Peter “Piet” Vroon, a Dutch shipping man and accomplished sailor, died about a week ago, according to a statement by the business group he had shaped and led for decades.
Ancestor to four children, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, Vroon died on 15 June, just a few days after his 93rd birthday.
“We send our deepest sympathies to his family,” the company said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.
“As a token of respect the Vroon flag will fly half-mast on our offices and ships from Wednesday 21 June noon until Friday 23 June noon,” it added.
Vroon had not held a formal role in the company for several years. The last supervisory board meeting he took part in was six years ago.
Nevertheless, he remained a daily visitor in the office, “organising his business interests and keeping an eye on shipping activities on the Scheldt river,” the company said.
Letting go of the firm was understandably hard, considering the influence he had on it.
Returning to his native Breskens to help run the family company in 1950 at the age of 20, Piet Vroon was instrumental in steering the company — originally a wholesaler for grain, fertilisers and coal — in a maritime direction.
Just two years later the Vroon clan bought its first vessel, a small coaster, with money raised from clients.
“Piet was instrumental in the decision to concentrate on shipping, including commencing the seaborne transportation of livestock in 1964 — a market that forms a successful part of Vroon’s operations to this day,” the company said.
Willem Beukelsz, as the Vroon shipping arm was called at the time, grew quickly from a modest Dutch shipping firm to a large, international trading business.
“Piet’s formula for success was to establish long-term contracts within niche trades and be technically innovative, so that each vessel could generate maximum income,” according to the company.
“Ships were often modified and upgraded to improve earning capability,” its statement added.
Piet Vroon oversaw and steered that development for decades, retiring from his position as managing director in 1995. He remained a “very active member” of the supervisory board for another 22 years.
Formal retirement gave him more time to indulge his life-long sailing passion.
As late as 2001, Piet Vroon won the Fastnet race — one of several prestigious competitions he had participated in over the years — with the Tonnere 2.
Alongside his numerous offspring, Piet Vroon is survived by his partner Kristin Callens. His late wife Silvia had died in 1987.
Vroon’s passing isn’t the only sign of the Dutch firm moving into a new era.
Just two days before the death of its former head, the company put the finishing touches to a protracted $1bn financial restructuring.
The deal ushered into a “new Vroon” in which the Dutch family retains a small stake, as TradeWinds reported.
