R I L Post

Volume 22 Number 4 A monthly staff publication of Royal lnterocean Lines

NEW HOUSE JOURNAL- NSU Shipping News

Towards the end of April , the first issue of a new NSU-S house journal, the NSU Shipping News, w ill be published.

Th e publication, which wi ll be edited in Rotterdam, wi ll be printed both in English and in Dutch. It wi ll be distributed

to all NSU-S seago ing personnel and office staff. The NSU Sh ipping News should be seen as an addit ion to the Unieschakel, the latter being a magazine for all NS U personnel.

NSU Shipping News will carry news items on NSU-S shipping activities, as well as features currently appearing

in RIL Post and Unieschakel, such as postings on board and ashore, staff changes and serv ice anniversaries. In

addition it w ill report on events and experiences of general interest. Area Correspondents are kindly requested to

continue supplying material to the NSU Sh ipping News.

NSU Shipping News w ill be distributed to all personnel of NSU-S in active serv ice and to all NSU-S offices. It

wi ll not be directed to retired personnel. However, any ret ired staff member who wishes to do so, may rece ive

the Unieschakel by applying direct to Rijswijk .

This will therefore be the last regular issue of RIL Post. In May you wi ll be rece1vmg a final commemorative issue

which w ill review the history of RIL Post over the past 21 years. May we sincerely th ank you, correspondents,

contributors and readers for all the support and encouragement you have given us. We w ish the NSU Shipping

News every success.

TRANSDATA LTD. ·

Information is the basis for decision­making in all commercial enterprises. As it is the task of management to make decisions, the information presented to management for this purpose is called management in­formation . As the preparation and flow of this information must be methodical and organized, the pro­cedure for supplying the information is called a Management Information System, or MIS for short.

Since the beginning of organized activity in the commercial field, an information requirement has existed within compan ies. To meet this requirement. manual methods of reporting have been developed which are sti ll being used by the majority of companies.

The development of computers and their data processing function has enabled us to take a big step for­ward in MIS. Computers are fast in input. access, updating, calculating and output. Moreover they can store all the data required at one central location, using a physically sma ll space.

62

Management Information System Implementing the First Stage

Mr A.W. Wagenvoord of Transdata (left) who is responsible for the technical development of the project, talking with Mr R. Yeung ( HK GMO Projects) who is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the project and the activities of the project team.

In order to apply a computerised MIS successfu lly, one must first estab lish what information is required and when, to assist each level of management in decision making. This is a most important factor in deter­mining the usefulness of the MIS and the extent to w hich it w ill justify the cost and effort of developing and running the system.

Within RIL t he computer already performs an important administra­tive function in cargo and freight accounting and statistics, payroll, general administration, stores admin­istration etc.

The time has now come to extend this function, making use of the information resources already avail­able, to design a computerised MIS.

In order to investigate and determine t he exact requirements of manage­ment, a steering committee and a working committee have been formed w ith representatives from the depart­ments involved. Mr A.W. Wagen­voord is responsible for the technical development of the project w ithin Transdata. Mr R. Yeung of HK GMO Projects is responsible for co-or­dinating the implementation of the project and the activities of the project team.

It has been established that the primary requirement of management is early and reliable information concerning forecast and actual voy-

age -results and their breakdown. Information regarding voyage-results is vital for the evaluation of past performance and the anticipation of new developments which make an important contribution to the estab­lishment of the company's policy strategy; for example the deletion or expansion of ports, change in rotation etc. Simulation of voyages is also requ ired in order to study alternative scheduling of voyages/ services and to project information ahead over a specified period. Fur­thermore, by using add itional input­data, information regarding vessels book ing position and schedu ling can be made available.

In view of the size of the MIS scheme and its effect on present procedures, it has been decided to develop and implement the system in stages, yielding results as early as possible. The first stage, which wi ll be introduced in May / June 1975, comprises the computerisat ion of all voyage-results calcu lations and report ing from first prognosis until definite closing of a voyage.

At present a manual system of calculating voyage results is being used. Prognoses based on manual calculations are revised monthly up ti ll the termination of the voyage. Thereafter a so-called provisional voyage-account is drawn up. Three or four months later the voyage is finally closed and a final voyage account is drawn up.

The principle of the voyage results reporting system is shown as follows:

?ROGNCIS IS FIGUR!:S PER AREA

AGEN':S I

POaT LOGS

CALL DETAILS PER AREA

OTHER VOYAGE INfuRMATION/ ADJUSTMENTS

INPUT

FROM: HK GHO VZ

FROM: AGENTS

FROM: AREA OFFICES

FROM: HK GMO GAD

THANS}"ERS OF EXISTING MANIFESTED EARN INGS CLHPUTER FILE~ AND ACTUAL EXPENS~

ETC.

HEFERENCE FILEJ

PARTICULARS OF VESSELS , 5ERVICE3 , PORTS

Using the computerised M IS, data from various sources wi ll be fed in to the system as soon as it becomes ava ilable, and the computer w ill re­peat all calculations after each new data entry in order to determine the effect on voyage results. Except for some critical stages of a voyage where a latest report is essential , the system will print out voyage results only if the calculations in­dicate a specified deviation from the previous reported result. In t his way (reporting by exception) an exces­sive flow of information is avoided. The voyage reports w ill show a breakdown of earn ings and expenses "per area called" during a voyage in order to faci litate comparison of figures and locating deviations.

To Summarise: The first stage of the MIS w ill achieve a systematic collection and processing of the latest voyage deta ils resulting in quick. reliable and detailed voyage result reporting on an event-oriented basis.

This system can on ly operate smoothl y and effectively with the full cooperation of each of th e departments involved within our organ isation . During the early stages of the operation, personnel con­cerned in the implementation of the project will give their support to these departments. A detailed des­cription of the system, its inputs, outputs and coding instructions will also be drawn up and the relevant sections d istributed.

OUTPUT

VOYAGE TO: COMMERCIAL REPO~TS -- A~D ADMI NISTRATIVE ETC. DEPARTMrnTS

63

INTRODUCING TOP MANAGEMENT NSU-S

J. Groenendijk

Born at Sommelsd ijk in 1927, Mr Groenendijk finished his secondary education during the 2nd World War. Perhaps as a reaction to t he restric­tion on his f reedom of movement during the war, Mr Groenendijk opted for the w ide world-as so many were inclined to do in t hose days. He first attended t he Nautical College in Amsterdam and after passing his final examination, he joined V.N.S. as an Apprentice Of­ficer in 1946.

