During the nineteenth century Singapore and its excellent harbor and facilities succeeded in attracting much of the trade in and with the Dutch East Indies.

In June 1890 the Dutch government made a contract with David Croll to create a repair shipyard and docking facility at Tanjung Priok.

Part of the deal was that Croll would lease Onrust Dock of 3,000 tons for 6% of its book value.

The Droogdok Maatschappij Tandjong Priok did not want to buy its own dry dock.

The Dutch government found an expedient by leasing Onrust Dock of 3,000 tons to the company.

This was a small dock that could lift about 600 tons, which would have had to be held available for government ships for a number of days each year.

The net effect of this contract would be that a third iron dry dock would appear in the Dutch East Indies.

To make this possible, the Dutch government would effectively shield investors from the risk of construction and assembly.

Even if private enterprise would build and assemble the dock, the government could ensure that this was done properly.

The contract would result in docking facilities for most of the heavy units (Evertsen-class coastal defence ships, Atjeh-class cruisers) of the Dutch Navy in both Batavia and Surabaya.

The contract between the state and David Croll specified that the dry dock would be constructed in the Netherlands, and assembled in the Dutch East Indies.

[6] On 29 March 1893 the queens Wilhelmina and Emma visited the Pletterij, where they were welcomed by CEO H. Enthoven.

The work was expected to be ready in a few weeks, even though the contract only demanded delivery in July 1894.

[1] The government then brought 200,000 guilders on the 1895 Dutch East Indies budget for the assembly.

[10] In late March 1895 the last parts of the dock were sent to Tanjung Priok, and by then assembly had started.

[2] On 2 December 1896 SS Prins Hendrik of the Stoomboot Maatchappij Nederland was one of the first ships that made regular usage of the dry dock.

[19] In 1903 the number of ships serviced by the dock rose further, which was made possible by not accepting big repairs.

Relatively lengthy repairs would be done on the patent slip, freeing up space on the dry dock.

[29] By law of 31 December 1908 the contract between Droogdok Maatschappij Tandjong Priok and the state was changed.

The terrain of the company was expanded, and new tariffs for government usage of the dock were determined.

[36] In 1911 the company also built a number of small vessels, and 15 buildings for turning Onrust Island into a quarantine station.

On 31 May 1915 the Minister for the Colonies made a new contract with Droogdok Maatschappij Tandjong Priok.

The moderate lease of about 3,000 guilders a year for the terrains at Tanjung Priok was in fact a subsidy, and ended.

[44] In the first year that the company owned the dry dock 107 ships were serviced for 323 days.

[39] In 1921 there was news that Droogdok Maatschappij Tandjong Priok had ordered a new 156 m long dry dock of 8,000 tons at Burgerhout in Rotterdam.

In February 1942 Tanjung Priok Dock of 4,000 tons was sunk on purpose in the harbor before the occupation.

The Dutch population was interned in camps, meaning that the company was severely hit.

After some years the Japanese finally succeeded in lifting Tanjung Priok Dock of 4,000 tons.

[55] After the end of the Japanese occupation, one of the two dry docks (that of 4,000 tons) in Tanjung Priok was indeed seen in a sunken condition.

On 5 September 1948 the tugboat Asta of the NISM and the Hector started to slowly move her out of the harbor.