Netherlands. Shipping in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

[Anatol]

In 2025, PostNL is releasing a series of 8 framed stamp sheets titled "Shipping in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries." The first two stamp sheets released on April 1, 2025 (merchant shipping and the Dutch State Fleet). The other release dates this year are June 3 (coastal shipping and driftnet and trawl fishing), August 26 (hook-and-line fishing and scheduled shipping), and November 18 (inland freight shipping and peat shipping). All stamp sheets are available for purchase individually or by subscription. On April 1, PostNL is also releasing an extra stamp sheet featuring 5 special ship types not depicted on the other stamp sheets (kraak, VOC ship, snauwschip, yacht, and schokker).
The 9th stamp sheet is exclusively for subscribers to the complete series.

Information in margin of Ms
«In the seventeenth century, the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands grew from a regional power into a major maritime power. The flourishing of shipping, particularly trade with the Baltic Sea, contributed to the economic and political peak of the Republic. In addition to shipping itself, this had an effect on shipbuilding and cartography, in which the country became a leader.»
In the 17th century, the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands transformed itself from a regional power into a major maritime power. The rise of shipping, particularly trade on the Baltic Sea, contributed to the Republic's economic and political rise. Beyond shipping itself, this impacted shipbuilding and cartography, in which the country became a leader. Already in the 17th century, a shift began toward England, which assumed a dominant role. Merchant shipping remained important, but its political role subsequently became secondary. Coastal shipping persisted, and thanks to the colonies, a network beyond Europe continued to exist. After a slow start, mechanization of shipping also became widespread in the Netherlands. Thanks to the colonies and their preferential trade agreements, liner shipping initially developed in the 20th century, but due to increasing competition, this position gradually declined, and niches such as heavy cargo shipping took over. Trade with the Baltic countries was of enormous importance in the 16th and 17th centuries. Primarily, there was the "base trade," which included primarily grain and, to a lesser extent, timber.
Together, these constituted the most important economic pillars of the Golden Age. The Dutch became economically dominant primarily due to the development of mass shipping, while the Hanseatic League focused primarily on the transport of luxury goods.
Due to the constant demand for large-capacity vessels, shipyards developed new types of vessels, such as the flyboat, tubular caravel, and especially the fluyt. These vessels could travel faster and had a smaller crew than earlier types. Ship construction became cheaper thanks to a late 16th-century invention: the sawmill.
The first fluyt is believed to have been built in Hoorn in 1595. A characteristic feature was the sloping upper deck, which gave the ship a pear-shaped form. This design was explained by an important economic reason: the toll for passage through the strait depended on the width of the deck. Hence the narrow deck over the wide hold, which allowed for the maximum cargo to be carried for the minimum toll. This method of calculating tolls was used until 1669. Ships built after that received a wider deck, which also applied to fluyts, which did not ply the strait.
The fluyt-type vessel was particularly well suited for commercial shipping in Europe due to its limited crew (approximately twelve) and shallow draft. This provided a significant advantage in competition with other trading nations, which had to employ larger crews and, consequently, higher costs. As a result, this vessel became one of the most important vessel types for Dutch international shipping, including to the East Indies. Fluyts remained small, with a displacement of up to approximately 400 tons. Other vessels included stern-rigged ships of 500 to 1,000 tons displacement, pinnace ships, frigates, pinnaces, yachts, hookers, galleys, sternboats, catamarans, packet boats, and brigantines.
In the late sixteenth century, the first Dutch ships set sail for destinations outside Europe. In Asia, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established an extensive trading network, managed from Batavia on Java. The Western East India Company (WIC), which had gained a trade monopoly in the Atlantic region, was less successful. Private merchants from the Republic largely took over trade and shipping to Africa and the Americas.
In the 17th century, the Republic of the United Netherlands was one of the world's most important maritime powers. Afterward, its role significantly diminished. Naval heroes and naval battles are widely celebrated, but behind them lay a highly stratified, decentralized organization. For example, the sovereign provinces lacked a single, unified naval defense apparatus: there were no fewer than five Admiralty Colleges, located in three provinces. They had at their disposal a multitude of institutions and ships of varying shapes and sizes. Private organizations also participated in naval battles, for example, by escorting merchant ships.
However, what is actually meant by inland navigation, and what is the difference between inland navigation and open-sea navigation? It's impossible to draw a strict line between the two; it's a continuum. Even vessel size isn't the decisive factor. The ratio between beam and depth. Indeed, this can be true. The greater the depth of the hull, the greater the freeboard for a given cargo volume. The presence of a deck and a lockable hold also contributes to seaworthiness. Furthermore, hull shape can be an indicator. A vessel with a pointed underwater hull for deep water has better performance than a bulky, flat-bottomed hull for shallow water. To reflect the modern maritime experience of skippers, among other things, we must abandon definitions and other criteria from our current perspective. Skippers assessed their own vessel's seaworthiness and were not bound by regulations as they are today. Therefore, they could decide for themselves whether to sail with a domestic passport or pay freight charges for an international voyage.
Inland transport served three main functions. First, it concerned the supply and export of goods to and from seaports. Port cities specialized: some focused on exports (Harlingen), others on imports (Hoorn). Specialization was also observed in the trade of a limited number of goods (Hoorn and Enkhuizen: timber, salt, and fish). The second task of inland transport was to supply the urbanized western part of the country, in particular with foodstuffs, building materials, and fuel. The third main task was to transport all types of domestically produced and imported goods between ports, domestic markets, and the interior.
On the stamps design on Ms is based on etchings by Gerrit Groenewegen (1754–1826), a Rotterdam artist best known for his seascapes and masterful ship etchings. Between 1786 and 1801, he created a series of 84 etchings, each a detailed depiction of a contemporary vessel.
Nederland 2025, (1,1,1,1,1) Ms; Sources: 1. https://beta.nmgn.huygens.knaw.nl/binne ... ratie.html.
2.https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritieme ... _Nederland.