course Mr. Karel Kaffa handed over flowers to some of the ladies in the audience after which the guests took a five minutes' walk to the museum. In the entrance of the museum Mr. Cor Oudendijk was invited to ring the bell, after which the exhibition "From IJ to IJmond" officially was declared open. While having a festive drink quite a crowd took the time to watch the photos, curiosities and shipmodels. Some of the visitors congratulated the volunteers of the museum with their fine work to keep up the excellent reputation of the museum. Until 8th May next year visitors interested in the special subject of the North Sea Canal are more than welcome in Maassluis. No doubt they will also enjoy the towage atmosphere and the explanation of the history of Dutch towage in general in the other rooms of the museum.

(Translated by Nico Ouwehand; Photo's: National Dutch Towage Museum NSM)

On the occasion of the opening of a new exhibition in the National Towage Museum at Maassluis a large number of guests had gathered last Saturday in one of the halls of Shipyard De Haas in this town.

The chairman of the museum, Mr. Karel Kaffa, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Govert de Haas for setting spontaneously one of the shipbuilding halls of his yard at the disposal of the museum for the opening ceremony. The title of the exhibition is "Towage from IJ to the IJ-mouth". Mr. Kaffa memorized that the subject once again was a serious challenge to the compilers of the exhibition and the volunteers of the museum. Throughout the years more than 45 towage companies have owned tugs that were active around the North Sea Canal from IJmuiden to Amsterdam. The exhibition shows the visitors to the museum that towage has been of great importance for the development of the Dutch industry in general and of course also for the Amsterdam region.

The next speaker was Mr. Govert de Haas, managing director of the shipyard. He told the audience that his yard not only built and repaired tugs, but also patrol vessels for Rijkswaterstaat, pilot- and customsships as well as police patrolvessels. For him it was an honour to receive the guests of the museum being the first visitors to the new exhibition.

Mr. Cor Oudendijk, former harbourmaster of the port of Amsterdam and nowadays chairman of the Sea- and Harbourmuseum of IJmuiden, was invited to perform the actual openingceremony. First of all he went into the history of the North Sea Canal and its development. The various tugs that sailed on the canal illustrate perfectly the development of towage from the early paddle tugboats to the present compact and advanced bruisers operating in the canal and its locks. A few towage companies survived during the course of the years and new ones settled along the canal, illustrating the progress of the branch.

Mr. David van der Houwen, culture alderman of Maassluis and replacing at the same time the burgomaster of Maassluis (who was this morning very busy with preparations for the reception of some 300 Middle East refugees in the local sports hall) turned out to be very proud of the towage museum. It seemed to him that each exhibition was more impressive than its predecessor. He very properly observed that Maassluis is the towage town of the Netherlands.

The last speaker in the hall was Mr. Hans de Klerk. He agreed that indeed compiling this exhibition was quite a challenge. Everybody knows that there were, and still are, some towage companies along the North Sea Canal, however he was surprised by the large number. ( 47!) Not all companies could be remembered in this exhibition. That's why a choice was made to show the history of quite a number of contributing companies. An accompanying illustrated booklet of no less than 36 pages, written by Mr. J. van Haarlem, tells lots of particulars of a great number of towage companies in the Amsterdan and IJmuiden region. Mr. De Klerk also expressed his gratitude not only for the cooperation of the companies involved, but also for the important support of the Baggermuseum (Dredging Museum). The material that was used for dredging the canal in the early days is showed in pictures and shipmodels, placed at the disposal of the Maassluis museum by the Baggermuseum at Sliedrecht.

Of course Mr. Karel Kaffa handed over flowers to some of the ladies in the audience after which the guests took a five minutes' walk to the museum. In the entrance of the museum Mr. Cor Oudendijk was invited to ring the bell, after which the exhibition "From IJ to IJmond" officially was declared open. While having a festive drink quite a crowd took the time to watch the photos, curiosities and shipmodels. Some of the visitors congratulated the volunteers of the museum with their fine work to keep up the excellent reputation of the museum. Until 8th May next year visitors interested in the special subject of the North Sea Canal are more than welcome in Maassluis. No doubt they will also enjoy the towage atmosphere and the explanation of the history of Dutch towage in general in the other rooms of the museum.

The address is: Hoogstraat 1-3, 3142 EA Maassluis. Don't forget to visit also the website: www.nationaalsleepvaartmuseum.nl

(Translated by Nico Ouwehand; Photo's: National Dutch Towage Museum NSM)