Historical events

Blauwhoed established in Amsterdam in 1616, by a group of porters who decided to join forces to carry loads from the Dutch East Indies Company ships to and from the city weigh house.

Pakhuismeesteren established in Rotterdam in 1818. Specialized mainly in the loading, unloading and storage of products from the Dutch colonies, such as tea, coffee and spices. Later started to offer storage facilities for oil and oil products, initially in barrels, but from 1888 also in bulk tanks.

Van Ommeren began its activities as a shipping and forwarding agent. In the ensuing years, interests were built up in deep sea shipping, inland shipping, tank storage, stevedoring companies and distribution centers.

Around 1860 the first oil was being drilled in the United States and it was not long before petroleum products were imported to Europe. Pakhuismeesteren built one of the first-ever dedicated oil storage terminals in Europe, in the Port of Rotterdam.

Pakhoed created through the merger of Pakhuismeesteren and Blauwhoed. Main activities: port activities, stevedoring, shipping agencies, freight forwarding, warehousing, oil and chemical storage.

Pakhoed acquired a 35% interest in US company Univar Corporation, parent company of Van Waters & Rogers, the largest chemical distributor in North America.

Van Ommeren decided to concentrate on two core activities: shipping and tank storage.

Royal Vopak formed through the merger of Pakhoed and Van Ommeren.

Split-off of Chemical Distribution activities. Vopak continues as tank storage and logistics company