The Scheepvaartmuseum has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help restore the Christiaan Brunings, the Netherlands’ oldest coal-fired steamship.
It aims to raise €75,000 in six weeks.
Built by Rijkswaterstaat in 1900, the vessel served as an icebreaker and inspection vessel, breaking ice on Dutch rivers, protecting bridges and locks, and measuring water flows.
The ship was originally coal-fired but now runs mainly on rapeseed briquettes for sustainability reasons.
The museum takes it out for public voyages several times a year, and it is also a familiar sight during the arrival of Sinterklaas.
Restoration work
The work will cover the hull, deck, cabin and wheelhouse, as well as repairs to the steam engine and its pipework, preparing the ship for decades of use.
The museum says this scale of restoration needs specialist skills and techniques it does not have in-house.
The total cost is more than €3 million, and the museum is also turning to partners and funds alongside the public appeal.
Contributions can be made through the Voordekunst crowdfunding page until 24 November.
If the Christiaan Brunings has you planning a trip to the Scheepvaartmuseum, you could make a day of it with the city’s other museums.