![[Willem Muller Zeesleepdienst]](../images/n/nl~wmn.gif)
Last modified: 2018-12-15 by rob raeside
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image by Jarig Bakker, 10 Nov 2003, after image sent by Neale
Rosanoski, 7 Nov 2003
See also:
Jansen & Van Heck – on p. 59 of their book “Duwvaart” (1988) – mention Leenderd Muller, a coal merchant of Puttershoek who operated a sailing ship. Father of eight children, he gave each of his six sons a tugboat. Willem and Theunis (at a later stage, at Terneuzen and Dordrecht) would both come to possess an important towage company.
1. Willem Muller was the first one to establish a towage service (1911).
Terneuzen being his base of operations, he offered his services mainly
on the canal linking this town and Ghent, Belgium, but also operated pushboats
most of which were chartered.
The company name being ‘Willem Muller B.V.’ and the house flag being
shown in b/w and described as blue with a yellow ‘M’, this tallies with
FOTW-ws (Jansen & Van Heck p. 62). Still an independent firm
at the time of writing (1988).
Some tugs show the flag on these pages:
http://www.tugspotters.com/tugs/zeeland.wm.htm
http://www.tugspotters.com/tugs/zeeland.urs.wm.htm
2. T. Muller (Sleepdienst En Avant) B.V. at Dordrecht. This seems
to be the only independent Muller left!
Jan Mertens, 17 Mar 2006
![[Theunis Muller]](../images/n/nl~tmull.gif)
by Jarig Bakker, 24 Mar 2006
According to Jansen & Van Heck in “Duwvaart” this firm – complete
name: ‘T. Muller (Sleepdienst En Avant) B.V. – was founded about
1918 by Theunis Muller, one of Leenderd Muller’s many sons.
Including ‘Muller Zwaar Transport’ (meaning heavy transport), pp. 59-61
are dedicated to this company.
Established in Dordrecht since 1922, T. Muller is engaged in push navigation
(of course the main interest of Jansen & Van Heck) since the ‘seventies,
followed by Muller Zwaar Transport which started out by acquiring the waterbound
activities of A. Hak Zwaar Transport, Krimpen aan de Lek.
The house flag is shown in b/w on p. 60 and described as white with
four blue corners and a red diamond with white ‘M’. The “corners”
are the squares obtained by placing a very broad white cross on blue!
(Muller Zwaar Transport has, or had, a different funnel but a photo shows
a vessel with the T. Muller flag.)
There seems to be confusion (again…) as concerns the colour of the
diamond which is placed in the cross’s centre.
The following pages show an orange diamond (yes?) on several photos:
http://www.tugspotters.com/tugs/en.avant.28.htm
http://members.lycos.nl/hoekgezien/photoalbum4.html
and then there is Josef
Nuesse’s item (last but one on this page) - at least this diamond is
clearly orange. A very patriotic colour scheme, to be sure.
English version of company
website:
“At this moment Muller operates several seagoing tugboats varying from
12 to 20 tons bollardpull and they mainly operate in Europe. With a well-maintained
fleet of seagoing tugs and skilled crew, Muller works around the clock.”
“Muller has various pusher tugs and roll-on/roll-off barges. These
barges can be used both inshore and offshore.”
“For a very long time, Muller has also specialised in launching bridges
with heavy load pontoons throughout Europe. The launch operations are calculated
by a team of engineers and executed with skilled crew and supervisors.
Muller can deliver the heavy load pontoons to the place of operation using
their own fleet of push-and tugboats.”
The site hosts an impressive number of photos and all visible diamonds
seem to be orange!
More generally, what is said about the firm’s history confirms what
is related by Jansen & Van Heck.
Jan Mertens, 17 Mar 2006
Perhaps some confusion is caused by the similarity of this flag with
the one of Smit-Lloyd.
Jarig Bakker, 24 Mar 2006
![[Multraship houseflag]](../images/n/nl~mus.gif)
by
Jarig
Bakker, 3 Mar 2005
Jan Mertens reported this link
with mainly Dutch houseflags. Multraship - blue flag, from top hoist to
bottom fly two yellow intertwined links, fimbriated blue.
Jarig Bakker, 3 Mar 2005
This firm is mentioned in "Duwvaart" by Jansen & Van Heck, but only in passing; the flag is shown (described by them as "blue with two yellow half links").
Company website (in English),
`About us':
"Multraship Towage & Salvage is a division of the Muller Maritime
Group, a private company owned by the Muller family of Terneuzen, The Netherlands.
The company's main activities are: harbour towage / worldwide salvage &
wreck removal / coastal & deep sea towage.
The Muller family has been engaged in the shipping industry for more
than 230 years, specializing in towage and salvage since 1911, when Willem
Muller opened for business as a local tug operator and salvor in the river
Schelde area.
Today, Multraship carries on this proud tradition of services with expert staff and experienced salvage masters and crew. The company operates a large, modern fleet of tugs, self propelled floating sheerlegs, diving support vessels and other units."
This page shows the company emblem, with slight variations, on flags and funnels.
`Multratug' on the other hand is the name for a series of sturdy tugboats
loved, so their presence on the internet shows, by many shiplovers.
Obviously this is another jewel in the Muller crown!
Jan Mertens, 17 Mar 2006
Multraship and Multratug. As Jarig suggests in his comments for
Multratug these two are connected with Multraship Towage & Salvage
[Handel-en Scheepvaartmaatschappij Multraship B.V.] being as outlined by
Jan for Multraship with a name subsidiary being Multratug B.V formed in
1990. Of the two flags shown that by Jarig would seem to be the actual
as I have a photo of it being flown by "Multraship Commander" and whilst
it is the reverse side and thus "looks" on that side as for the Brown design,
it could only be so on the obverse if the flag was double sided which seems
highly unlikely to me especially in view of the company logo. Probably
the confusion for the Brown version is that is has been based on a report
using the funnel panel as a basis for whilst both sides of a funnel generally
show the same design, with that of the port side being generally deemed
to be the equivalent of the flag obverse side, some starboard views show
a mirror image so that the emblem faces forward on both sides of the funnel.
And that it is the position with their tugs with the portside showing the
flag obverse and the starboard side showing the flag reverse. Jarig's version
is also supported by the table flag shown by Josef Nüsse, at least
for design, though there is no sleeve visible to really clinch things.
Neale Roasanoski, 16 Jan 2010
![[Multratug houseflag]](../images/n/nl~multt.gif)
by Jarig Bakker, 3 Sep 2005
Image after Brown's Flags and Funnels Shipping Companies of the World,
compiled by J.L. Loughran, Glasgow, 1995 [lgr95].
Multratug B.V., Terneuzen - blue flag, two intertwined yellow ropes
over all. Probably the same company as Multraship.
Jarig Bakker, 3 Sep 2005
