QR code system Of all ship models in the museum a QR code card has been made, that is attached to the showcase in which the model is housed. Using a tablet mounted in a steering wheel, on demand provided by the museum's attendant, by focusing the tablet on the small QR card, the data, photographs, schemes and videos of the chosen ship will be read from the Visitor's Information System and made visible on the tablet.

In the National Dutch Towage Museum a respectable quantity of knowledge about the Dutch towage industry has been assembled and recorded, now and in the past. This knowledge is disclosed in a number of collections and applications, that are available for the visitors and the volunteers of the museum. The most important you will find in this menu. Apart from the digital information systems the National Dutch Towage Museum is in the possession of a big number of ship models, objects, books, magazines, paper clippings, photographs, technical schemes, and so on. In the museum, by telephone or by mail from…

In 2013 the Dutch National Towage Museum put up a Visitor's Information System (BIS). This program allows the visitor to have a quick and yet complete electronic access to tugboat data. One can enter any ship to be informed about all her characteristics and it's course of life. In the so called Sea Hall the monitor is installed, on which one can easily consult the BIS database with data, photographs and videos of all ship models in the museum and more. In time the BIS system will contain the data of every tugboat that is or has been active in…

One of the latest acquisitions of the Dutch National Towage Museum is the film system. By entering this program on the touchscreen the visitor himself can choose a video from the menu, by name or category, and watch it. At the moment our volunteers are still busy adding more films to the collection.

An electronic knowledge quiz is being developed. Adults can test their familiarity with navigation and shipping terms and proverbs on a touchscreen. For example, do you know the meaning of the Dutch expression "A ship loaded with sour apples"? What is the origin of the popular term "OK" or "okay"? Or "sailing with the fenders overboard"? And so on.

In the Wedding Hall of the National Dutch Towage Museum the visitor will find a narrow casting system. We implemented this digital information system In cooperation with Royal Dirkzwager, a ship information supplier in Maassluis. On a special screen one can enjoy a continuous stream of actual news, messages and interesting short videos. It is a rather new phenomenon and very much a success. Narrow casting will soon be spread widely among businesses, governmental organizations, public transport, museums and so on. Narrowcasting has traditionally been understood as the dissemination of information (usually via Internet, radio, or television) to a narrow…

The National Dutch Towage Museum is in the possession of an AIS system. Using this device the visitor of the museum and the website is able to see the live positions of seagoing and smaller ships in the environment of Rotterdam on a certain moment. The information is being displayed real time on a chart. An example of this screen is shown further in this description. One can navigate on this screen (move positions, change scale). By clicking on a particular ship on the chart, a number of key data of the ship will be shown by the system. Zooming…

On three different locations in the National Dutch Towage Museum digitally mastered photo screens have been mounted. On these devices the visitor can watch a continuous changing flow of photo records of all sorts of tugs and work boats.

On the tablet on the wall of the Inland Towage Hall of the National Dutch Towage Museum the visitor will find a clear explanation about the various types of ship propellers. The author of this information is mr. H. Hensen. Another word for propeller is "screw". This is a perfect indication of a ship's screw, also for a tugboat's screw. Indeed, a ship's screw operates very much the same as a screw in a nut, be it that a ship's screw operates in water and not in a nut. Three characteristics are relevant for the function of a conventional ship's…

In the window of the National Dutch Towage Museum a marqee gives information about opening days and times. Additional messages can be projected when appropriate.

In the National Dutch Towage Museum a wheelhouse of a seagoing tug from the 1960s has been set up. It is fitted out with all original equipment. Also a genuine clear view window is installed, that rotates quickly during bad weather and as a result of the centrifugal force is always free of rain and spray and guarantees a clear view in all circumstances.

In the wedding hall of the National Dutch Towage Museum the complete original radio cabin of the Smit seagoing tug RODE ZEE from 1908 has been installed. The moment the visitor looks into the cabin, the wireless operator starts telling a story about the watch duty and interception of morse messages from ships in distress.

In the National Dutch Towage Museum the visitor can test his ability how to manoeuver on a ship simulator. Thanks to one of our sponsors, the firm Alphatron Marine BV at Rotterdam, we are able to offer this device to the public. The simulator consists of the professional version of Ship Simulator 2008 from VSTEP, three screens, a steering tiller and motor handle to operate the Furie and the Elbe, two well known tugs in the museum harbour of Maassluis. On the photo the simulator is to be seen. (click to enlarge). The museum also offers another computer with the…

The National Dutch Towage Museum has the disposal of an electronic newspaper. Thus we can draw the visitor's attention to inform him about useful actual information.

TIDE CLOCK - HORLOGE DES MARÉES - GEZEITEN UHR - GETIJDEN UURWERK\r\nTides and the tide clock of mr. Jacob Venker\r\nLow tide and high tide originate from the gravity pull of the moon and the sun, of which the effect of the moon is the strongest. Along our coasts tides occur twice a day. Every 24 hours the water rises and falls twice.The average period between a high tide and the next high tide is 12 hours and 25 minutes. However, one week the tidal waves come quicker than the other, and after that slower again. These accelerations and slackenings are…

On a special touchscreen children are challenged to test their knowledge of shipping by answering a number of sets of multiple choice questions. On the screen appear all sorts of questions about shipping and navigation terms. The player can make a choice and pick the right answer out of a series of given possibilities.

In the National Dutch Towage Museum the visitor will be able to watch the recordings of a fixed and a controllable webcam. To be seen are the ships and the surroundings of the tugboat harbour of Maassluis. The HUDSON, FURIE, KRIMPEN, BRUINVISCH, MAASSLUIS, ADRIAAN, and in the distance the ELBE appear in view.  You can see see the controllable webcam here.   This webcam has been facilitated by ALPHATRON Marine B.V. Another (fixed) webcam points in the direction of the Wip (street) of Maassluis. (temporarily out of order)  

 Deze webcam werd mogelijk gemaakt door ALPHATRON Marine B.V.