Multipurpose crane vessel is at home in all markets

Crane ship Sam-Sam of the company A.M. van der Laan has been a familiar face in the IJsselmeer region for many decades. Also for the reinforcement of the Markermeer dikes, the multifunctional crane ship proves its added value for a wide variety of work. An interview with the enthusiastic skipper Ben van der Laan, who runs the company 'samsam' with his brother Jan. 

The roots of the family business go back to the early 1970s. Father Bep and mother Gerda van der Laan, both also skippers' children, started the business with a small vessel equipped with mast and boom. "It was mainly used to supply various contractors with sand and gravel," Ben knows. "A few years later, the vessel was traded in for a much larger longboat with a crane. Then, in 1988, my father and a business partner had the current Sam-Sam built, a multi-purpose crane vessel whose benefits we are still reaping today." 

Pleasant working atmosphere

Ben has been aboard the Sam-Sam since 2001, brother Jan only after his father retired in 2014. "Since then we have been running the business together," says Ben. "With the Sam-Sam we take care of a wide variety of work on the water. For the Alliance Markermeer Dikes, we have been active for the past year and a half in all three sub-areas, including dredging channels, transferring bulk rock and unloading ships. In addition, we have performed various lifting operations and a variety of other smaller hands-on services. It is very pleasant working with the Alliance. There is just a very pleasant atmosphere on the 'shop floor'."

Maritime services

The fact that the company A.M. van der Laan is familiar with the IJsselmeer is an important advantage for many clients, Ben continues. "We are therefore called in for the most diverse assignments. For example, we regularly assist in diving operations or salvaging wrecks, but we are also active in installing sheet pile walls and piles in the water. In many cases we can respond and plan very quickly. That is our greatest strength. Our working area mainly covers the IJsselmeer region, but we can also regularly be found in the ports of Amsterdam. We are even equipped to perform work in the petrochemical industry."

The company A.M. van der Laan continuously invests in maintenance and improvement of the Sam-Sam. The vessel features state-of-the-art technology. "For example, we shut down in February this year due to ice conditions and all the electrics were renewed, including a new dredging computer. All technology is constantly kept up to date. Soon even the main engine will be replaced for a clean Stage V engine, so that we meet most stringent emission requirements."