What Scheepswerf Poppen does

Scheepswerf Poppen is a fourth-generation Dutch family-owned shipyard headquartered in Zwartsluis, Overijssel, Netherlands, specializing in maintenance, conversion, modification, lengthening, and new construction of inland waterway vessels. Founded in 1934 (with a post-war move in 1946 and permanent relocation to Zwartsluis in 1963), the company serves Dutch and German inland shipping operators, maritime contractors, and dredging companies through a relationship-driven, B2B field sales model with no public pricing or self-serve channel. Core technology includes steel shipbuilding, a unique in-house hydraulic ship lift capable of handling vessels up to 110 meters long and 11.45 meters wide, a traditional transverse slipway for ships up to 67 meters, and diesel-electric and hybrid propulsion expertise demonstrated in vessels such as mbs Deviatie and mks Prins 6.

The business operates four core service lines (Onderhoud, Ver- en ombouw, Verlenging, Nieuwbouw) supported by in-house design, engineering, hull construction, interior finishing, and service departments, enabling full-scope delivery from concept to commissioning within approximately 10 months for newbuilds. A notable specialization is lengthening ships by 6 to 25 meters while the vessel remains operational elsewhere until the fitting date, minimizing downtime. Revenue is generated through bespoke, project-based contracts priced per vessel type and scope, with multi-year relationships typical among repeat family-business customers such as J. van Vliet B.V., G.J. Visser, Heuvelman Ibis, and Van den Herik Sliedrecht.

The company is led by Martin Poppen as director representing the fourth generation of family ownership following the 2023 passing of his predecessor Jan Poppen. The yard maintains CO2 Performance Ladder Level 3 awareness (since 2013) and operates on 100 percent Dutch wind-generated electricity since May 2020. It has been a partner of the Dutch inland transport organization NIM BV and uses classification societies such as Bureau Veritas for newbuild certification. All service delivery occurs on-site at the Zwartsluis shipyard.

Name

Scheepswerf Poppen

Legal name

Scheepswerf Poppen

Website

https://scheepswerfpoppen.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scheepswerf Poppen is a fourth-generation Dutch family-owned shipyard in Zwartsluis providing maintenance, conversion, lengthening, and new construction services for inland waterway vessels up to 110 meters, serving Dutch and German inland shipping operators and maritime contractors via bespoke B2B contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inland Shipyard Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Docks & Floating Docks (Graving, Floating, Syncrolift) (IMAJALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Launch & Retrieval Infrastructure (Slipways, Cradles, Travel Lifts, Launching Systems) (IMAJALAE)

Keywords

• Inland shipbuilding
• Vessel maintenance repair
• Ship conversion modification
• Inland waterway vessels
• Ship lengthening services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zwartsluis

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. New Ship Construction: Full in-house newbuild of inland vessels up to 110m in length, delivered within ten months from design to commissioning. Covers hull, piping, conservation, outfitting, connections, and finishing.
2. Maintenance and Repair: Planned and emergency repair and maintenance services for all types of inland vessels. Quick response for urgent needs; ships can remain operational during section preparation.
3. Conversion and Modification: Structural modifications, function changes, and retrofits including conversions from tanker to beunschip (dry cargo vessel), new stern sections, and hull widening.
4. Ship Extension: Specialist ship extension service: ships are cut, a new mid-section is built, and ships can remain operational until the fitting date. Extensions of 6 to 25 meters are performed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scheepswerf Poppen is a fourth-generation Dutch inland shipyard providing maintenance, repair, conversion, lengthening, and new construction services for inland navigation vessels up to 110 meters in length. All disciplines — design, engineering, hull construction, piping, outfitting, interior finishing, and service — are handled in-house at the Zwartsluis facility. The yard serves cargo ship operators, dredging contractors, and passenger/service vessel owners across the Netherlands and neighboring European waterways.

Product overview

Scheepswerf Poppen is a shipyard specializing in inland navigation vessels, offering a comprehensive suite of services organized as four core offerings: Onderhoud (Maintenance), Ver- & ombouw (Conversion & Modification), Verlenging (Lengthening), and Nieuwbouw (New Construction). The company operates as a 'total shipyard' with all disciplines handled in-house, including Ontwerp & Engineering, Casco's & Inbouw, Afbouw & Interieur, and Service & Onderhoud. A unique facility is their hydraulic Scheepslift (Ship Lift) capable of handling vessels up to 110m long. The company builds and services various vessel types including dry cargo ships, tankers, beunschepen (dumb barges), duwbakken (push barges), passenger ships, and pontons. Projects are categorized by type: Maintenance (onderhoud), Conversion & Modification (ver-en-ombouw), Lengthening (verlenging), and New Build (nieuwbouw).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Onderhoud (Maintenance & Repair)

Quantifiable outcome

• Newbuilds delivered within 10 months from design to commissioning
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dutch Wind Power SuppliersminorOthers · 1 January 2020Since 1 May 2020, Scheepswerf Poppen sources 100% green electricity generated by Dutch wind power. This represents a sustainable energy supply partnership for their operations.
• Bureau VeritascoreOthers · 1 January 2017The motor kraanschip Prins 6 was built under supervision of Bureau Veritas, a leading classification society. Bureau Veritas oversaw construction quality and certification, a standard requirement for many commercial vessel newbuilds.
• NIM (Nederlandse Intern Transport)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNIM BV is listed as a partner on the Scheepswerf Poppen website, appearing alongside the company logo. NIM is a Dutch inland transport industry organization. The nature of the partnership is not detailed beyond the logo display.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Concordia Damen: Dutch inland and short-sea shipbuilder with strong presence in inland cargo vessel newbuilds and conversions; directly comparable to Scheepswerf Poppen in target customer and product category, but operating at significantly larger scale.
• Holland Shipyard Group: Dutch family-owned shipyard building and repairing inland and short-sea vessels; directly comparable full-service inland shipbuilding model with hybrid/zero-emission expertise.
• Bodewes Shipyards: Royal Bodewes builds inland cargo vessels (coasters and river-sea ships) at Dutch yards; comparable to Poppen for newbuild of dry cargo and beunschepen serving the same European inland operator base.
• De Biesbosch (Damen): Dutch inland shipyard (Damen group) building and maintaining inland vessels including beunschepen and tankers; comparable in product and customer profile though backed by a much larger parent.
• Kooiman-De Vries Scheepswerf: Dutch inland shipyard performing newbuild, repair, and conversion of cargo vessels and workboats; directly comparable inland waterway shipbuilding services.
• Ferus Smit: Dutch shipyard specialized in building and repairing inland and coastal vessels including dry cargo ships and tankers; directly comparable to Poppen in product mix and customer type.
• Vahali Shipyards: Dutch inland shipyard building dry cargo vessels, push barges, and tankers for European inland operators; comparable in target market and vessel types.
• Niestern Sander: Dutch family-owned yard building and refitting inland vessels including cargo ships, push barges, and crane ships; comparable inland shipbuilding and repair scope.

Broad incumbents

• Damen Shipyards: Largest Dutch shipbuilding group operating across naval, offshore, and inland segments; broader incumbent whose inland division competes with Poppen for larger fleet renewal contracts and offers financing, scale, and parallel production lines.

Regional players

• Schiffswerft Hermann Barthel: German inland shipyard on the Rhine/Elbe corridor performing newbuild, repair, and conversions for German inland operators; geographic complement to Poppen with overlapping customer base (e.g., German Rhine operators like Herbert Lülsdorf).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@scheepswerfpoppen
• Facebookfacebook.com/scheepswerfpoppen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scheepswerf-poppen

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scheepswerf Poppen