By 1956 he had become Chief Officer and it was in t his capac ity t hat he was seconded to the Managing Directo rs of VNS in an advisory staff function . During these years he spent much of his free t ime studying economics.

In 1967 he became General Super­intendent, and in 1969 he was appointed Onderdirecteur and later that same year Managing Director of VNS. In both function s he was responsible for "diensten" newbuild­ing and container-developments.

64

After t he V NS/SMN/KRL/ RIL mer­ger in 1970 and the formation of the Netherlands Shipping Union, Mr Groenendijk became M anaging Direc­tor of Nedlloyd, responsible initially for th e Superintendents Division and also, as from 1972, for the Opera­tions Divis ion.

In 1973 Mr Groenendijk became Group Director of t he newly formed Liner Group NSU in Rotterdam, to­gether w ith Mr F. Terw ogt (Mana­ging Director RIL). At t he same time he became Deputy M ember, and in M ay 1974 M ember of t he Board of Directors of NSU at Rij swijk.

On 1st January 1975 Mr Groenendijk was appointed Chairman ofthe Board of M anag ing Directors of NSU-S .

Mr Groenendijk's interests are w ide­spread and consequently much of his leizure time is occupied by reading . When in need of mental relaxation however, he very much enjoys gar­dening and "do-it-you rself" jobs.

Mr Groenendijk is married w ith four children, two of w hom are at Univer­sity .

E.A. Postuma

Soon after Mr Postuma was born in 1928 in one of Holland's co ldest winters, the Depression started wh ich , he assures us, was purely coincidental. After Air Force service and a brief study of law, wh ich left him w ith a taste for casu ist ry, in 1951 he joined I nternatio at Rotter­dam, soon switching over to the t hen JCPL and being sent out to Hong Kong in August 1952.

After spending five years in the Hong Kong office, Mr Postuma began an itinerant career typical of th e RIL organisation. Two years in Sydney, two in Well ington, then back to Hong Kong for a wh ile .

In 1963 we find Mr Postuma in South America, first in Buenos A ires, and later as R I L Representative in Brazi l where he and Mrs Postuma had their happiest t ime and devel­oped a taste for prim itive art and a lik ing for Brazilian music.

After a short spell back in Hong Kong as Manager of the Traffic Department, in 1970 Mr Postuma was appointed Genera l Manager for Singapore.

In March 1973, M r Postuma was appointed M anaging Director of RIL in Hong Kong, where he had hardly settled w hen he was appointed Managing Director of NSU-S.

As his job is a blend of reading and action, Mr Postuma sti ll has not lost his intere st in reading, mainly history and political science. He has an intense disli ke of " Do-it-yourself" jobs (says he went abroad to avoid them) and hopes this wi ll leave him time to take up again a serious interest in classical piano, w hich was neglected somewhat over t he years in favour of jazz sessions and other mundane pastimes.

The Postumas are now living in Rotterdam but wi ll be taking up residence in the Hague in June. Their daughter attends school in Singa­pore, but wi ll be joining them in July to finish her secondary education in the Netherlands.

K. Dirkzwager

Born at Semarang in 1922, Mr Dirkzwager joined RIL in 1947. Dur­ing his career he worked in many different parts of the RIL organiza­tion, gaining experience in the diverse aspects of the shipping business . His postings took him to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hong Kong again, Djakarta, Manila, Buenos Aires, Dur­ban, Kobe, Yokohama and finally to Amsterdam.

For Mrs Dirkzwager and thei r son and daughter, this meant a continual uprooting. Their son made a top score by attending seven different elementary schools; for Mrs Dirk­zwager, setti ng up a new household became a matter of routine.

In 1965 Mr Dirkzwager was ap­pointed secreta ry to the RIL Board of Directors in Amste rdam and in 1969 he became Onderdirecteur.

In 1973, he became "Stafdirecteur" of the NSU Liner Group. Th is was followed by his appointment to his present position as Managing Direc­tor of NSU Scheepvaart B.V.

While sti ll living at Baarn, Mr Dirkzwager was a keen yachtsman and as a sail ing instructor he con­veyed his enthusiasm for yachting to many a youngster.

When Rotterdam became his "head­quarters" the Dirkzwager family moved to Rhoon; no more sailing, but in order to keep fit rowing every Satu rday during the winter time .

R.J. Marsman Born in Amsterdam in 1921 , from the beginning Mr Marsman had a connection with t he NSU organiza­tion; his father was already working w ith Java China Japan Line at " Het Scheepvaarthuis" where he later be-

came Manager of the Purchasing Department.

Blood is thicker than water and in 1946 it was young Marsman 's turn to enter "Het Scheepvaarthuis" to begin his own career in the shipping business .

The early days of that career were spent overseas . Joining Holland Af­rica Line, he was soon on his way to South Africa where he was posted at Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Postings to Mombasa and Dar-es-Salaam followed and finally back to Mombasa as District Mana­ger for East Africa .

Meanwhile Mr Marsman had mar­ried and two children had been born, a son (at Capetown) and a daughter (at Mombasa) .

In 1962 Mr Marsman was appointed Managing Director of VNS. Return­ing to the Netherlands he took up his post at the hub of Holland Africa Line 's activities, "Afrikahuis" Spui in Amsterdam. His South African-born wife and the two children started to learn Dutch and soon became bi­lingual.

Following the merger in 1970 and the formation of the N.S.U ., Mr Marsman was appointed Managing Director of Nedlloyd at Rotterdam with special responsibility for the containerization of the South Africa/ Europe trade. In this connection Mr Marsman is Chairman of the Execu­tive Planning Board of the Europe/ South Africa conference . On 1st January 1975 he became Managing Director of NSU Scheepvaart B.V.

Mr Marsman is a keen sportsman and enjoys hockey, tennis and golf in particular. Nowadays however spare time is rather short and much of it is spent enjoying classical music and art particularly painting .

65

66

Tjitarum in Hong Kong.

The Great Royal Circus of India travelled to Singapore aboard Tjitarum in 1968.

