RensenDriessen Book 2019

It is also the place where we waited for our interview at the office of Jeroen Vermeij (33). He lives in Wemeldinge and has been hopping on board his grandfather’s and father’s dry cargo and tanker ships since childhood. His father now has five ships in operation which have been handling the collection for MTD Maritime Services since 2010. During our conversation it became apparent that Vermeij had a broad, deeply-rooted technical background and that his hunger for new technology is never satisfied. As operations manager, Jeroen Vermeij has many tasks in the various disciplines at MTD in which mastery of technology in addition to coping with stress is an absolute necessity. Safety is his highest concern and there is no room for anyone to question that. From Wemeldinge Vermeij also manages vessels deployed for the collection for MTD B.V. The beginning of last year was an opportune time to begin working on the warehoused plans to replace single-hulled ships with new constructions. Vermeij knew exactly how the first newly built ship should look and what it needed to be equipped with. Having these concrete plans in mind, he did a preliminary investigation in country to see what kind of thing was available. “Nothing matched my requirements, but then I quickly came round to Wim Driessen at Rensen- Driessen Shipbuilding B.V.,” Jeroen relates. They had initially met each other seven years earlier and since then the contact continued to develop in a friendly way. The topic of new construction also came up more than once in the last years, but Vermeij was not yet ready then. “I did tell Driessen at that time that when my plans for new construction took solid shape I would be at his door.” “I have completely fulfilled that promise,” Vermeij continues. A number of discussions followed. Vermeij’s wish was to get a fully duplicate pipe system. “Considering the specific work that the

ship would have to do within a small range of action, we knew that it never be under full sail in doing so. We therefore decided to maximise stability by having a centre bulkhead placed between tank one and tank five. Thus on balance, with those 2ps+2ss+3 centre we have seven tanks,” says Vermeij. He also had a specific requirement for the placement of extremely large filter tanks on deck, which would be equipped with unusually heavy covers so they could bear a great amount of pressure. “Is that really necessary?” “If you saw what we take out of there, you would know that it certainly is necessary. We recently found a complete boiler suit,” we hear. Furthermore, the installation of a 2.5 tonne heavy-duty Van Wijk self-propelled crane with a maximum swing of 12 to 18 metres was stipulated. Later, all items were neatly specified in the contract for the complete turnkey delivery of a newly constructed 84,70 x 9,50 x 4,68 metre slops tanker and approved by the signatures of MTD B.V. and Wim Driessen. With that, the first step towards the fleet renewal for the MTD B.V. in Wemeldinge was complete. Furthermore, with a few minor adjustments the ship can be deployed as a bunkering vessel. In that case, the self- propelled crane on deck has to be replaced with a boom crutch, the foundation for which is already included in the construction. Vermeij visited the shipyard in Orsova several times during construction. “It’s going great in Romania,” he reports. And since Jeroen is a dedicated follower of the precept ‘just act normal’, he got along fine with the people at the shipyard. He was impressed with the quality they provided. “Really very well built and really beautifully finished.” Nice compliments from someone who knows everything about technology and can never omit anything or overlook something. Together with MTD founder Roger van Triest and Wim Driessen, he experienced the unforgettable moment at the shipyard in Orsova

when the MTS Florian had water under the keel for the first time. Florian is also his son’s name and that of Roger van Triest’s grandson. It was a complete surprise that, while having a chat with Wim Driessen, MTD B.V. then mentioned that it was their wish to immediately order a sister ship. What better way could there be to cinch the basis of trust at that moment? What we heard during the finishing stage at Dolderman was also good. Vermeij was there regularly, at work with his sleeves rolled up and with all input there in proper consultation. And yes, naturally, occasional problems came up. Discussions with Wim Driessen on obstacles like that never last long, and that applies to finding the solutions as well. Everything always in mutual consultation and sometimes pouring a little oil on the water and without getting into great detail. The sea trials were fantastic: we sailed 21 km/hour with 1100 tonnes. At the time of our interview the ship had been sailing entirely satisfactorily for more than half a year. “I don’t know what else we could have added, there is nothing more to improve,” we hear. And with that qualification, the sister ship MTS Elliot is expected shortly. Even the naming was once again derived from the name of one of Roger van Triest’s grandsons and that of an MTD colleague in Antwerp. There is just one change: the second new ship has a single pipe system.

text: Hans Heiligers

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