The Old Voyager

A photos from Leiden University Library archives depicted MS. Marnix van St. Aldegonde, a Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN) luxury liner with the heavies about 19.000 tons, servicing line between Amsterdam and Batavia. Later used as a troopship in the Central Naval Force of the allied forces during World War II. Tragically, She was torpedoed by German bombers in the Mediterranean on November 7, 1943 and sunk. | inzet: SMN lugage label

Entering Kota Lama from the west sides, from Jalan Pemuda, we'll welcomed by several iconic building lies along Jalan Mpu Tantular. One's of the building is Djakarta Lloyd building, that not so many people pay attention to this. Despite the activity is not as crowd as the building beside it, Bank Mandiri, the Djakarta Lloyd building in Kota Lama once become the office for the largest shipping company from Netherlands. Yap, Djakarta Lloyd building in Kota Lama once is a office for Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN). What we see today is the new building that designed by Thomas Karsten and accomplished in 1930. A luxurious building as the symbol of the glorious of the company, see the videos below from the film titled Zoo reizen wij naar Indie, Java-Bali 1938 that depicting the SMN office in Semarang. The SMN itself later nationalized by the government of Republic Indonesia, and their asset were taken over by several state company, just like in Kota Lama, its owned by Djakarta Lloyd.  

The story of NV Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN),  Amsterdam begin in 1870 while its started to operate a regular steam shipping service between Amsterdam and Batavia. SMN is one of the oldest and largest shipping companies in Netherlands. The SMN established to fulfilled the demand of sea transportation, which is increasing significantly from Asia to Europe after the opening of Suez Canaal in 1869.  

A ship from the SMN leaving  the passenger terminal
of port Tandjoengpriok, taken before 1952 (source: Tropenmuseum)

From 1870 to 1970, together with the Rotterdam Lloyd, millions tons of goods were delivered, especially from the Dutch East Indies. Also hundreds of thousands of planters, businessmen, soldiers, officials and adventurers with and their families moved to the Dutch East Indies as well as others place of Dutch colony. The passenger ships, such as MS Orange, Ms. Johan van Barneveld and Ms. Marnix van St. Aldegonde, were known for their luxury and comfort for that time. SMN ended their operation on January 20th, 1970, while its merded with three other companies to form the Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Unie (NSU). NSU later changed its name into Koninklijke Nedlloyd or simply known as Nedlloyd, until now.

The Irony between Predecessors and Successors : PELNI (part 1)

The Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (KPM) office building in Kota Lama, Semarang around 1930. And an advertising showing the services provided by KPM.
(source: Troopenmuseum and Maritiem Museum Rotterdam)

PELNI (Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia) is the national shipping company of Indonesia. According to the data on Wikipedia, Currently Pelni operates twenty-six ships; twenty-three of these are passenger ships that serve a variety of routes within the archipelago and connects all the main islands of Indonesia from Sumatra to Papua, mostly on a bi-weekly or monthly schedule. PELNI actually are nationalized company from KPM  who once get a reputation as the second largest shipping company in the world, from the early 20^th century until the World War II.  For me, its ridiculous to realized that PELNI are one’s of the BUMN (eng: state-owned company) that always suffering for losses. According to Tempo daily, until May 2012, the losses recorded as big as 2 Bilion rupiahs! For the archipelago country, where the sea transportation are so importants, both for logistic distribution and mass transportation, this fact was quiest shocked. Are the government are failed to compete with the private company? Eventhough the government got a legacy from a company which ever become the 2^nd largest in the world, which its also supported by up-to-date facility and management?    

The current condition of KPM office, now used by PELNI,
taken on 2012

Talking about KPM itself, KPM was established on 4th September 1888 in Amsterdam by Rotterdamsche Lloyd (RL) and Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (SMN). KPM operated its vessel firstly on January 1, 1891. The company mainly focuses on regular scheduled routes for passenger and cargo cargo between islands in the East Indies and then more popular with the term as inter-island shipping post. 

Starting from 1906 the company began to expand its business with a new routes from the East Indies archipelago to the other countries with various subsidiaries such as in 1908, its opened a new routed named Java-Australie Lijn (JAL) serving across Java-Australia, followed in 1910 with a Java-Siam Lijn (JSL) serving across Java and Thailand, and the last in 1915 Deli Straits-China Lijn (DSCL) serving from accros Deli and Mainland of China.

The main hall inside the KPM office building in Semarang,
now functioned as the ticket booth, badminton courts and
motorbikes parking area.

After the Japanese occupation, the company was suffering from losses, due to many ships and infrastructure were looted by Japanese. Then in 1947 voyage overseas operations of KPM working with separate business under the name Java-China-Japan Lijn (JCJL) or across Java-China-Japan and on January 1, 1948 as a new company named, Koninklijke Java-China-Paketvaart Lijnen (KJCPL), a post-World War II efforts to revitalize the company.

The worsening relations between Indonesia and Netherlands following the West Guinea crisis, also affected the company. Its widely heard to the expulsion of Dutch descendant on Indonesia, also nationalization of Dutch Company. then On December 6, 1957, the KPM  was taken over by Indonesia government and become BUMN . Many of the small fleet of ships was subsequently sold and the employees were forced to laid off. Then now we recognize our PELNI with its problem surrounded it.  For the company which inherited the 2^nd largest shipping company, PELNI should be the leaders in this shipping thingy. But yap, just like others nationalization product, its never as good as its predecessors, well I mean not yet, hopefully someday, it will be realized.