Dar-es-Salaam Fire Brigade leave Tjitarum w ith an illegal immigrant in custody . a ten foot python.

On 7th March, Tjitarum, t he "dinky toy" of the fleet was delivered to new owners for further trading. This unque l ittle vessel with a mere 200,000 cu.ft . bales pace (c. f. Straat Fresco 740,000 cu .ft.) held a special place in the affections of many RIL personnel as the last of our vessels to bear the prefix "Tji". In bidding her farewell, it seems fitting to re­view some of the more amusing incidents of her career .. . and there is no shortage of them!

Right from her " newbu ilding" days, Tjitarum had a chequered history. Ordered together w ith two sister ships in 1957, she was designed for the short sea trade between China and Indonesia. The names originally designated for the three vessels were Palopo, Paleleh and Palima. During the newbuilding however, it was decided that the vessels should serve in a combination KPM / KJ CPL service . As a result the designs were changed several t imes; amongst other alterations, deep tanks and reefer rooms were added. In line w ith contemporary KJCPL practice, the names of the vessels were given a Tji prefix becoming Tjipalopo, Tjipaleleh and Tjipalima. Before t he launching the vessels were renamed again, this time after three former JCJ L vessels (also three Indonesian rivers) Tjitarum, Tjimanuk and Tji­liwong. Tjitarum was launched on 13th June 1959 at Dordrecht by Mrs H .L. Veltman (sister of former Managing Director A. H. Veltman) .

Tjitarum-in her final form- was a perfect replica of any other RIL ship in miniature; hence the popular nick­name, " t he dinky toy " . With the usua l RIL compliment of officers and crew on board, her superstructure was rather tall for the dimensions of her hul l and in high winds her normal chugging speed of " 12 knots " was known to decrease to " - 1 knot" ! Amongst her more flaunted assets was t he fact that at Brisbane one could easily step stra ight from

... . AND THEN THERE WERE NONE!

t he Bridge Wing onto the quay. Her engine too was practically a unique fea ture; only six of its kind were ever made . . . with a consequent slight shortage of spare parts.

During her varied career, Tjitarum sai led in almost every conceivable service ... and in at least one quite inconceivable service. In July 1969 RIL Post publi shed a photograph of Tjitarum inaugurating the North Pole South Pole Service (see photo top left) . The initiation of such a serv ice had been proposed in a sarcastic "classic" publi shed in the October 1961 issue (to be reprinted in our next RIL Post) . Undoubtedly Tjitarum would be the only RIL vessel suited to " break the ice" in such a new venture as she was the only vessel in the fleet w ith a reinforced stem!

On 15th April 1970, when Tjitarum was sailing in the China East Africa Service (CHEAS). the Dar-es-Salaam Fire Brigade turned out on one of their oddest jobs ever . . . to kill a ten foot python! It was not until the pilot had boarded Tjitarum and w as bringing her th rough the narrows at the harbour entrance, that the python was discovered curled up in the forecast le haw ser. How t he stow­away boarded the vessel and how long it had been there rema ins a mystery.

RIL Post July 1970 reports " As members of t he crew moved up to the forecastle to uncoil one of t he hawsers used to secure the ship alongside, Sailor Haren Bin Moh Nor leapt back w ith a cry of alarm ; there was a very big snake, at least 3 ins in diameter and apparently of con­siderable length. First attempts to dislodge and kill t he monster by 2nd Officer H. de Baat Doelman produced such a light ning reaction , as it shot underneath a grating, that caut ion was ca lled for. A respectful ship's company kept at a safe distance and t he vessel was secured with other ropes . Finall y the Fire Brigade

arri ved and killed the python w hich was t aken back to the st ation as an " illegal immigrant".

In September 1968 RIL Post reported on the embarkation of the " Great Royal Circus of India" aboard Tji­tarum. "A huge collection of vans, cages, and no less than 60 animals, ranging from small dogs to enormous elephants, are located all over the deck .... The star attractions are the ligers, a cross between a female lion and a male tiger, of w hich t here are only six in the whole world. Littl e Tjitarum also managed to squeeze in 16 attendants to care for th e animals on their voyage to Singapore. Captain van Dam reports how efficient ly t he attendants looked after the animals, w ho were never left on their own. Most of them were heavil y caged, but the three swaying elephants shackled to t he deck on the portside of No. 2 hatch, were a never-ending source of interest to everyone on board. They were fed wit h branches of sugar cane for most of the voyage, but when this fodder began to run out. one man spent his days rolling out and cook­ing chupattis; each time he had baked enough to fill an empty beer carton, he rushed up to an elephant and- swoosh !-the lot w as gone and it was back to the hot stove, for a continuing 24-hour stint. It was quite an experience also to see each elephant in turn grab the fresh water hose and gurgle down its enormous daily ration .

The " Great Royal" is a much­travelled circus, and well used to keeping to time-tables, so when Tjitarum made a dawn entry into Singapore, w here 200 performers already awaited them, the whole team got down to a smooth morn­ing 's disembarkation. The 'Big Top' was being put up in Kallang Park, and when the elephants stepped ashore they must have been look ing forward to a good rest after twelve days w ithout sleep.

Tjitarum inaugurating the North Pole South Pole Service (NPSPS) with Arctic Explorer W . Spiering (Engineer) in the foreground (1969) .

A circus aboard is nothing new, but it is unusual for officers to join in the perform­ance. Chief Officer F.G. van Amersfoorth (1968) .

67

AAE Seminar m

Hong Kong

Managers and Marketing Managers of AAE (Asia Austral ia Express) from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Manila, and Hong Kong, together w ith Trade Managers from AAE Syd­ney and AAE Management. met in Hong Kong for a week in February . On 5th/ 6th February, the group took part in a seminar. Here they are seen visiting the MTL (Modern Terminals Ltd.) term inal at Kwai Chung which is used by AAE vessels ca lling at Hong Kong .

68

Socials m Singapore

Above: In September 1974, the

INTEAC Sports and Recreation Club

was registered in Singapore and on 20th December it organised its first Annual Dinner and Dance. Three ex­

cellent bands contributed greatly to the success of the occasion and as

the Christmas spirit seemed to have

infected all those present there w as dancing and merry-making into the small hours of the morning .

