Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ)

Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ) was a Dutch ferry operator that ran services from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom between 1875 and 1989.

In 1927 an agreement was reached with the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) to switch the service to Harwich, and that agreement was further enhanced in 1946 after World War II when services were moved to the Hook of Holland.

British Railways had taken over from the LNER at Harwich in 1948 and the service evolved to a full cooperation, the two companies employing four ships plus two relief vessels. In 1968 with the introduction of car ferries, the SMZ and Sealink services were fully amalgamated.

In 1989 Swedish ferry operator Stena Line acquired SMZ. The following year Stena Line also acquired SMZ’s UK partner Sealink. The Harwich operations of Sealink were transferred to Stena Line BV.

Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ) Archive

John Hendy Collection

MV Koningin Emma – Past and Present

British Railways Board (BRB), Ferries, Past and Present, Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ)

MV Koningin Emma, ex HMS Queen Emma, Queen Emma, Koningin Emma – Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1939 by Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde, Vlissingen, Holland (Yard No. 209), for Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland N.V. Hook Van Holland, Holland as a passenger and cargo vessel

Courtesy of John Hendy

MV Koningin Wilhelmina – Past and Present

Ferries, Past and Present, Sealink, Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ)

MV Temis, ex Koningin Wilhelmina – Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1960 at N.V. Scheepswerf & Machinefabriek ” De Merwede”, Hardinxveld, Holland (Yard No. 548) for Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland N.V. Hoek Van Holland. Holland as a passenger and vehicle ferry

© Ken Larwood

MV Koningin Juliana – Past and Present

Ferries, Moby Lines, Past and Present, Sealink, Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ)

MV Moby Prince, ex Koningin Juliana, Holland Trade Ship, Koningin Juliana – Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1968 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, England (Yard No 1331) for Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland, (SMZ), Hoek Van Holland as a passenger and vehicle ferry

© Ken Larwood

MV Koningin Beatrix – Past and Present

Ferries, Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), Past and Present, SNAV (Società Navigazione Alta Velocità), Stena Line, Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ), Trasmediterránea

MV SNAV Adriatico, ex Stena Baltica, Koningin Beatrix – Steel twin screw motor vessel built in by Van der Giessen De Noord, Krimpen an de Ijssel, Holland (Yard No 935) in 1985 for Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland N.V (SMZ), Hoek van Holland, Holland, as a passenger and vehicle ferry

MV Duc de Normandie - Past and Present

MV Duc de Normandie – Past and Present

Brittany Ferries (BAI), Ferries, FerriMaroc, Past and Present, Sealink, Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ), TransEuropa Ferries (TEF), Trasmediterránea

MV Vronskiy, ex Wisteria, Duc de Normandie, Prinses Beatrix – Steel twin screw motor vessel, built and engined by Verolme Scheepswerf Heusden B.V, Heusden, Holland in 1978 (Yard No 959) for the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ), Hoek Van Holland, Holland.