Orange Lijn

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The Dutch shipping company NV Maatschappij Zeetransport , better known as Oranje Lijn , existed from 1937 to 1970. The better-known name Oranje Lijn was founded in one of the main business areas of the Rotterdam shipping company, the transport of fruits and nuts from southern Europe and North Africa.

history

The company was founded on July 16, 1937 by the 23-year-old Anthony Veder. Veder acquired the two used Great Lakes ships Harpefjell and Taborfjell from Norway and put them into service as Prins Maurits and Prins Frederik Hendrik . With the two ships he joined the Fjell Line operated by the Norwegian shipping company Olson & Ugelstad, which commuted between Europe and the Great Lakes. On June 5, 1938, the Prins Maurits first arrived in Chicago. In the winter season, the ships made trips with citrus fruits from countries such as Italy, Spain and Palestine.

After the end of the Second World War, the Maatschappij Zeetransport officially changed its name to Oranje Lijn. In 1948, the Oranje Lijn put the two newbuildings Prins Alexander and Prins Johan Willem Friso into motion and opened a new service from Western Europe to the Canadian ports of Port Alfred, Quebec and Montreal. At first these ships were too big for the Great Lakes voyage, not until 1959, after the lock systems were expanded, these ships could also sail to Chicago. In 1953, the shipping company used the big combi ship Prins Willem van Oranje in driving. It had 60 passenger seats and set standards for comparable ships of that time. With the Prins Willem van Oranje , the Oranje Lijn began a weekly transatlantic service between Western Europe, the United States and Canada, which was used in particular by immigrants.

In 1955, the Oranje Lijn and the Fjell Line signed a contract for a joint venture under the name Fjell-Oranje Lines in The Hague. Three years later the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM) acquired all shares in the Oranje Line. The Holland America Line (HAL), in turn, bought in 1959, relying on the growing opportunities by the developed Saint Lawrence Seaway half of the shares of KPM. In 1967 the Oranje Lijn took over three KPM ships and sold its own smaller ships. Nevertheless, the company got into ever greater financial difficulties, whereupon it was dissolved on January 1, 1970. The Fjell Line ran the Great Lakes cruise in partnership with the shipping company Fred. Olsen gone.

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