Below: After the INTEAC Board of

Directors meeting on 29th November

1974, all staff members were invited to a dinner held at the Golden Phoenix Restaurant in the Equatorial Hotel. Messrs. C.L.C. van Kretsch­

mar, H. Spaarso and J. Balhuizen

led the rounds of " Yam Seng" which resounded heartily throughout the restaurant.

!FLEET FACTS

I

Straat Bali/52, upon return to th e Far East will leave HOSAS in Hong Kong, after w hich she w ill DMO and consequentl y enter CHIWAS in the end March sa iling from Shanghai. Giessenkerk will DMO at Hong Kong and enter HOSAS on 28/ 3/75 in voyage 59.

Straat Fiji/29 and Straat Hong Kong/23, w hich exchanged positions in SAFS, w ill be returning to their original serv ices at t he end of t hei r present voyages . To this end, the DMO of Straat Fiji has been post­poned for one voyage, w hilst Straat Hong Kong is now proceeding on an extended voyage of 105 days, including DMO afterwa rds.

Straat Fushimi/29 is being delayed in SAFS and wi ll postpone her scheduled DMO for one voyage, also in connection with "Golden Week" dry dock closures end April / early May in Japan. After the present voyage, Straat Fushimi will leave SAFS, her place in SAFS- E being taken by Straat Fremantle, which is now proceeding on an extra SAFS voyage. Employ for Straat Fushimi 1 after leaving SAFS is not yet known at this stage.

Due to bad port conditions at Lagos/ Apapa, affecting all FEWAS (and CH IWAS) vessels, Straat Franklin­originally scheduled for Apri l FEW AS sailing- cannot retu rn in time. There­fore ( Nedlloyd' s) Bengalen w ill per­form Japan FEWAS sa iling w hilst Straat Fushimi w ill also make a trip to West Africa covering Taiwan­Hong Kong-Singapore FEWAS berth .

As now also May Japan arrival unfeas ible for Straat Franklin Ned­lloyd Katwijk will proceed f rom South Africa for regular FEWAS May sailing, w hereas Straat Franklin w ill proceed to Europe for one t rip in the Europe-South Africa service.

Straat Torres/ 67 (CHEAS) called at Colombo mid March to load for Far Eastern destinations.

In order to carry overflow cargo

lnorthbound, NZEAS has chartered the British vessel Oakbank. The ves­sel will be delivered at Napier in early April , for a voyage to Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. _ _ j

R I L Flags Dot Singapore Four RIL vessels were simulta­neously in the port of Singapore Authority ( PSA) recently loading and discharging a wide variety of cargoes. The Straat Clarence and Straat Le Maire were berthed together alongside while the Straat Holland and Straat Torres anchored in the Eastern Roads.

During the four ships' visits, more than 7,000 tons of cargo were loaded and discharged. The export cargoes consisted mostly of rubber, spices, PVC resins, plywood and pineapples.

Amongst the shipment was a 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud which was crated and carefully winched on board the Australia-bound Straat Le Maire for a reunion with its owner in Sydney, a former Singapore resident.

While Straat Napier was anchored on the roads in Durban, awa1t1ng berthing, officers and crew on board took the opportunity to gather on deck for a photograph. Radio Officer F. Dekker sent us this copy.

69

The other day we came ac ross a note, written long ago, referring to a chapter in the " Tung Hsi Yang Kao" ($..® ~~)"A Survey of the Eastern and Western Oceans," pub­lished in 1618. The chapter is entitled " Hung Mao Fan" ( ~x...:t. {i} ) "Red­haired Foreigners." It proves to contain the very first description of Hollanders in any Chinese text we know of:-

" The red-haired foreigners ca ll them­selves Hollanders; theirs is a neigh­bouring region to Portugal. Since the beginning of time they have never come to China. Their men have deep-set eyes, long noses, and their hair is all reddish, which is the reason for calling them " red-haired foreigne rs."

70

WHEN DID WE FIRST MEET?

by Captain W .Z. Mulder ( retired)

This Dutch naval vessel of the early 17th century is very simi lar in sail plan and design to mer­chantmen of the same period.

(Drawing by Bjorn Landstrom) .

There is a note here, indicating that the author was perfectly aware that these people we re unlike t he equally light-haired foreigners such as Indo­Scythes and Huns, whom the Chinese had met on their northern frontiers: these were usually cal led Hu ( ~}1 ) , and were described by Yen Shih -ku (579-645) as fol lows: "All Western barbarians have strange figures; those Huns have blue eyes and fair hair. They are more like monkeys and come in various shapes and sizes."

The " Hung Mao Fan" then continues : "One of the Hol landers, named Mi Su Kuo (Jacob Van Neck) , observ­ing the Spanish occupation of Luzon and their trading w ith Macao, desired similar success . Hitherto t he Hoi-

landers had sailed large vessels between Java and Patani and mud wa rehouses had been constructed in Patani as living quarters and for defence purposes, constitut ing a far-off danger to China. ( Patan i is on t he Indonesian Island of Halmahera, an important centre for the spice trade.) With mouths watering with desire for a nearer place, they tried to capture Luzon, but were un ­successfu l. They also tried to take M acao, but the Portuguese repelled them."

They retreated, but over the years v iciously persisted in their attacks . Indeed, in October 1601 , Van Neck failed in an attack on Macao, and arrived in Patani in November.

But was he the first Hollander to see China and meet the Chinese ? Cer­tainly not. In the log of the first voyage to t he Ind ies under Cornelis de Houtman, we read as follows: " Bant am, 03-11 -1596: a prau boarded the ship Mauritius, in which were four or five Chinese ..... " That de Houtman 's chronicler mentioned the Chinese so casually, was due to the fact t hat they had been pro­vided with the latest information on the Far East; this was cont ained in Jan Huijghen van Linschoten's " Reys-Gheschrift van de navigatien der Portugaloysers in Orienten" (Voyage Reports of Po rtuguese Navigation in the Orient) . This particular book was meant to be one part of the trilogy making up his " ltinerario", but the printing and engraving were speeded up to allow de Houtman to take it w ith him. It just contains chapters on Japan and China plus sai ling directions for those parts. Not that Jan Huijghen had ever been east of Goa, but a great friend of his, Oirck Gerritsz Pomp, made two voyages on a Portuguese vesse l to China and Japan in 1583 and 1584. The two friends sailed home in 1584 on the same ship, so here- most likely - is the first Hollander to set eyes on Ch ina and the Chinese.

