MAIN MAG ON BOARD SPRING 21

Keeping it in
the family
Daan Balk looks back over seven generations
of family ownership and discusses the
fundamentals that have helped Balk Shipyard
grow into one of the most trusted and
technically proficient shipyards in Europe
Approximately 220 years ago, the
Balk Shipyard was founded in the
small town of Elburg. Today, many
of the same values still hold true
and have been fundamental to the growth
and success of the business.
Today, Daan Balk, CEO and seventh generation
of the Balk family sits at the helm of the
Shipyard and is steering the business
forward supported by a team of over 50
experienced and highly skilled individuals.
Daan explains, “Through the years we
built, maintained and renovated ships for
the Dutch market. In 2002 we were even
granted an exclusive Royal Seal of Approval
which symbolises the confidence that the
Dutch Royal Family has in our company.”
“Due to the land reclaiming of the inland
sea in the 1950s, which caused Elburg to
become a small harbour on inland waters,
and the growing demand there was a need
to relocate and expand. In 2004 the decision
was made to relocate the company to the
town of Urk, which is located directly on
open waters. In Urk we bought a larger
existing shipyard and completely transformed
it into a modern state of the art facility
which answers to the new build and refit
needs on the domestic and international
markets.”
THE YARD AND FACILITIES
“Over the past 15 years,” Daan explains,
“our focus was mainly on our projects but
we have also been investing in our facilities
which consist of three large conditioned halls
and three outside parking tracks compliant
with the latest environmental requirements.
“One hall is fully dedicated to aluminum
construction and fabrication, mainly for
our own projects as well as for some well
respected Dutch shipyards such as the
Feadship organisation (Royal Van Lent and
Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw), Heesen
and many others, plus others across the
seas and outside of Europe.”
Daan continues, “Another hall is a refit
facility in which we can run two projects
at the same time, for example a 45m and a
50m yacht can fit alongside each other. Our
warehouse and dedicated workshops are
created directly on side in this refit facility.
Our third hall is the largest one; here we
run major projects which can vary from a
really large refit project to a new build.”
“Next to our facilities on the yard, we
also have some mooring spaces within the
protected boarders of our premises. These
mooring spaces are of course equipped with
proper shore power and running water.”
©GeBo Fotografie
“Last but definitely not least, we have a
unique lifting system which enables us to
haul out and launch yachts up to 1000
tons dead weight and a total length of
+65m. With this lift system we can easily
haul out and park the yacht in one of our
designated halls within a couple of hours
at a competitive rate.”
Separate from the yard facilities, Balk
have the availability of a crew house since
late 2020. It’s a beautiful house in one
of the best preserved old town centres
of The Netherlands, Urk’s neighbouring
town, Kampen, The house is located in
the city centre, right next to the river
IJssel, Kampen has everything you expect
of a middle sized town, such as two train
stations, one with a direct connection to
Amsterdam and Lelystad and a bus station
with a direct connection to Urk. In the
town centre you will find a large variety of
shops, including a cinema and many bars
and restaurants. Kampen is a 40 minute
26 | SPRING 2021 | ONBOARD