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The yard as we know it today, started in 1910 with the owner H.A. Smit and his brother A.M. Smit. During the First World War the shipyard could continue to build ships, mainly schooners.
The years after 1918 were characterized by the collapse in the schooner market, after which Ferus Smit contracted on small bargers, Rhine bargers and later seaworthy coasters. Whereas other yards had to close down due to the Great Depression, Ferus Smit managed to keep on building ships until 1932. No new ships were ordered after 1932. Months went by when only four of five men had any work on the yard. They were kept busy with small repair jobs. During these difficult times one of the founders of the yard, Mr. H.A. Smit, was forced to resign due to ill health. His brother, Mr. A.M. Smit had no choice but to keep going.
The first order in long time was in 1939. For shipping company Doeksen a salvage vessel called the "Holland" was build. Unfortunately, the German army bought it and the vessel sunk in 1942 in the Baltic. During the Second World War two new members of the founding family had begun working on the yard. They were Piet and Jan Smit. Immediately after 1945, a slump hit Ferus Smit again. The yard kept going by accepting small repair jobs. This situation went on until in 1949 when two orders for new ships were received. The "Ward" and the "Follonica".
In 1949 the Doeksen shipping company wanted to have a go at a second salvage vessel: the "Holland 2". Unfortunately mr. A.M. Smit was not to witness the rebirth. He died in 1950. Piet Smit succeeded him as managing director. After the death of A.M. Smit the company name was changed to Ferus Smit. During the fifties new orders were gained. Among them a laboratory ship, two lightships, four coasters and a tugboat. After that orders were received for suction dredgers, bargers and passenger liners. In 1968, Indonesia placed an unusual order, for twelve landing crafts.
In 1977 Piet Smit died. His brother, Jan Smit, took over as managing director. The late seventies and early eighties reminded of the pre-war era. It meant taking on any job which the yard could get, including the building of hull sections and hulls for fishing cutters.
In 1982 Ferus Smit laid the foundation for better days: the plans for series production. After conducted a market research into the need of ship-owners the yard decided to start series productions. There appeared to be a market for dry cargo coasters of 1,250-1,500 tons. The first ship in that category was the "Yvonne". Until 1985 Ferus Smit built eight ships of the same type.
After eighteen months the ships were sold. When the worst storm clouds had blown over, the ship-owners showed they had confidence in Ferus Smit.
In 1994 a new office building was built on the premises as where 84 years ago everything started. These days peace has returned to Ferus Smit. The company has withstood the ordeals of the last century. In order to meet the demands from the market, a shipyard was acquired in Leer (Germany) in 1996. Together, the yards in Westerbroek and Leer offer employment to more than 200 people. Currently, Ferus Smit constructs around 5-6 new going vessels of varying types per year.
The shipyard in Westerbroek-Holland
The shipyard in Leer-
Germany
| Ferus Smit Shipyards Scheepswervenweg 7 9608 PD Westerbroek The Netherlands Phone: (+31) 50 404 2555 Fax: (+31) 50 404 2500 E-mail: info@ferus-smit.nl |
| Ferus Smit Shipyards GmbH Industriestraße 15 26789 Leer Germany Phone: (+49) 491 925 890 |
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