Back to the " Hung M ao Fan", w hich describes in great deta il Van W aerw ijck's effort to gain access to China. When Van Waerwijck visited Patani in 1604, on his way to China, he engaged a Chinese man by the name of Empo to accompany him; he also engaged a Chinese pilot , a clerk, and two of Empo's friends. By comparing the log w ith t he far more deta iled story in the Chinese text , it is clear that Empo was a Chinese trader named Li Chin ( .!}iik) w ho had been in the service of t he Zealand Company w hen it opened up in Patani in 1602. He conv inced Van Waerwijck that it would be better to sa il to the Pescadores ( Peng hu Islands off the coast of Ch ina) and approach the mainland aut horities from there. They arri ved at Peng Hu ( J;iJJl) in t he seventh moon of the thirty­second yea r of Wan Li (7th A ugust, 1604) and anchored in a sheltered spot ca lled Feng Kuei I ( JL~ Ji.). 23· . 33' N . and 11 9°, 32t' E.

For months there was haggling with th e authorities on the mainland, and in the end Van W aerwijck sa iled away on 15th December, 1604, taking Empo and his two friends back to Patani, and dismissing the pi lot and the clerk . The on ly resu lt of his effo rts in China was that an increasing number of junks f rom the A moy area came to t rade wi th the Hollanders t hrough Patani . V an W aerwij ck apprec iated Li Chin (alias Empo) so much th at he took him to the Netherlands, arriv ing safely on 4th June, 1607. Empo stayed nearly five years, was converted to Christianity, learned to speak, read and write Dutch , and re mained in the service of the V .O.C. until his death in 1614: this, most probably, took p lace in Macassar.

AND now Japan .. . ..

This is equally diffi cult to ascerta in , because all through the 16th Cent ury, a fair number of Hol landers sa iled on Portuguese and Spanish sh ips. We lack positive inform ation, but since the 'Great Ship from Amacon' (Macao) started regular voyages to Japan each yea r from 1555 onwards, it is pretty safe to assume th at some Hollanders saw Japan although this has never been recorded. Others may have seen Japan f rom the decks w hen serv ing on the Spanish ships w hich plied between Acapulco and

Manila soon after the Spanish settled in the Philippine Islands in 1572; these vesse ls used to come quite close to Japan on their monsoonal tracks. But the first Holl ander to go on record was - again - Dirck Gerritsz Pomp, in "1583.

Some Hollanders may have met the Japanese in Manila, w here they had had their own ward (ca lled Dilao) since 1570, even before the Span isn arrived.

Van Waerw ijck me t the Japanese in Patani where they traded with the Portugu ese. We have also con­sidered the possibility t hat Jan Huijghen might have encountered a Japanese man at Goa. It is true that in 1549, when St. Xavier was pre­paring to go to Japan, he found a Japanese youth (and his two men servants) in Goa, studying for the clergy. However, we have found from available material that from 1559, all training of native clergy was conduct ed in Japan. Even M acao was no longer used as a seminary .

The first Japanese to see t he Lowlands was undoubtedly an eight­year o ld boy w ho was presented to Olivier van Noort w hen, on 3rd December, 1600, he met a la rge Japanese junk off M anila Bay. The master w as a man ca lled Yamash ita Shichisaemon, and after a ve ry pleasant barter of some of the victuals the Junk was ca rrying

against trade-goods, Yamashita pro­duced t he boy and presented him to V an Noort. According to the log, the boy survived the disastrous voyage, and it is safe to assume that Van Noort took him home after arriva l at Rotterdam on 26th August 1601 . He probably had an education, g rew up a Christian, knew Dutch and remained close to the V.O.C. The rest of his story is pure guesswork on our part. but it is the p iec ing together of some innocent-looking entries in the V .O.C. records that makes it possible. It is recorded that on 6th M ay 1620.

"S iceco, a Japanese who arri ved here from Goed Fortu ijn in 1617, is now dismissed."

This could very wel l be the same boy, now grown to manhood and serv ing the V.O.C. in Bat avia. He would have been 28 by then. A ssuming th at he had lost the greater part of his Japanese language and of his cu ltural background, it could very well be th at he preferred to stay in Bat avia like a few hundred of his Christian countrymen.

The temptation to so identify him became even stronger w hen we found that in 1651 a Japanese man, w ith a name very similar to Siceco, made his last wi ll and testament; like so many others, he promised to liberate a slave if t he latter w ould se rve his bereaved w ife for a further five yea rs.

Two Dutch East lndiamen of the 17th century.

Service Anniversaries

tJ

Captain A.M. Frigge entered KPM on 12-1-1950 (The celebration was held on board Straat Lombok at Mombasa on 12th February).

Captain Th. H. Rappard entered KPM on 1-3-1950 (The celebration took place on board Straat Towa on 10th March at Hong Kong)

72

Captain J.A .H. Faber entered KPM on 10-11 -1949 ( The celebrat ion was held at lnterocean House, Singapore on 21 -11 -1974)

Captain H . de Geest entered KPM on 12-1-1950 (The celebration took place on board Straat Van Diemen in Hong Kong on 14th February)

Captain F.W. Kaptijn entered KPM on 20-12-1949 (The celebration took place on board Straat Honshu at Singapore on 26th December 1974)

Mr K. Cele: Office M essenger lnterocean M anagement Mr E. Mwandla: Office M essenger lnterocean M anage-entered Holland Africa Line on 15-2-1947 ment

entered RIL on 1-12-1949

Introducing Beira . . . . When Mr A.F. Fernandes of Beira celebrated his 25th jubilee on 21st November, all the staff attended an informal reception in honour of the occasion. This seemed an ideal opportunity to take a photograph of the group .. . and here is the result.

73

Five reasons to celebrate !

A series of rather important events were celebrated on board Safocean Adelaide while she was at Durban on 30th December 1974. On behalf of Queen Juliana of the Neth erlands, Mr J. van Middelkoop ( General Manager for Africa) presented t hree RIL Captains with medals and certifi­cates for their contributions in t he field of meteoro logical observations. At the same time two members of ou r Durban office staff, Mr K . Cele and Mr E. Mwandla were each presented w ith a gold watch in ho nour of the ir silver jubilees.

