Gusto Shipyard

Werf Gusto was the Schiedam shipyard and engineering enterprise historically associated with A.F. Smulders, a Dutch industrial group founded by Guust Smulders in 1862. The business began as a small machine factory in 's-Hertogenbosch and expanded into iron founding, shipbuilding, towing services and machinery rental. During the late nineteenth century it became an important supplier of heavy equipment to Dutch contractors and international infrastructure projects. Its machinery included dredging equipment, and one notable export order involved bucket-chain excavators for work connected with construction of the Panama Canal. The Smulders enterprise expanded through acquisitions. It acquired the Utrechtsche IJzergieterij & Machinefabriek in 1872 and later took over the Slikkerveer shipyard De Industrie in 1894. Slikkerveer became a major production center, building more than two hundred vessels, particularly dredgers for overseas customers. The family also experimented with shipbuilding facilities in Amsterdam, although that operation was short-lived. In the early twentieth century, Guust Smulders's sons Henri and Frans took control of the business. In 1901 the company acquired land beside the Nieuwe Maas at Schiedam, allowing large vessels to reach the sea without the bridge and lock constraints affecting some inland sites. The new Schiedam works opened on 1 June 1905, and workers and equipment were gradually transferred from Utrecht and Slikkerveer. The name Gusto was formally adopted in 1911. It was apparently formed from the names of Guust Smulders and his wife, Catherina, known as Cato. The Schiedam yard continued the company's established dredging business while broadening its capabilities. It produced floating cranes, floating sheerlegs, coal elevators, bridges, seagoing ships, torpedo boats and minesweepers. The yard also participated in the industrial development that surrounded the foundation of Koninklijke Hoogovens in 1917. For much of this period Gusto remained a family-controlled business, with Smulders family members holding management and ownership positions. During the Second World War, Gusto was involved in licensed production of motor torpedo boats based on British designs. Two boats were completed close to the original plans, while eight others were completed to modified specifications and used by German forces in the Mediterranean. The company's wartime role later attracted criticism from Dutch authorities. During the war Gusto also joined the cooperation that became IHC Holland, a group of dredging and marine-equipment companies that shared patents, technical knowledge and international sales resources while initially retaining separate corporate identities. After the war, the yard resumed production of dredgers and smaller vessels and increasingly moved into offshore engineering. In 1958 it was commissioned by Royal Dutch Shell to design a jack-up drilling rig that avoided patents held by American competitors. The resulting Seashell, ordered in 1959, became the first jack-up rig built outside the United States. Gusto subsequently constructed jack-up crane platforms and other offshore structures. It also developed single-buoy mooring technology, beginning with a 1960 project, a line of work that later became commercially important in floating offshore production and storage systems. In 1965 the IHC partners were consolidated into IHC Holland, and Gusto became IHC Gusto B.V. The Schiedam operation then concentrated on offshore products. It built jack-up rigs, drillships and large trailing-suction dredgers, including the Ile de France rig launched in 1966 and the first of five drillships in 1971. The company nevertheless faced intense competition from lower-cost shipbuilding countries and suffered from losses associated with major offshore projects and insufficient modernization of its Schiedam facilities. The 1973 oil crisis worsened the yard's commercial position. During the restructuring of Dutch sh…

