Kees Muller, co-founder of Netherlands-based towage and salvage company Multraship, died earlier this week at the age of 79 following a long illness, his son, Multraship managing director Leendert Muller, confirmed.
Muller's career in towage and salvage spanned six decades, having started in the family shipping business in the early 1960s. Over the years he was involved in numerous salvage and rescue operations and developed the Multraship business together with his wife Heleen.
Among his notable professional achievements was his co-development of a new series of harbour tug in partnership with Canadian naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd and Voith Turbo Schneider Propulsion. The tug is capable of efficiently generating high forces when assisting and escorting ships by utilising the hull's own hydrodynamic characteristics, while using minimal thrust.
Muller also received a knighthood from the former monarch Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 2011, in recognition of his efforts to promote the Dutch maritime sector and of his charitable work.
We at Baird Maritime offer our sincerest condolences to Mr Muller's family and the personnel at Multraship Towage and Salvage.