In good spirits t he group display t heir awards: from left to right Captain B. den Hoed, Mr E. Mwandla, Captain J.H.W. Voigt, Mr K . Cele and Captain G. van der Spoel.

FAMILY NEWS Vereniging van Oud-Personeel der KJCPL W eddings Mr Tan Peng Hai (Singapore) ; to Miss K. Ong Ah Keow, on 9th December 1974. 3rd Officer H.L.W. Speelmeyer (Leave) to Miss B.M .H.E. Demoen, on 21st February at Uosselaar. 2nd Officer R.P.A . de Kreek (Leave) to Miss M .H. Koscuik. on 4th March at Victoria.

New Arrivals Mr L. Lombaard (Durban) ; a son, Mark, on 20th September 1974. Mrs P. Ng Siew Hua (Singapore) ; a daughter. Dinah Ng Li Fang, on 22nd December 1974. Mr Ko Kam Chi (RILAIR) ; a daughter. Ko Po Vee. on 3rd January, 1975. Mr K. Tanaka (Tokyo M an.) ; a daughter. Ako Tanaka. on 21st January at Yokohama. 2nd Officer A .E. Rouffaer (Leave) ; a daugh­ter. Alexa Em il ie, on 5th February at Singapore. Mr S. Satoh (Yokohama Agency) ; a son. Tsuyoshi, on 11 th February. 2nd Engineer H.Y.P. Kortekaas (Leave); a daughter. Marjolie. on 12th February, at Flushing. 3rd Officer J .F.E. van Dijk (Leave) ; a son. Franciscus Jacobus. on 19th February at A lkmaar. 4th Engineer F.E. Folkerts ( Leave); a daughter. Ellen, on 21st February at Utrecht. 4th Engineer P.A.M . Bogaert (Leave) ; a daughter. Diana. on 1st March at Terneu­zen. 2nd Engineer A .J . Smits ( Leave) ; a daughter. Sabine Esther, on 5th March at Zwolle.

74

For readers w ho may be interested in joining t he society for former employees of KJCPL, Miss M .J . Gooszen (2nd Secreta ry-Treasurer of the society) sends us the fol­lowing information.

" Verenig ing van Oud-Personeel der KJCPL celebrated its silver jubilee in 1973. At present the society has 322 members and 11 5 associate members. Former personnel who have worked with KJCPL for more than five years can become mem­bers of our Vereniging. Others still working w it h the Company or having been associated with it t hrough Radio Holland etc., can become associate members. The annual sub­scription for members is N.fl . 5, for associate members N.fl. 2.50. To become a member w ithout having been an associate member the en­trance fee is N.fl. 10. W idows of former members re main life members w ithout paying a subscription.

The activities of the Vereniging are mainly social, including sending letters of congratulation and flowers to members on special birthdays, 70, 75 etc. We usually have one big get-together in t he Spring, w hen the annual meeting of members takes place . This event is always well supported; usua lly at least 150 people attend. A fter the meeting, members can make use of the bar, and later dinner is served. During the last few years we have had a dance band and dancing through dinner. Those taking part pay a small contribution to the cost" .

Anyone interested in JOtnmg the society should contact: -

Miss Maria J . Gooszen, 2nd Secretary-Treasurer, Vereniging van Oud-Personeel

KJCPL, 539, President Kennedylaan, Amsterdam - 1010, The Netherlands.

Personalities Mr W.P. Koelewijn (Cargo Handling NSU-S Rotterdam ) has been seconded to HK GMO from 7th March for several months for an exchange of experiences in cargo­handling methods and for familiarization with th e RIL t rades.

Mr W . Kampen (RIL External Auditor) made a business t rip to Hong Kong from 8t h to 21st M arch for the final audit of the 1974 account.

Mr V . Ho Kai Chiu ( HK GMO VZ) and Captain G. van Altena (Sydney) made a business trip to Bombay, Cochin and Sri Lanka in connection with the unitisation of INDIAS from 8th March returning at the end of March.

Mr C .A . Rappa (Manager Pl anning and Coordination I NTEAC Singapore) made a short orientation trip to Hong Kong and Bangkok from 16th to 24th March.

Mr J . Groenendijk (Chairman of the Board of M anag ing Directors of NSU-S) w ill v isit various offices in the Far East in April. From 1st to 4th April he w ill attend farewell functions for Messrs. C.L.C. van Kretschmar and G. Kastelei jn in Ho ng Kong. He w ill visit Singapore from 4th to 7t h April and Tokyo from 7th to 9th April.

Mr and Mrs van Kretschmar wi ll be making a farewell visit to Japan from 7th to 14th April.

Mr and Mrs Kasteleijn wi ll be making a farewell visit to Singapore from 4th to 8th April.

M r G.J .J . W ernink (Operations Manager AAE) made a business trip to Cebu and M an ila f rom 7th to 11 t h March.

Soccer Match Sailing in ASAS often leaves little time for relaxation ashore. Thus when Straat Napier called at Walvis Bay recently, little time was lost in challenging the inmates of a Spanish Fishing vessel to a soccer match.

Unfortunately Straat Napier's team lost, 2-1, but this in no way lessened their enjoyment of the game .

Japanese Party m Johannesburg

235 Japanese guests attended the annual Japanese party held on 20th November 1974 at the Sunnyside Park Hotel, Johannesburg . Amongst them were th e Japanese Consu l General Mr K . Nishizawa and Mrs Nishizawa, Mr and Mrs G. l<asteleijn (Managing Director ) and M r J . van Middelkoop ( General Manager for Africa). As well as enjoying cocktails, music and dancing, the guests were presented with "Omiyage" (Japanese foods and Dutch porcelain) .

From left to right are: Mr I. Kitanohara, Mr Y. Tanizawa, Mr H. Sekiya, Consul General Mr K. Nishizawa, Mr N . Kumagai ( General M anager M itsui) and M r A. Tatemura .

Letter to the Editor

From time to t ime we receive amusing requests w hich seem worth printing; t his is one of them . . . ..

" This is a letter of a shiplover. Yesterday I was a little boy. I grow up by the l ight of the lighthouse in West­kapelle. After schooltime I go many times to t he beach . And th ere I saw ships passed on i mile. And so I said I grow up, and seen many many ships.

