 The Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland was based in Amsterdam, but initially its ships could not reach that city.From 1870 to 1879 the company's ships therefore sailed from Den Helder (Nieuwediep) to Java.The company also had its own warehouses in Nieuwediep for loading and unloading to smaller ships, that could reach Amsterdam via the Noordhollandsch Kanaal.