It started with a rowing-boat After the opening of the North Sea Canal in 1876, two businessmen decided to offer their services to incoming shipping, ship owners and merchants on the shore. They approached the ships by rowing-boat to exchange information. From this small beginning, several years later they started the United Ship Agencies, an organisation which one hundred years later, in 1976, was given the designation ?Royal?. Shipping reports still form the core of KVSA?s work, but there is a great deal more to it these days. KVSA runs a Travel Division with various travel agencies, has moved its work for the maritime sector into a Logistics Division, operates the Felison Terminal and in 1970 it launched its Telecom Division, BTS. Whether you need to transport goods, passengers or information: KVSA can get your ?cargo? to its destination quickly, efficiently and securely. You can tell from the location of its head office at IJmuiden on the North Sea coast that the roots of KVSA are in the shipping business. For more than 125 years, KVSA has been the leading supplier of maritime services in the Amsterdam/North Sea Canal area. Ship-owners, transport companies, ship dealers and many others make use of our wide range of logistical services, such as ship reports, harbour agent work, stowage and customs handling. As well as logistical services, these customers need efficient communication and up-to-the-minute maritime information. For this, they also turn to KVSA who have over 30 years experience in customised telecommunications and information supply. Recent years have seen the Amsterdam/North Sea Canal area increasing in importance. Tourism has expanded and with it the demand for well-organised travel arrangements. Trade and industry have flourished and created a major demand for the efficient transport of goods and passengers. Business sectors outside the field of shipping, such as aviation and the financial sector, need to be able to exchange information quickly and securely.