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It’s hot off the press: the magnificent Sulzer calendar which Damen Schelde Marine Services has published every year since 2006. The calendar is a tribute to Sulzer’s diesel engines, which De Schelde built in Vlissingen from 1921 until the 1980s. Rémy Quist, who in keeping with tradition supervised the publication, is very proud of the result. “I even think it is one of the better ones of recent years,” says the DSMS MT member.
Every year, at the Zeeuws Archives in Middelburg, DSMS goes the 60,000 glass negatives for photos suitable for use in the calendar. This time, once again, the search through the De Schelde archives has been fruitful. Black and white images of not only the impressive engines, but also parts of the Sulzers, or details such as the famous KMS logo or an engine number. The photos also illustrate people, and only then do you see how massive such an engine is. The workmen seem tiny compared to the colossal machines… “We always try to portray the relationship between man and machine,” says Rémy.
The front page of the 2022 calendar shows the pressing of a shaft into a crankshaft with the Machinefabriek in the background. Just like every year, five hundred copies of the calendar were printed and sent to DSMS business contact all over the world, as far away as Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea. “We sent even more copies than last year to these three countries because we are always striving to expand our customer base further. For example, we also sent a calendar to Mexico this year,” Rémy explains.
The calendar has been designed in Damen’s new house style for the first time; one that uses a different font, some different colours and two stylised orange waves on the cover. Rémy: “It looks a bit fresher and more modern, but it still has the same familiar look.” What is notable is that, while previously the emphasis was more on the 1960s and 1970s, there is more focus on the Sulzers that were made in the 1940s and 1950s. We see a 1951 Sulzer from the Argentine ship Alberto Dodero and one from 1947 for the Dutch ship Karaton of the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (Royal Packet Navigation Company).
“The calendar looks a bit fresher and more modern, but it still has the same familiar look.” Rémy Quist
The Sulzer diesel, which De Schelde built under licence since 1921, continues to capture the imagination, and there are still some in use today. “Semi-governmental ships all over the world still run on a Sulzer. We still supply parts for them, too,” Rémy says. “And power plants in, for example, Mexico, Corsica, Mauritius, Greek islands and the Canary Islands are equipped with Sulzer land engines. They are still in full operation….” So Sulzer is still a well-known name in the world.
DSMS Managing Director Arnold Suykerbuyk adds: “People often still associate our company with the name Sulzer; that’s very nice.” Rémy: “They’re not called that anymore – these days the brand name is WIN GD – but for most people in the industry, the name Sulzer immediately rings a bell.”