Van der Schuyt, Van den Boom en Stanfries NV

It was a merger of three of the biggest inland shipping companies, originally offering scheduled and combined services for passengers, livestock and freight: The Netherlands are a country particularly rich in waterways.

Also, the Zuiderzee, a large body of water in the middle of the northern part of the country, was a major interchange for shipping.

The scheduled services of the beurtvaart arose in the late 15th century and became both regulated and protected by local authorities in the 16th.

Companies like Van der Schuyt lost ships, the yard and offices in the Rotterdam Blitz.

In 1885 the sons of the founders joined the company and ten years later Van der Schuyt owned 9 steamers and 4 lighters.

[3] Van der Schuyt was changed into a joint-stock company in 1903 and continued to expand in the years after, especially by take-overs of competitors.

Over the next years the company changed its name a couple times an saw the founding family withdraw from management.

Van der Schuyt participated financially in competitor Verschure & Co. and started to operate ferries and tourist services in the 1930s.

Next to the traditional break bulk cargo of the beurtvaart, the brothers were able to attract larger customers and they became active as shipbrokers.

In 1860 the steamers started to accept freight from others, effectively becoming a 'beurtvaart' service between the northern provinces of the Netherlands and Rotterdam, via the transportation hub of Amsterdam.

However, in 1898 eight 'beurtvaart' skippers founded the Leeuwarder Stoomboot Maatschappij in order to buy and operate steamers of their own.

[1] After 13 years of fierce competition the two companies merged in 1911 into the Nieuwe Leeuwarder Stoomboot Maatschappij, owning some nine ships.

Van der Schuyt had built up large participations in Verschure's companies, especially Stanfries, effectively becoming its owner in 1937.

Verschure left the management of Stanfries and E. Saint-Martin took over the position, on behalf of Van der Schuyt.

That year the company owned 44 motor ships, next to 5 steamers scheduled for a refit and 19 smaller vessels.

In the 1960s the company switched to road transport entirely, ending its scheduled services by boat in 1963, with the exception of a few ferries.