| volume 51 | august 2017

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. staff magazine

T +31 78 69 69 000

cohesion@boskalis.com

CoHesion
www.boskalis.com

02

Half yeaR Results 2017

AASTA HANSTEEN: ON COURSE FOR THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

naming CeRemony foR mega CutteR Helios
BOSKALIS INTRODUCES NEW WAY OF WORKING
in tHis issue spotligHt
14 SAFETY TALK
ON MORE AND MORE PROjECTS, BOSKALIS IS WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS
THAT USE DIFFERENT SAFETY STANDARDS. HOW DOES BOSKALIS MAKE SURE
THAT SAFETY IS GUARANTEED?

17 PRECISION JOB ON THE GIRONDE

BOSKALIS COMPLETED THE GIRONDE PROjECT IN FRANCE THIS MONTH:
MAINTENANCE DREDGING TO MAKE THE PORT OF BORDEAUX MORE
ACCESSIBLE FOR CRUISE AND FREIGHT VESSELS.
20 BETTER MEDICAL CARE ON BOARD
BOSKALIS IS A PARTICIPANT IN PORT XL, WHICH PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR
START-UPS IN THE MARITIME SECTOR. THE START-UP MEDASSIST.ONLINE
PROVIDES DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING MEDICAL CARE ON BOARD.
22 HELIOS NAMED TO THE BEAT OF THE DRUMS
AT A CEREMONY IN THE PORT OF ROTTERDAM, THE SELF-PROPELLED MEGA
CUTTER HELIOS WAS NAMED BY THE SPOUSE OF jEROEN VAN DER VEER,
A MEMBER OF THE BOSKALIS SUPERVISORY BOARD.
Half year results 2017
Boskalis presented the results for the first half of
2017 on 17 August. The developments in the
first half of the year were in line with expecta-
tions. The weak offshore market also presents
clear opportunities. PAge 04
‘a dredging vessel to be proud of!’
What are the challenges that our colleagues
face? In this edition, senior project engineer
Marcel van Wijk tells us about his experiences
during the construction of the new mega cutter
Helios. PAge 08 aasta Hansteen: on course for the ultimate challenge
The Aasta Hansteen project is one of the most comprehensive projects being execu-
ted by the Offshore Energy division. ‘Phase 3 includes the transport of the FPSO’s
topside with the White Marlin, followed by the so-called dual float-over. That will be
our biggest challenge,’ says project manager Bas Polkamp. ‘An operation like this
has never been executed on such an enormous scale before.’ PAge 31

24 EYE-CATCHING SALVAGE OPERATIONS

WITH SALVAGE OPERATIONS IN EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD, SMIT
SALVAGE HAS AGAIN CONFIRMED ITS STATUS AS A VERSATILE GLOBAL
SPECIALIST RECENTLY.

WoW: new Way of Working energetic approach on duqm project

26 UNORTHODOX APPROACH IN WEST PAPUA Boskalis is launching a new quality manage- The Duqm Liquid Bulk Berths Project in Oman
THE TANGGUH EXTENSION PROjECT IN WEST PAPUA, WHICH WAS COMPLETED
ment system that focuses on an integrated is currently the largest job being executed
RECENTLY IN A LOCATION THAT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO REACH, INVOLVED
business process and a uniform client by the Dredging and Inland Infra division of
THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE LARGEST BOSKALIS BACKHOE: THE MAGNOR.
approach. Together with a group of colleagues Boskalis. ‘Given the size, the complexity and
from the divisions, the SHE-Q department is the tight schedule, perfect coordination is
28 OPTIMAL TEAMWORK VBMS AND BOSKALIS playing an important role in the development crucial,’ says project director Bart Pröpper.
THE BORSSELE ALPHA EXPORT CABLE PROjECT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST PROjECTS and introduction of this new program. PAge 06 PAge 11
BEING EXECUTED BY VBMS. PREPARATIONS ARE NOW IN FULL SWING. HOW DO
THE VARIOUS VBMS AND BOSKALIS DISCIPLINES STRENGTHEN EACH OTHER?