The Gusto story began in 1862, when A.F. (Guust) Smulders established a machine factory in 's-Hertogenbosch. The company added an iron foundry and shipyard, and Guust's brother Charles joined in 1867. The acquisition of the Utrecht iron foundry and machine factory in 1872 created a larger industrial base. Utrecht produced heavy machinery, including equipment for margarine manufacture, while the company increasingly supplied Dutch contractors working abroad. Its international expansion included an 1885 order for ten bucket-chain excavators associated with Panama Canal construction. The enterprise expanded its shipbuilding footprint through the acquisition of De Industrie at Slikkerveer in 1894. More than two hundred vessels were built there, predominantly dredgers for foreign clients. An earlier attempt to operate the former De Atlas facilities in Amsterdam had been unsuccessful and the site was sold in 1889. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Smulders family had become a major force in Dutch heavy industry. Henri and Frans Smulders assumed control in the late nineteenth century, with the arrangement formalized in 1900. They selected a site at Schiedam beside the Nieuwe Maas and opened a new combined shipyard and machine factory in 1905. The location gave large vessels direct access to the sea. In 1911 the company adopted the Gusto name. Its product range included dredgers, floating cranes, floating sheerlegs, coal elevators, bridges, naval vessels and other specialized marine equipment. Gusto also produced torpedo boats and minesweepers for the Dutch Navy and participated in the industrial network surrounding the establishment of Koninklijke Hoogovens. The company remained substantially family-controlled. Hendrik Willem Ackermans joined its supervisory board in 1934 and became chairman in 1937. At the beginning of the Second World War, Harry Smulders and N.W. Conijn managed the yard. Gusto had invested before the war in licensed construction of British-designed motor torpedo boats. Ten boats were completed during the war, including two close to the original design and eight modified vessels used by German forces. The company's wartime activities were subsequently viewed unfavorably by Dutch authorities. Gusto was one of several companies that cooperated through IHC during the war. The group shared patents and technical knowledge and created a joint international marketing structure for dredging and crane equipment. After 1945, Gusto resumed dredger and small-vessel construction and moved toward offshore technology. Royal Dutch Shell commissioned a design for a jack-up rig in 1958, leading to the Seashell order in 1959. Seashell was the first jack-up rig built outside the United States. Gusto also built jack-up crane platforms and developed single-buoy mooring systems, a technology that later supported floating offshore production and storage. In 1965 the IHC partners merged into IHC Holland. Gusto became IHC Gusto B.V. and focused on offshore products. The yard built the Ile de France and other jack-up rigs, five drillships between 1971 and the surrounding period, and large trailing-suction dredgers. Offshore work generated important technical achievements but also exposed the company to large project risks. The 1973 oil crisis, foreign competition and the financial consequences of IHC's American offshore expansion weakened the Schiedam business. Major offshore structures such as Viking Piper, Maersk Explorer and Brent SPAR were associated with substantial losses in the historical account. During Dutch shipbuilding reorganization, Gusto was categorized with large-ship builders rather than as a medium-sized offshore specialist. IHC Holland decided to close the Schiedam yard in 1978. The circumstances have been described as suspicious because of the role of the national policy commission and the interests of Rijn-Schelde-Verolme, which sought a stronger position in Dutch offshore construction. The engineering office survived under changing ownership. It passed through RSV and IHC-related ownership, and in 2011 was merged with Marine Structure Consultants to create GustoMSC. GustoMSC was sold to Parcom in 2012 and acquired by National Oilwell Varco in 2018. This successor preserves the engineering lineage, while the original Schiedam shipyard remains defunct.

1. 2018GustoMSC acquired by National Oilwell Varco

   The successor engineering company was acquired by National Oilwell Varco, later known as NOV.

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2. 2011GustoMSC is formed

   Gusto Engineering and Marine Structure Consultants were merged into GustoMSC.

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3. 1978Schiedam yard closes

   The original shipyard was closed during Dutch shipbuilding restructuring, although its engineering office survived.

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4. 1965Gusto becomes IHC Gusto

   The IHC partners merged into IHC Holland, and Gusto became IHC Gusto B.V. with an offshore focus.

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5. 1959Seashell jack-up rig ordered

   Gusto received the order for Seashell, the first jack-up rig constructed outside the United States.

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6. 1911The Gusto name is adopted

   The company officially changed its name to Gusto, apparently combining the first names of Guust Smulders and his wife Catherina.

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7. 1905Schiedam shipyard opens

   A new shipyard and machine factory opened beside the Nieuwe Maas on 1 June, enabling unrestricted access to the sea.

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8. 1894De Industrie shipyard acquired at Slikkerveer

   The Slikkerveer yard became a major center for dredger production and built more than two hundred vessels.

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9. 1872Utrecht industrial works acquired

   The company bought the Utrechtsche IJzergieterij & Machinefabriek, expanding its iron-founding and heavy-machinery capacity.

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10. 1862A.F. Smulders establishes the original machine factory

    A.F. (Guust) Smulders founded a machine factory in 's-Hertogenbosch, the starting point of the industrial group that later became associated with Gusto.

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A technically advanced Dutch marine-construction and heavy-engineering specialist focused on dredging, offshore structures and complex vessels for domestic and international customers.

• DredgersDredging vessels

  Dredging was one of Gusto's defining specialties. The company built bucket-chain dredgers and later large trailing-suction dredgers for Dutch and overseas contractors. These vessels combined shipbuilding with the heavy machinery required to excavate, transport and discharge sediment. Much of the Slikkerveer output was sold to foreign customers, while the Schiedam yard continued the business after its move to the Nieuwe Maas.

• Floating cranes and sheerlegsMarine lifting equipment1908

  Gusto developed floating cranes from 1908 and floating sheerlegs from 1910. These specialized vessels supported harbor construction, heavy marine assembly and infrastructure work. Their development reflected the company's combination of shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and large-scale fabrication.

