Hanzecharter

In 2023, Hanzecharter VOF operated the passenger vessel Quo Vadis in Groningen. The Quo Vadis was originally a motor cargo ship, built in 1939 by Gebr. Boot in Gouwsluis and measuring 50 metres in length. In 1977, it was extended to 54.99 metres. The ship’s history records a length of 45 metres and capacity for 24 guests following its conversion to a passenger vessel in 2005. Its former industrial engine produced 200 hp; a Volvo Penta engine rated at 550 hp is listed for its passenger-service phase. Its European vessel number is 02003103.

From cargo ship to passenger vessel

On 26 April 2014, V.O.S. Hanzecharter operated the Quo Vadis as a Comfort Plus barge on an eight-day cycling and cruising trip from Amsterdam to Brussels. The trip included seven nights on board. The route went via Haarlem, Gouda, Willemstad and Zierikzee to Middelburg, then continued via Ghent and St. Amands to Brussels. Some daily stages were travelled by bicycle while the vessel sailed to the next port. The trip combined a cruise and shore-based activities between the Netherlands and Belgium. The cycling programme included a section over the Oosterscheldekering between Zierikzee and Middelburg; later, the route crossed the Westerschelde near Vlissingen and followed the Scheldt through Belgium. Other cycling stages passed through the Zeeland Delta region, over polders and dikes, and through historic harbour towns. The distinction between vessel ownership and trip organisation is explained in the articles on ownership, charter and operation and shipping company, operator and brand.

During the winter season, the vessel was regularly moored in the Oosterhaven, usually from late October or early November until early April.

Later phase in the vessel’s history

The sequence of owners is a separate matter chronologically. In 1939, A.B. Kamphuizen in Amsterdam was listed as the owner; in 1941, H. Keizer in Landsmeer followed. R.J. de Waard in Groningen was registered as the owner from 2000. In 2024, the vessel was named Magnifique I, with Magnifique I BV in Koudum listed as its owner. The Quo Vadis vessel record brings together the vessel’s details and the years of ownership.