Van Loon Shipping

What Van Loon Shipping does

Van Loon Shipping is a Dutch family-owned inland waterway shipping company founded in 1987 by Arjan and Willeke van Loon and headquartered in Ridderkerk (operating base in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht), Netherlands. The company owns and operates a fleet of seven liquid-cargo tankers — Veerman, Speelman II, Staatsman, Schotsman, MTS Dortsman, Talisman, and Raadsman — plus one passenger cruise vessel, M.P.S. The Gentleman, employing approximately 50 staff on shore and 80 crew across the fleet. The tanker fleet transports chemicals, mineral oils, biofuels, and vegetable oils along ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp), Rhine, Meuse, and Danube corridors, while The Gentleman operates river cruises under a separate Van Loon Cruises brand.

The business model is direct B2B shipping services on multi-year and spot contracts with industrial and barge-operating clients including Interstream, TankMatch, Trendco, and BFT. Revenue is generated per-ton-mile of liquid cargo moved and through cruise charter/passenger fares on the passenger vessel. The company holds independent third-party certifications including Green Award, Stage V emission compliance, Lloyd's Register, and ILT (ILenT) inspection, signaling compliance with EU inland navigation safety and environmental standards. Live vessel tracking is published on the corporate website, indicating some operational transparency tooling.

The company divested its container shipping activities in 2017 to focus on liquid bulk, and has progressively added newer tonnage (MTS Dortsman in 2018, Talisman in 2020, Raadsman in 2025) while entering the passenger cruise vertical in 2022 with M.P.S. The Gentleman. Second-generation family members (Niels and Bart van Loon) are involved in operations, indicating an ongoing generational transition of the family-owned enterprise.

Name

Van Loon Shipping

Legal name

Van Loon Shipping

Website

https://vanloonshipping.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Van Loon Shipping is a Dutch family-owned inland waterway shipping company operating seven liquid-cargo tankers and one passenger vessel, serving major European industrial and barge-operating clients across ARA, Rhine, Meuse, and Danube routes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inland Waterway Liquid Transport

NAICS

Inland Water Freight Transportation (483211)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Crude Oil & Petroleum Products Tanker Transport (TLADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Liquid Bulk (Latex/Resins/Paints/Adhesives) Transport (TLADALAJ)

Keywords

• Inland waterway transport
• Liquid cargo shipping
• Chemical tanker services
• Biofuel transport services
• River cruise operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Ridderkerk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Liquid Transport Services: Transport of liquids (chemicals, mineral oil products, biofuels, minerals) for large industrial clients via owned inland waterway tanker fleet. Revenue generated through long-term contracts and freight services on European waterways (ARA region, Rhine, Meuse, Danube).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Van Loon Shipping operates a fleet of owned inland waterway tanker vessels that transport liquids and chemicals — including light chemicals, mineral oil products, minerals, and biofuels — for large industrial clients across European waterways (ARA region, Rhine, Meuse, Danube). The company expanded in 2022 into the passenger shipping market with M.P.S. The Gentleman for Dutch and German inland waters. Operations are supported by HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment, Quality) systems, live tracking, and environmental certifications including Green Award and Stage V engines.

Product overview

Van Loon Shipping operates a fleet of seven tanker vessels for liquid transport services across European waterways, consisting of six dedicated tankers (Veerman, Speelman II, Staatsman, Schotsman, MTS Dortsman, Talisman, Raadsman) and one emerging passenger vessel (M.P.S. The Gentleman). The tanker fleet specializes in transporting chemicals, minerals, and bio-fuels, with all vessels holding Green Award certification for environmental compliance. The company expanded into passenger vessel operations in 2022 while retaining its core liquid transport business. A live tracking service is offered for customers to monitor vessel positions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Van Loon Cruises: River cruise brand under Van Loon Group, operating the M.P.S. 'The Gentleman' on European inland waterways (Rhine, Moselle, Danube). Website: vanlooncruises.com.

Products and services

• Liquid Tanker Transport Services Contract-based transport of liquid bulk cargo (chemicals, minerals, biofuels, vegetable oils, mineral oil products) for large industrial clients across European inland waterways using owned Type C and double-hulled tankers, with continuous HSEQ monitoring and live vessel tracking.
• River Cruise Passenger Services Premium river cruise passenger transport on European inland waterways (Rhine, Moselle, Danube) using the M.P.S. The Gentleman vessel, offering 86 cabins for Dutch and German river cruise markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Green Award certification for 6 vessels (Veerman, Speelman II, Staatsman, Schotsman, Dortsman, Raadsman)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Teamco ShipyardcoreTechnology or IntegrationTeamco Shipyard in Heusden builds and finishes vessels for Van Loon Shipping. Multiple ships (Veerman, Schotsman) were finished at Teamco, and The Gentleman cruise ship was also completed there in 2022.
• IST Consultancy (Ed Versluis)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSafety consultant Ed Versluis of IST Consultancy, a renowned expert and familiar face in inland shipping, works with Van Loon Shipping to continuously monitor and maintain safety and quality systems aboard their vessels at the highest possible level.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• De Boer Tanktransport: Dutch family-owned inland liquid bulk tanker operator active in the ARA region. Closely comparable in fleet scale, customer type, and Rhine-corridor focus.
• MSG eG (Mittelrheinische Schifffahrts-Genossenschaft): German inland shipping cooperative operating liquid bulk and dry cargo tankers on the Rhine and German waterway network. Comparable in fleet profile, customer mix, and family/mid-sized operator structure.
• HGK Shipping (Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln): German inland waterway shipping subsidiary of Stadtwerke Köln, operating tankers and dry cargo vessels on Rhine corridors. Comparable in liquid bulk tanker operations and ARA-region service, though larger and utility-owned.
• Imperial Shipping Group: Dutch inland shipping group operating a fleet of liquid and dry bulk tankers across the Rhine, ARA, and Danube corridors. Directly comparable to Van Loon in geography, vessel type, and chemicals/mineral customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Rhenus Logistics: Large European logistics group with significant inland waterway tanker operations across the Rhine and ARA region. Overlaps with Van Loon in liquid bulk transport but operates at much broader scale and across multiple modalities.

Emerging players

• Viking River Cruises: World's largest river cruise operator with extensive Rhine, Moselle, and Danube itineraries. Comparable to Van Loon's M.P.S. The Gentleman business line as a competitor for premium river cruise customers on overlapping waterways.

Regional players

• Compagnie Fluviale de Transport (CFT): French inland waterway liquid bulk and container operator on the Seine, Rhine, and Rhone corridors. Comparable in liquid chemicals tanker business but primarily focused on French waterways.

Others

• De Binnenvaartkrant / NPRC: Dutch inland shipping industry association and cooperative. Not a direct competitor but the principal trade body governing the same regulatory and market environment in which Van Loon operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vanloonshippingbv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-loon-shipping

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Van Loon Shipping