Johnny and Angela van der Heide have the wind in their sails. For years now, this couple has been focusing on motorised transport rather than sailing. Since 1997, they have concentrated on expanding their activities as transporters of bulk goods via inland shipping. And successfully so because at the moment, the fleet consists of two large, modern ships. Pon Power News visited the entrepreneurs to hear their story.

“In 2013, I appeared in Pon Power News, with a Cat that had completed 100,000 operational hours without a hitch”

Owner Ms Jo-An and Ms Andiamo

JOHNNY VAN DER HEIDE

READY FOR THE ADVENTURE

“I became an independent entrepreneur at the tender age of 20”, Johnny van der Heide tells us onboard his second-youngest ship, Ms Andiamo. “Or rather, we became entrepreneurs. Together with my wife Angela, I purchased a small ship which we christened Jo-An, a combination of the first two letters of our names. That’s how it all started.” The young couple realised that quality and reliability were important aspects for long-term business operations and had a Cat 3408 built in. They were ready for the adventure.

Through working hard - and particularly, by looking twice at every penny during the early phases - the couple built up a solid reputation and a successful business in the next few years.

LARGE-SCALE

In 2006, Johnny and Angela were given the opportunity to take the next step. The first Jo-An was sold and was replaced with a ship almost three times as big. This one, too, was christened Jo-An. It already had two Cat engines and the couple continued their new course but considerably more large-scale and, as such, more efficient.

100,000 OPERATIONAL HOURS

Loyal readers of Motorennieuws may recognise Johnny van der Heide. He appeared in Motorennieuws back in 2013, when one of the two Cats in the new Jo-An had completed 100,000 operational hours without a hitch. Pon Power’s maintenance and Johnny and Angela's good care for the engine had paid off.

MS ANDIAMO

We are now six years down the line and Johnny and Angela’s business has tripled in size. In 2016, the couple bought another ship. This Ms Andiamo is a 3,248-ton bulk goods/container ship that carried a Cat engine. And the same happened with the third Jo-An, which followed in 2018. Johnny tells us: “I simply have very good experiences with Caterpillar and Pon Power’s service, so that’s what I was looking for in every new ship.”

CONTAINERSCHIP

MS ANDIAMO

OPERATIONAL RELIABILITY

Johnny van der Heide: “Truth be told, Cat and Pon Power seems the least expensive combination. But after an overhaul by the official dealer, these engines run longer, better and without any hitches than any other make. It gives us peace of mind but also a lower total cost of ownership. We can’t afford to take any risks. We sail under a fixed contract and we want to offer our customers operational reliability. And in that sense, Cat is the best choice, without a doubt.”