AMSTERDAM

ANNIVERSARY
BOATMEN ASSOCIATION DE KOPEREN
PLOEG CELEBRATES 90 YEARS
MOORING
STILL MOST IMPORTANT TASK
De Koperen Ploeg, which celebrated
its 90th anniversary on 25 January,
has expanded its tasks over the
decades. The boatmen association
organises the transport of crews
and goods to seagoing vessels and
even provides customs facilities. “But
mooring and unmooring is still our
most important task.”
TEXT: BART STAM PHOTO: DE KOPEREN PLOEG
De Koperen Ploeg will take another mooring vessel into
use this spring – the KP 1 will replace its predecessor,
recently sold to a mooring company in Southampton.
“This brings our fleet back to 15 vessels,” says Mike Schotte,
chairman of the association for the past 12 years. De Koperen
Ploeg has 61 members in the Amsterdam port.
The new vessel meets the very latest quality, environmental
and safety standards, explains Schotte. “Merwelands
Jachtbouw has been building our vessels since 2008.
This type of mooring vessel offers intelligent design and
mechanics, user-friendliness and manoeuvrability, making
it unique in its type. In addition to being safe, stable and
flexible, the vessel is also fully ‘Koperen Ploeg-proof’. As links
in the nautical chain, we boatmen contribute to safe and
smooth shipping traffic. To realise this on a daily basis it’s
important that we can rely on our equipment 24/7. Thanks
to the advanced John Deere 118 KW diesel engine, the new
vessel is also efficient and clean.”
Expanding activities
“The specialism of mooring and unmooring seagoing vessels
is and will remain our main task,” Schotte continues. “We
put a lot of time and effort to ensure our 24/7 services are as
efficient and flexible as possible. Over the years we’ve seen our
activities expand. For example, we now regularly transport
crew members, staff and goods to and from seagoing vessels.
This may vary from a single box or envelope to 40 pallets or
more, which we transport with our cargo barges or pontoons.
These goods may involve machinery parts, anchors, shovels
or life rafts, as well as food or packaged ADN products such as
chemicals, paint or gas and oxygen tanks. In short, anything
people may need on board.”
28 AMSTERDAM SEAPORTS 2016