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Ships of the Netherlands Steamship Company (NSM) first began using the North Sea Canal in 1879, the new link between Amsterdam’s harbour and the North Sea. In this scene, a tug leads a frigate through the locks at IJmuiden into the open sea. The voyage to Batavia took only three weeks by steamer, compared to the five months that a sailing vessel required.

On 19 November 1878, Dommershuizen paid a visit to IJmuiden, where he observed the shipping from the North Pier. He later worked his sketches up into this painting. In this work he depicts a frigate being towed from the North Sea Canal locks by a tugboat. After this ship canal was first opened, many ships still sailed for Den Helder. The steam-powered ships of the Nederlandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij (NSM) first used the new link with the North Sea in 1879.

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(Museum: Amsterdam Museum)