Spliethoff

About Us

Spliethoff’s Bevrachtingskantoor B.V. was established in 1921 by Johan Fredrik Spliethoff as a shipbroker specialising in forest products from the Baltic.

In 1946 the first new vessel, the MV Keizersgracht was delivered. The ship was named after the Amsterdam canal where the company had its offices. Ever since, the vessels have borne the names of canals (‘Gracht’) and this has become the trademark of the company over the years.

Th delivery of the MV Keizersgracht marked the start of a successful shipping company. The fleet grew steadily from two ships in 1946 with a total DWT of 1,360 tonnes to 20 ships in the sixties with a total DWT of around 20,000 tonnes. During this time the ships mainly transported timber from ports in Russia or in countries around the Baltic Sea to ports in Northwest Europe. On the return legs all kinds of cargo was transported. However, the growth of the fleet also changed the field of work. In addition to the traditional transport of timber and timber products many other cargoes were shipped around Europe.

In 1975 Spliethoff ordered the construction of its first series of vessels in Japan. The delivery of these six ships led to a further change. Now the company was operating worldwide. Over 40 ships have been built at the same yard. This long-lasting relationship is typical of those that Spliethoff aims to maintain with its clients.