The name of the below mentioned group of shipyards is since 2006 IHC MERWEDE. The following yards are participating: IHC Dredgers, IHC Beaver Dredgers, Merwede Shipyard and IHC Krimpen Shipyard.
Het predikaat "Royal" is toegekend in juni 2014 aan de holding
IHC Holland: For the history of shipbuilding by IHC yards, one can go back in time for several hundred years. As far as to 1687, when the first Smit started building ships along the borders of the river Rijn (today named de Noord). In the seventeenth century the Smit family was already constructing windmills, later on they started building ships. They did well on both arts. The windmills of Kinderdijk are still one of Hollands major tourist attractions.
IHC HOLLAND (Industrieele Handels Combinatie) were founded 1943 as a partnership firm. The merger was initiated by a major client, the Billiton Mining Company (part of Royal Dutch Shell). The objective of the six participating companies was to execute an order the construction of six tin dredgers to be delivered to Billiton's alluvial mining sites in the former Dutch (East)Indies just after World War II. IHC HOLLAND then embraced the shipyards of L.Smit & Zn and J & K Smit, both in Kinderdijk, yard De Klop in Sliedrecht, yard Gusto in Schiedam, Conrad-Stork in Haarlem and Verschure in Amsterdam. In 1965 the merger was completed, after Conrad-Stork had to step out of the combination due to their connections with VMF. After reorganising the Gusto yard was closed in 1978, followed by Verschure ceasing to exist in 1980. De Klop had merged with the Van Rees yard in Sliedrecht; on the former premises IHC now builds the stationary dredgers. In 1995 IHC celebrated the 100 years relationship with China and the delivery of dredger No. 100 to China in the very same year. The names of L. Smit & Zn and J & K Smit can still be seen on the older buildings on the yard in Kinderdijk, where IHC 's trailing suction hopper dredgers are now produced for dredging contractors and governments all over the world.
The names of Smit and IHC go back a while. In the year 1857 a first vessel was built for Japan. In 1895 the first dredger was delivered to China. IHC dredgers can be found all over the world. IHC HOLLAND developed to the leading builder of dredging equipment in the world.
IHC CALAND, today's holding company of IHC HOLLAND was able to strengthen its grip on the maritime industry by taking over two other major Dutch shipyards. Merwede ship yard in 1993 and van der Giessen-de Noord in 1997. Thus creating access to other maritime markets in case of a decreasing dredge market. Both sister yards proved to be excellent dredge builders as well. A convenient idea in a growing dredge market. IHC HOLLAND is ready for the next few centuries.