• SeashellJack-up drilling rig1959

  Seashell was a jack-up drilling rig designed after Royal Dutch Shell asked Gusto to develop a solution that did not infringe the patents controlling much of the American jack-up market. Ordered in 1959, it became the first jack-up rig built outside the United States and marked Gusto's transition toward offshore engineering.

• Ile de FranceJack-up drilling rig1966

  Ile de France was a jack-up rig built for the French company Foramer and intended for drilling off the coast of Senegal. Launched in 1966, it was the first of a sequence of offshore rigs that demonstrated Gusto's capabilities after its concentration on offshore products.

• DrillshipsOffshore drilling vessels1971

  Gusto built five drillships during the late 1960s and early 1970s. These vessels extended the company's offshore portfolio beyond fixed and jack-up platforms and required the integration of marine hulls, drilling systems and specialized offshore equipment.

• Single-buoy mooring systemsOffshore loading and mooring systems1960

  Gusto built its first single-buoy mooring system in 1960. The technology became an important and commercially successful branch of the wider engineering business, supporting offshore oil loading and later floating production, storage and offloading concepts.

• 2018Acquisition of GustoMSC by NOVM&A

  GustoMSC had developed from the surviving engineering office of Gusto Shipyard and specialized in offshore equipment and structures.

  What changed. National Oilwell Varco acquired GustoMSC.

  Aftermath. The Gusto engineering name and capabilities became part of the American oilfield and equipment manufacturer's business.

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• 2012Sale of GustoMSC to ParcomM&A

  SBM Offshore, the corporate successor to IHC Caland, reviewed ownership of its engineering subsidiary.

  What changed. GustoMSC was sold to Parcom Capital, an investment company associated with ING Group Capital.

  Aftermath. GustoMSC continued as an independently owned offshore engineering business until its later acquisition by NOV.

  Reported transaction value. (2012)

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• 2011Creation of GustoMSCM&A

  Gusto Engineering and Marine Structure Consultants both carried expertise in offshore and jack-up technology.

  What changed. The two engineering organizations were merged to form GustoMSC.

  Aftermath. The transaction preserved a recognizable part of Gusto's technical lineage after the shipyard itself had closed.

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• 1978Closure of the Schiedam shipyardStrategy

  The 1973 oil crisis, competition from Japan and South Korea, project losses and limited modernization weakened the yard. Dutch authorities also pressed the industry to reduce shipbuilding capacity.

  What changed. IHC Holland decided to close the Gusto shipyard in Schiedam.

  Aftermath. The physical yard ceased operations, employees moved to contracts with RSV, and the engineering office continued through successor organizations.

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• 1965Integration into IHC HollandM&A

  The independent companies cooperating through IHC sought a consolidated corporate structure.

  What changed. The partners merged into IHC Holland, and Gusto was renamed IHC Gusto B.V.

  Aftermath. The Schiedam business concentrated on offshore products rather than retaining its earlier broad shipbuilding identity.

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• 1958Development of a non-infringing jack-up rig designProduct launch

  Royal Dutch Shell sought a jack-up design that could be built without relying on patents held by American competitors.

  What changed. Gusto designed the platform and received the subsequent order for Seashell in 1959.

  Aftermath. The project established Gusto as an international offshore-technology supplier and produced the first jack-up rig built outside the United States.

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• 1978Controversial circumstances surrounding the yard closureControversy

  Historical accounts characterize the 1978 closure as suspicious because Gusto was placed within a restructuring category dominated by large shipbuilders, despite its specialization in medium-sized offshore construction. The process involved the Dutch shipbuilding policy commission and the strategic interests of Rijn-Schelde-Verolme. The available reference describes the controversy but does not establish a legal finding of wrongdoing.

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• 2018GustoMSC is acquired by National Oilwell Varco

  American oilfield and equipment manufacturer National Oilwell Varco acquired GustoMSC, a successor engineering business associated with the former Gusto yard.

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• 2011Gusto engineering business becomes part of GustoMSC

  Gusto Engineering and Marine Structure Consultants were combined into GustoMSC, preserving part of the former shipyard's offshore design heritage.

  M&AOther
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• 1978Gusto Shipyard closes in Schiedam

  The Schiedam shipyard was shut down during the restructuring of the Dutch shipbuilding industry. Its employees received new contracts with Rijn-Schelde-Verolme.

  BankruptcyOther
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1. Gusto Shipyard
2. Werf Gusto digital museum