The latest newsletter of the National Towage Museum dated September 2014 is published!

This bulletin contains:

- the resign of our expert Nico Ouwehand
- the status of the movement of the old archives of the museum
- the acquisition of the model of the tug ZEELAND
- digitizing the photo collection of the museum
- lighting of the the open-work model of the tug NOORDZEE
- the announcement of the so called Allemansend in december 2014

Please press the blue button to download the newsletter. Note: the newsletter is published in the Dutch language only.

The National Towage Museum owns a large library containing a unique collection of maritime books, especially about the towing service. Part of this are the shipping indexes over many years, for instance Lloyd's. Often the origin of our books are open-handedness and inheritance. Being a visitor of the museum you are allowed to consult these documents. If you are in the possession of maritime books or documents, and you are considering to dispose of these, we would appreciate it very much if you would decide to donate them to the museum.
A limited number of book titles are for sale. You can order these in the museum shop, on the book fair, via the website or by telephone.

In association with the National Towage Museum the following books have been published:

Nico J. Ouwehand - De Smit-Lloyd Story

Nico J. Ouwehand - Van Walegang en Berghout
Maarten Bezuyen - De Hudson / Driemaal Is Scheepsrecht
De zeesleper Thames in de Tweede Wereldoorlog

The Europort exhibition is being organized once per 2 years in the month November in the AHOY exhibition complex at Rotterdam, the next being in 2019. This show is one of the largest fairs of the maritime industry.

The Foundation Tug Harbour Maassluis, in which the National Towage Museum takes part, is one of the participants of the fair. Visitors we gladly welcome at our stand.

From 7 - 10 November 2017 Europort, organised in the world port city of Rotterdam, will be the international maritime meeting place for innovative technology and complex shipbuilding. Europort has a strong focus on special purpose ships including offshore vessels, dredging vessels, construction vessels, naval vessels, workboats, inland vessels, fishery vessels and super yachts. With almost 30,000 professional visitors and 1,100 exhibiting companies Europort belongs to the world’s leading maritime meeting places.

Tug operators push smart agenda at Europort

18 september 2019

If Boluda’s recent €300 million acquisition of Kotug Smit has topped the European tug news agenda, with the Spanish firm easing into the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK, few doubt that regulatory and technology issues offer the sector’s more lasting stories.  

Dutch towage company Multraship Towage & Salvage, for example recently took delivery of the Damen-built tugs Multratug 6 and Multratug 29, the former of which is notable as the first IMO III compliant tug in Europe. Leendert Muller, Multraship managing director, says the design is "in tune with the increasing demand from local port authorities for clean operations”.

Turkish shipyard Navtek, meanwhile, is building the first tug to be fully powered by batteries with Corvus Energy. ZeeTug, as the vessel is known, is expected to be ready for sea trials later this year.

The two developments offer evidence that, despite its supportive role, the tug and towage sector is at the heart of the maritime technology’. If hidden from wider view, this quality will be no secret for those attending this year’s Autumn conference of the European Tugowners Association (ETA) at Rotterdam Ahoy on November 7th, coinciding with Europort 2019. In fact, the ETA event will bring together some of the 'smart business’ movers driving the ideas behind the Europort 2019 programme. 

While Boluda’s presence as one of the shipowner panellists joining the official opening ceremony of Europort 2019 may turn heads, therefore, the digitalisation and AI that can make tugs safer and more efficient are likely to prove the lasting talking points emerging from Rotterdam.

Technology is helping to boost safety, with market-leading tug operator Svitzer initiating sea trials of an industry-first remotely operated line catching system, for example. The prototype, under test on the tug Svitzer Trym, is designed to reduce the risk of harm to crew when connecting with other vessels. Technology is also enhancing efficiency: Rotterdam-based PortX and Helm Operations recently signed a strategic agreement to combine PortX’s AI-based dispatching system, OptiPort, with Helm Connect software for operations and maintenance. OptiPort uses AI to enhance the analytics driving scheduling decisions to include crew working hours, currents, tides, vessel characteristics and fuel consumption. Significant savings in fuel consumption and crew overtime are claimed.  

Looking further ahead is the Kotug project exploiting autonomous ship technologies as part of tug operations using the training Rotortug RT Borkum. Kotug has conducted trials using real-time sensor technology to monitor the position and surroundings of this training tug, whose systems include high spec technology from Europort exhibitors onboard, such as the Alphatron camera visualization and systems integration in the consoles, and the Veth steering and engine control system that can switch between remote and local control. 

"The purpose of this project is to gain knowledge in creating situational awareness on a remote bridge,” says Kotug manager for fleet performance and innovation Koos Smoor. "Development and testing are ongoing with our focus on being able to remotely control a fire-fighting tug.”

Last year, with the training unit located in Rotterdam, control was handed over to an Alphatron 360˚ bridge simulator in Marseille, France. In later trials, this tug was controlled from a simulator at Kotug’s Tug Training & Consultancy’s centre in the Netherlands.

Confirmed speakers at ETA 2nd Autumn Conference "Business models for the future” include Professor Hercules Haralambides, Professor of Maritime Economics and Logistics at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, and Ewout Mante, a leading digital transportation consultant, whose specialism is digitalisation and AI.

