Sleeping onboard a 1933 Schelde ferry transformed into luxury hotel boat

The gangway takes us on board the Koningin Emma, the former PSD ferry that has started a new life as a floating four-star hotel boat in Vlissingen’s Dokhaven. We are welcomed on board by its operator Michel Kloeg and its manager Laurens Mulder.

After an eventful life working as a ferry, a mine-laying vessel, an emergency boat during the 1953 flood disaster, accommodation for builders of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, a floating brothel, and a fishing boat, the Koningin Emma has been transformed over the past year into a luxury hotel boat that is equipped with ten comfortable and surprisingly spacious cabins. Michel and Laurens are happy to show us around the ship, which was built by De Schelde no less than eighty-nine years ago (construction no. 197).

The fact that it was once a ferry is hardly noticeable from the interior. But with a little imagination, you can picture the old cars, which were once transported across the Western Scheldt by the ferry, parked on the spacious wooden rear deck. In the front of the ship, the former first-class salon has made way for an intimate breakfast room with tables that still have the original table legs. They have been trimmed down a little, so that the tables stand upright in relation to the slightly sloping floor.

There are also two cabins at the front of the ship, while the remaining eight cabins can be found towards the stern under the old car deck, where the second-class saloon used to be. “Sleeping onboard the Koningin Emma is a unique experience,” says Michel enthusiastically. “After all, the ship is now moored in the heart of the Schelde Quarter and symbolises the glorious past of the Schelde shipyard where it was built. And the former Schelde headquarters plus the Timmerfabriek and the Machinefabriek – both production facilities of the defunct Schelde shipyard – are just a stone’s throw away.”

“Yes, I am convinced that our hotel boat will make the city of Vlissingen even more attractive to tourists.” Michel adds: “The city is already changing enormously and when our new apartment complex De Dokwerker next to the Timmerfabriek is ready, you will hardly recognise the old Vlissingen.” According to Michel and Laurens, the Koningin Emma is also an excellent place for groups and parties to spend the night. “With its ten cabins, the ship can be hired out for a seminar, a brainstorming weekend for companies or a family outing.”

You sleep in luxury ensuite cabins with original portholes and, in the morning, you enjoy a full breakfast prepared in the pantry next to the breakfast room. Under the watchful eye of Queen Emma herself, whose original black and white PSD portrait hangs in the breakfast room, a pleasant stay is assured. There will be seats and parasols on what used to be the car deck of the 49-metre-long ship; from here you can enjoy a drink with a splendid view of the impressive industrial heritage around you and the pleasure boats in the marina.

The fact that the Koningin Emma – the oldest still-sailing ship built by De Schelde – has been restored to its former glory is thanks to a group of enthusiastic volunteers who keep the memory of the former PSD ferries alive on their website PSDnet.nl. Reimerswaal Shipyard completely refurbished the ship and converted it into a hotel boat. Before the Koningin Emma returned to Zeeland, the ship was used in Scheveningen as a sport fishing boat, but could also be hired for scattering the ashes of deceased loved ones at sea.

“The ship was pretty worn out, and look how beautiful she is now,” says Michel proudly. Laurens, who as hotel manager is in charge of the daily operations on board, is equally proud. “My grandparents made crossings on the Koningin Emma,” says 27-year-old Laurens, who besides being manager of the hotel boat is also manager of Hotel De Timmerfabriek and next year of the Timmerfabriek Apartments (De Dokwerker). “My grandparents were from Utrecht, but they travelled to Zeeland every year because they took in people from Oost-Souburg after the flood disaster of 1953. They visited them in Zeeland every year after that.”

Laurens remembers his grandparents telling him that back then there was strict separation between the first class and second-class decks. “If you accidentally stood on the first-class deck while you had a ticket for the second class and you were caught, you could even get a fine!” he says, laughing. The Koningin Emma has been in use as a hote since 1 May 2022. More information: www.kloegcollection.com.