My admiration was goin -up. I start a collection of photo­graphs.

Today I am fu llgrown. I live in Flushing and go many times to the harbour. I take my camera w ith me and make photographs. So I built up a nice collection. My friends come frequently to my house and we talk much about shipping.

I built my col lection larger and t ry to make a very interesting and different collection . Therefore I w ill ask you to help my with some photographs of your ships .

I wi ll thank you in anticipation . .. .. "

75

NEW PERSONNEL

PROMOTIONS

Mr P.C. Bates to 5th Engineer as from 13-1-75

SUCCESSFUL EXAMINATION

Our congratulations go to the following officers, who passed examinations as indicated below:

Mr T.P. Busch .. B. Feyen

D. Thalen J . Vlugter W .J . de Vreeze G.J .P. Sanders G.G. Olthoff

.. A .M . Zandee

.. J . van Selm

.. A .P. de Kok

lEAVE

Mr R.A. Corten .. G. Daman .. H.W . Louiit Feisser .. E.E. Lubach .. R.J . Pi so .. H. Samson .. A . Treffers .. H. van de Beek .. L.J.P.W. Hilckmann .. c. Oudendijk .. F.J .H. Roelofsen .. F.L.N . van der Ven .. L. P. Zijlstra .. Ch.L. Oosterwaal .. J . Rijpstra .. P. Talsma .. M .C . Valois .. A . van der Klaauw .. l.J.P. Steutel .. w .c. Geistdorfer .. G. Gerritsen .. A .C . Hulst .. J .W . Renshof .. c. Rog .. A .J . Keller .. K.H. Stap .. Sjoerd H.J . Vell inga .. J .H.V . Austie .. R.J . Bersma .. G.J . Dekker .. U.J . Di jkstra .. G. de Groot .. R.W .A. Renssen .. J .J . van der Schoor .. w . Uiterwijk .. P.E. de Wit .. G.H. Alberda .. W . Hijkoop .. R.J . Stap

E.W . van der Wei .. H.F. Conijn

76

3rd Officer

4th .. 3rd Engineer

4th 5th

Chief Officer

.. 2nd

3rd

4th .. ..

2nd Engineer

3rd

.. 4th

5th Engineer

" Appr. ..

Th.ll Th.ll II Th.l II Ill B B Bl A

23-1 -75 25-2-75 13-2-75

5-2-75 20-2-75

7-2-75 11-2-75 4-2-75 4-2-75

13-2-75

TRANSFERS OF CAPTAINS AND CHIEF ENGINEERS

Captain G.W .E. Gerritsen, Master of STRAAT NAGASAKI went on home leave. Captain P. Maas was posted t o STRAAT NAGASAKI fol lowing home leave. Captain W .H. Schroder, Master of ASIAN ENSIGN went on home leave. Captain O.J . van der Baan was posted to ASIAN ENSIGN following home leave. Act. Captain P. Cox, Master of STRAAT MAGELHAEN went on home leave. Captain H. Boeree was posted to STRAAT MAGELHAEN following home leave. Captain P. Starkenburg, Master of STRAAT FLORIDA went on home leave. Captain A .N. Kloots was posted to STRAAT FLORIDA following home leave. Captain M .M . Adamse, Master of STRAAT COLOMBO w ent on home leave. Captain R. Severien was posted to STRAAT COLOMBO following interm . leave. Captain T.E.S. Domela Nieuwenhuis (NLL). Master of STRAAT FRESCO went on home leave. Captain H. de Vegt (NLL) was posted to STRAAT FRESCO following home leave . Captain S. Westerweel, Master of STRAAT SINGAPORE went on home leave. Captain J.W .F. van Hummel, Master of TJITARUM w as transferred to STRAAT SINGAPORE after the delivery of TJITARUM to her new owners. Chief Engineer J . Tamboer of SAFOCEAN AMSTERDAM went on home leave. Chief Engineer J .C. van Dinteren was posted to SAFOCEAN AMSTERDAM following home leave. Chief Engineer A .M . I'Herminez of ST RAAT HONSHU went on home leave. Chief Engineer J. Schriemer was posted to STRAAT HONSHU following home leave . Chief Engineer M .G. de Wever of STRAAT BALl was transferred to GIESSENKERK . Chief Engineer V .J .W . Hendriks was posted to STRAAT BALl following home leave . Chief Engineer W .H. van der Poel of STRAAT MOZAMBIQUE went on home leave . Chief Engineer H.J . van der Veer was posted to STRAAT MO­ZAMBIQUE following home leave . Chief Engineer F. Huizinga of STRAAT MAGELHAEN went on home leave . Chief Engi neer R.K.K. Lie of ms STRAAT TOWA was t ransferred to STRAAT MAGELHAEN. Chief Engineer A . Fortgens was posted to STRAAT TOWA fol­lowing home leave. Chief Engineer C.F. Nicolai of STRAAT FIJI went on home leave. Chief Engineer W . van Dam was posted to STRAAT FIJI following home leave. Chief Engineer H.C. Smeenk of STRAAT COLOMBO went on home leave. Chie f Engineer C.H.A. den Boogert was posted to STRAAT COLOM BO following home le<Jve. Act. Chief Engineer G.L. Dekker of T JITARUM was transferred t o STRAAT FUKUOKA as 2nd Engineer after the delivery of TJI­TARUM to her new owners .

TRANSFER OF SHORE STAFF

Mr P.A. Saman, Superintendent Yokohama, was transferred to HK GMO Engineering Dept . M r 0 . Kamstra, Home Staff, was transferred from HK GMO to Yokohama Superintendents . Mr P.A . Simpson, Executive Staff. was granted leave with sub­sequent reposting to Durban after expiry of his secondment to HK GMO .

