Floating Dutchman
The Floating Dutchman is an amphibious coach that the company "Dutch Amfibious Transport (DAT)" built specifically for use in the Amsterdam canals. It is used in Amsterdam by the shipping company Lovers in cooperation with the airport operating company for sightseeing trips with tourists. The city tours start and end in Amsterdam at Schiphol Airport .
Technical details
The vehicle has three axles, is 14.0 m long, 2.55 m wide and 3.22 m high and can accommodate up to 50 guests. The curb weight is 21 tons and the draft is 1.30 m at the front and 1.65 m at the rear. The roof is designed as a panorama roof, and an extra strong air conditioning system ensures a pleasant climate . The bus is powered on land by a low-pollutant diesel engine with 308 kW, in the water by two 50 kW Voith Inline Propulsor VIP 380s. A 10 kW bow thruster and a 7.5 kW stern thruster are installed as additional maneuvering aids. All drives are electrically operated in order to meet the environmental requirements in Amsterdam.
The bus is equipped with 50 life jackets, five emergency exits as well as all nautical signal systems and lighting equipment. The vehicle has several watertight compartments and is certified to operate in the canals.
The height and depth of the vehicle have been adapted to the special characteristics of the Amsterdam canals . The bus was built by J. de Jong Scheepsservice in Nijmegen .
The maiden voyage took place on the weekend of the 27th calendar week in 2011.