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6 The shipping and logistics in operation Introduction The composition of the VOC fleet, including the specific features of vessels tailored for opera- tion in the Asia regions, is an important aspect of how VOC shipping functioned in Asia. Knowledge of the logistical aspects of the VOC’s operation is of equal importance for a thor- ough understanding of this complex organisation. In this chapter the strengths and weaknesses of the VOC system in Asia are examined. The methods the VOC used to solve bottlenecks and maximise their advantages is the focus in this chapter. The VOC’s central focus must have been the efficient use of their fleet. Some of the requirements for this are so basic and obvious that they probably would not be part of a con- sciously formulated policy. For example, the stipulation that a vessel should stay afloat may seem unnecessary and trivial, but it did determine to a large extent the VOC’s operation in Asia. To keep VOC vessels in ‘floating condition’ an intensive programme of maintenance was required. For this purpose, facilities and materials needed to be available at strategic places within the Asian network. Moreover, the main goal of the VOC – shipping merchandise – was connected to this basic requirement. The nature of the cargo and the way in which it was loaded needed to be organised in such a way that the vessel was stable enough to sail, but not with a draught that was so deep as to cause problems in shallow passages. Vessels that were ‘too stable’, risked being too inflexible on the swell of the sea and this could easily cause dam- age to the construction and the rigging. Moreover, a deeper draught could limit the use of a ship drastically – when a ship heels to one side while sailing, the gun ports can fall below the waterline. This occurred on board the ship Wapen van Hoorn in . They had limited use of their sails because the supplies of food, water and beer caused problems with stability. Only by rearranging the cargo while sailing could they avoid to jettison these supplies (Colenbrander , p. ). Loading the vessel required expertise; the right combination of types of cargo including bal- last products, and a system of control so that instructions were followed and cargo was not lost to private trading by the crew. In contrast with the English and the Portuguese, the VOC did ‘The same evening, in perfectly fair weather, while standing along the coast towards Da- man, the former \[ship Whale\] suddenly heeled over and sank’. According to the Dutch agent at Surat the ballast had been thrown overboard to make room for private trade and the goods of native passengers. Woodcock, the ship’s master, on his return to England denied this and furthermore declared that the ship carried tonnes of stones and tons of pepper. However, the Court told him: ‘that all the depositions and circumstances considerable in this do concur that she oversett by being overladen in her upper works, carrying peeces of ordnance, whereof four brass cannon of . weight apeece, be- sides greate stoare of goodes for private trade, and that the ship was not stiff enough under water’ (Foster , p. xxii). not lose ships due to the replacement of ballast with the products of illegal trade example of this practice was the sudden sinking of a ship of the English East India Company in : . A striking