Those who returned are:

Mr J .R. van Amerongen H. de Haas

.. P. Hoogland

.. H. van Kapel P.J . van Leeuwen

.. R. Reitsma

.. Z. van Voorthuizen

.. J.Tj. Wouda

.. F. va n Akkeren

.. J .A . van Es

.. Th.P. van den Heyden

.. P.G.A . Gerretsen

.. P.G. Langeveld

.. J .A .J .P. van Riet

.. G.A . Smit L.H. Veenenbos

.. C.J. Bruchner

.. P.L. Ph. Otter

.. Tj. Veenstra

.. H.C. V ersluis

.. Hielke S.J. Vel linga

.. G.G. Olthoff

.. R.H.G. Scholder

.. H.C. Visser

.. A.J.W.J . Wouters

.. F.R. Wijkel

.. H.J . de Bruine

.. R. Dinkelaar

Chief Officer

2nd

.. 3rd .. 2nd Engineer

.. 3rd

4th

Locomotive for Santos

posted to:

Straat Ag ulhas Straat Mozambique Straat Nagasaki Straat Torres Safocean Albany Straat Futami Straat Fushimi Safocean Amsterdam Straat Fiji Straat Hong Kong Straat Cumberland Straat Florida Asian Ensign Straat A lgoa Straat Fremantle Straat Bali Straat Luanda Straat Franklin Straat J ohore Straat Napier Straa t Hong Kong Straat Johore Straat Luanda Straat Futami Straat Torres Straat Honshu Straat Fushimi Straat Florida

Mr P.L. Meyering .. M .J. Rijnberg

J .A . de Vries D.A . Zu iderhoek F. Aarts H.C.M .C. Boest en F.A .C. Borsboom Th. Burger E. Endert H.E. Huber A.J . Kakisina R.H. van Krimpen D. Kuiper Ph . Manz R.B. Poeteray M . Pouwelse E.A . Remmelzwaal

IN MEMORIAM

4th Engineer

.. 5th

Giessenkerk Straat Honshu Giessenkerk Straat Magelhaen Straat Kobe Straat Fremantle Straat Lombok Straat Van Diemen Straat Singapore Straat Lombok Straat Johore Straat Torres Giessenkerk Straat Rio Straat Luanda Straat Fiji Straat Towa

It is with regret that we report the death of:-

A . Raphet Meeng (retired employee KPM) on 6th February at Amersfoort, aged 79. G.R. Hommes (retired 2nd Engineer KPM ) on 6th February at Castricum, aged 62. B. van Heek (retired Head Em ployee K PM) on 4th March at M onnickendam, aged 75.

While Straat Nagasaki/ 10A w as at Yokohama, she loaded a locomotive and two bogies for Santos. The dimensions of the cargo were:-

main body- 16.8 x 3 x 3.9 meters (38.8 kilotons) two bogies- 7.9 x 2 x 2 meters (36 kilotons)

The vessel sailed on 6th March.

77

New RIL Brazil

Soccer team

Last November an RIL Brazil soccer team came into being for the fi rst time . Look ing inv incible in thei r new NSU house sty le shirts and shorts (o range and w hite) the team kicked off the 1975 season with a couple of wins .

Both the matches were pl ayed in late January aga inst Kanematsu­Gosho do Brasil at t he new Nippon Country Club (en route to Rio de Janeiro).

Above, RIL Brazil Captain presents a cup to the Captain of Kanematsu­Gosho do Brasil on behalf of the Royal Air/Royal lnterocean do Brasil Naveg. Ltda. team.

Below, Introducing the RIL Brazil team, from left to right; front, M r H . Ezure (R.I. Brazil), Mr W . de Oliveira ( R. Air) , Mr A. Aidar ( R. Air) , Mr H. Hermas ( R.I . Brasil) and Mr S . Vedovato ( R.I . Brasil) ; • s tanding, Mr J . dos Santos ( R. Air) , Mr S . Ferreira (R.I. Brasil), Mr R. Speld (R.I. Brasil) , Mr E. Jeannetti ( R.I. Brasil) and Mr E. Nasser (R.I. Brasil).

78

Royal lnterocean Cup

At the end of 1974 the Nippon Club in Johannesburg held a golf competition . On 21st December 56 players turned out to compete for the Royal lnterocean Cup. The win­ner was Mr T . Tokuda, Sub Manager of the Material Department of Mitsui, Johannesburg.

Seated from left to right are Mr Hagiwara (second prize) Sub Mana­ger Chemical Sec. Mitsubishi, Mr Tokuda ( RIL Cup winner) Sub Manager Material Dept. Mitsui, Mr Nozaki (third prize) Manager Chemi­cal Dept. Marubeni. Standing left to right , Mr Furuto (technical prize for scoring " Eagle") Manager Machinery Dept. Mitsubishi, Mr Noda (Captain Nippon Sports Club) , and Mr Sekiya ( RIL Japanese Representative in Johannesburg) .

VOL. XXII No. 4

P.O. Box 725. General Post Office, Hong Kong

Editor Mrs T. Charter

Area Correspondents Holland P.W .A. Keller Japan H. Oike Austral ia E. Fernand Africa O.K. Shackleton S. America R.F. Janssens Singapore P. Wee Nga Suan New Zealand C.J. Feith Photographer David Chen Translation F.F. Setlight

Contents, wi th the exception of articles from other

sou rces. may be reprinted : acknowledgement of

the source, however, is requested, and the edi tor

would like to receive a copy of the reprint.

PR I NTEO BY YE OLDE PRI NTERIE . LT D , HONG KONG

Monthly Staff Magazine of Royal lnterocean lines (Koninklijke Java - China - Paketvaart Lijnen B.V.)

A Member of the Netherlands Shipping Union Group of Companies

SHIPS

STAFF

FEATURES

APRIL 1975

CONTENTS

... .. And th en t here were none!

Fleet Facts

RIL Flags dot Singapore

Locomotive for Santos

New House Journal- NSU Shipping News

AAE Seminar in Hong Kong

Socia ls in Singapore

Service Anniversaries

Sports Events

T ransdata Ltd . : M anagement Information System

Introducing Top Management NSU-S

When did we first meet ?

page

66/ 67

69

69

77

62

68

68

72/ 73

78

62/ 63

64/ 65

70/71

Members of the Working Committee representing the departments involved in the implementation of T ransdata's M anagement Information Sys tem. From left to right, M r J .A. Maitland ( V Z), Mr A.W. Wagenvoord (Transdata Ltd .), Mr R. Yeung {HK GMO Projects) and Mr K . Wong (Accounts) . See pages 62/63.

79

Royal lnterocean Lines

A member of the Netherlands Shipping Union Group of Companies

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