Apart from the Foundation Stichting Sleepboothaven Maassluis the following organizations, that are active in rhe towage business, will participate (not excluding others): Yanmar, Wärtsilä, Kooiman Group, Veth Propulsion, Volvo Penta, Voith Group, Vereniging De Binnenvaart, Hybrid Ship Propulsion, Thecla Bodewes Shipyards, Holland Shipyards Group, Stork, Hebo, Schottel GmbH, Scheepvaartkrant, Santierul Naval Constanta SA (Constanta Shipyard), Royal Bodewes, Reintjes Benelux, Rotterdam Shiprepair, Den Norske Veritas, Radio Holland Group, Padmos Stellendam, Damen Shipyards, Cummins, Novatug, Neptune Shipyards, Koninklijke Niestern Sander, Bureau Veritas, Binnenvaartkrant, Astilleros Armon SA, Alphatron, MAN Energy Solutions.

More information you find on the website www.europort.nl.

Photo: The stand of the Foundation Tug Harbour Maassluis on the Europort fair 2013 in Ahoy.

The National Towage Museum possesses hundreds of films on the towage subject and other connected subjects, like the history of Maassluis. The videos can be started by the visitor himself using the Film System (FS). In this system you find a description of the videos, that helps you to make a choice which film you want to see. The command structure works via a touchscreen.

If you take an interest in the National Towage Museum, we would like to welcome you as a financial donor of the museum. Our foundation is always in need of means to keep the assets up-to-date. The museum is not subsidized by the government and all of the staff are volunteers. Therefore you may understand that donations from persons and organisations are crucial for our continuity. Notwithstanding this status, we have been able to maintain a unique and high qualified institution. So, if you intend to support us, please submit your donation to our bank account NL22INGB0004161700. In Holland the museum has an official so called ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status, meaning that  the beneficiair can apply for a fiscal allowance. Please consult our AMBI file on http://anbi.federatiecultuur.nl.
Another way to effect your donation, is to fill in the form in the last section of our website, "common information", please look in the menu for item "contact".

Getting married on the oldest wedding location in Maassluis? Yes, you can. In the former town hall of the town of Maassluis, where the National Towage Museum is situated nowadays!

Since May 2007 The National Towage Museum is used as one of the by the Council permitted wedding locations in Maassluis. Thus, the former wedding hall of the old town hall of Maassluis is reestablished in its original function! The former town hall is a beautiful historic building full of nostalgic atmosphere where the Council used to assemble and the burgomaster had his office till 1966.

Since 1979 the National Towage Museum Sleepvaart Museum is established in the late town hall of Maassluis (built during the period 1675-1676). We gladly offer future married couples the opportunity to have their marriage contracted on this beautiful location. Included is the tolling of the original town bell in the turret on the roof! At request it is possible to broadcast the wedding ceremony live on internet using a CCTV HD camera (720p, audio included) from a fixed position.

So, have a taste of your wedding day of the historic atmosphere of Maassluis.

Photogenic entrance: A photograph of the arrival with your family is a musthave in your photo album. In de close historic vicinity of the towage museum you can find many ideal spots to take pictures of your marriage tour.

This unique wedding hall has a capacity of 30 seats and gives room to a maximum of 45 visitors in total.

However, you should bear in mind that - although very beautiful and pittoresque - the historic staircase makes the building difficult accessible for persons with handicapped legs. In the interior of the museum there are also a number of staircased levels.

We can imagine that you are interested. In that case, please contact the DMV of Maassluis.

What is to be seen in Maassluis and what are the sight-seeings in the close vicinity of the National Towage Museum?

The Museum of the Town of Maassluis: it is only a mere 100 yards walk from the National Towage Museum to the so called Museum Maassluis. This institute not only possesses a cultural and historic collection of things and pictures from Maassluis, but there is also a permanent fine exibition of figurative art. When you are interested, please search on ther internet for: www.Museummaassluis.nl.

The Museum Vlaardingen presents the history of the North Sea fisheries and the community of the town of Vlaardingen, 4 miles from Maassluis. Please contact: www.museumvlaardingen.nl.

When you pay a visit to the Great Church of Maassluis you will be under the impression of the atmosphere of the past 4 centuries and admire the famous and beautiful (in sight and sound) Garrels orgel dated from 1730. More information: http://home.wxs.nl/~vdkolkm/orgel.html.

Also very near the towage museum you find the old harbour. In the inner and outer harbour you can visit historic tugs and a salvage vessel, such as the Bruinvisch, Elbe, Furie and Hudson.
Please contact: www.stichtingsleepboothavenmaassluis.nl.

When you take a walk through the old town centre of Maassluis, you will be surprised to experience so many interesting historical objects and beautiful perspectives.

If you like nature very much, you can also chose to take a (firm) tour by foot or bycicle through the "Vlietlanden". These are the marshes and canals between Maassluis and Delft, full of wildlife. Have a delightful crossing with the small ferryboat "de Kwakel" (only in the summer) to the Foppen Pool and the Bom Lake, where you can enjoy a cool drink or a tasteful meal on the sunny terrace of the old ferryman's house on the lake side.
Information: http://recreatie.middendelfland.net/gebieden/foppenplas.htm.

For information about these and other sights, please contact or visit the tourist office (VVV) in the bycicle shop of Kortenhof Maassluis:
http://www.vvvmaassluis.nl.

The museum has an ample library at its deposal. In consultation with the management of the museum you may be permitted to use the library for study and research purposes. The newly furbished "sea hall" (zeezaal) is perfectly suited for these activities. You will also find there the Visitors Information System (BIS), a digital system that provides for all basic information and determination pictures regarding the tug models in the museum and many more Dutch tug boats.