Smit Singapore

What you see here is one of the last remains of what once was the most famous Ocean Towing and Salvage Company in the world. Smit International or later Smit Tak International. Started 160 years ago, Smit International had her 'Glory Days' in the fifties and sixties with more than twenty ocean going tugs, all manned by a complete Dutch crew. In the eighties the decline of that division started and continued with the speed of light. Financial guys and so called re-organisation managers with their new definition of 'core business' took over the helm from the directors with a Smit heart.
Forgetting that the 'core business' was towage and salvage from the beginning. A beautiful piece of 'Dutch Glory' was slaughtered on request of the shareholders. I worked for Smit International long time ago and have to admit that I still have a Smit heart, but it hurts when I see Svitzers name painted on her sides and the awful black funnels instead of yellow and blue. When this beautiful designed and built (former) Smit Singapore will be scrapped, an era of 160 years will come to an end. Only the Salvage Department should be able to keep the Dutch flag high, but recent news is that Dredging Company Bos Kalis tried to buy Smit in order to cut it in pieces. Luckily enough a Financial Crisis was needed to prevent this.