makeover of bokalift i proceeding smoothly

34 CHALLENGING PROjECTS BOSKALIS WESTMINSTER The conversion of the Dockwise Finesse to a transport and installation crane
THESE ARE BUSY TIMES FOR BOSKALIS WESTMINSTER, THE BOSKALIS HOME
vessel is in full swing. The new vessel, shown here in an artist’s impression,
MARKET ORGANIZATION IN THE UK. ‘IN 2017, WE ARE EXECUTING A RANGE
will be called the Bokalift I and it will also be used for decommissioning work.
OF CHALLENGING PROjECTS,’ SAYS MANAGING DIRECTOR PAUL M. DE jONG.
‘We expect the ship to be taken into service early next year,’ says project
manager Jurjen Haitsma. PAge 41
36 ROYAL VISIT TO MARKER WADDEN
DURING A RECENT VISIT TO THE FIRST ISLAND OF THE MARKER WADDEN,
KING WILLEM ALEXANDER WAS IMPRESSED BY THE WORK DONE AND THE
LARGE NUMBERS OF PIONEER BIRDS IN THE NATURE RESERVE. Cover: beach replenishment Heemskerk boskalis family day: working together
Boskalis was involved in large-scale main- About 180 colleagues and their families
tenance for Rijkswaterstaat this summer on attended the annual Boskalis Family Day on
38 EQUIPMENT PORTAL: INCREASING EFFICIENCY the coast near Heemskerk, the Netherlands. Saturday 12 August and joined the Boskalis
THE EQUIPMENT PORTAL TRACKS BOTH LARGE FLOATING EQUIPMENT AND THE
About 1 million cubic meters of sand was Beach Cleanup Tour organized by the North
SMALLER ‘DRY’ EQUIPMENT AT BOSKALIS. ‘THAT SAVES TIME AND MONEY,’ SAYS
brought in and spread along a section of Sea Foundation. Together, they collected
THE MAN BEHIND THE INITIATIVE WIM HOKKEN, FLEET MANAGER BACKHOES.
5 kilometers. more than 200 kilos of waste. PAge 18
4 5

BOSKALIS POSTS
‘Developments in the first half of the year were in line with expectations. The results of the traditional dred-
ging activities were stable with higher fleet utilization rates. The outlook is moderately positive given the

LOWER RESULT IN LINE

volume of work in the market and an increase in the order book. As expected, the situation in the offshore
market resulted in a further drop in the result. We do not foresee a quick recovery in the offshore market,
as previously stated, and have adjusted our fleet and organization to this new reality.’ This is how Peter

WITH EXPECTATIONS Berdowski summarized the first half year of 2017 and the outlook for the remainder of the year during
the presentation of the half year results.

‘WE SEE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES reasonable volume of work in the market in

the short term, with the emphasis for Boskalis

TO EXPAND THE COMPANY FURTHER, on maintaining utilization at a responsible

level of project risk. The current size of the
NOT ONLY AT DREDGING & INLAND order book means that a good part of the
fleet will be occupied for the coming nine
INFRA AND AT TOWAGE, BUT PARTI- months, albeit at lower margins than in

CULARLY IN THE HIGH-END SECTION previous years. The outlook for the remainder
of 2017 is less favorable for Offshore Energy,

OF THE OFFSHORE ENERGY MARKET.’
Peter berdowski, CEO
prosperity of the global population, which
in turn drive growth in global trade and
demand for raw materials and energy.
tunities for us to strengthen the company,
as evidenced by the recently announced
acquisition of Gardline. This acquisition will
with lower work volumes and pressure on
utilization rates and margins. Following
the conclusion of a number of long-term
contracts from previous years, revenue
is under pressure, with increasing depen-
dence on the spot market resulting in further
pressure on margins.
The offshore wind outlook for the second
half of the year is mixed, with a sustained

01 Global warming also continues to create

HIGHLIGHTS FIRST
HALF YEAR OF 2017
> Revenue: EUR 1.09 billion
> EBITDA: EUR 225.1 million
> Net profit: EUR 75.1 million
> Order book: EUR 3.25 billion
OUTLOOK FOR 2017
> Mixed market picture
> Dredging & Inland Infra
Reasonable market volumes with further
upward potential for utilization rates
> Offshore Energy
Fewer contracting projects and continued
friction between supply and demand
in services
> Towage
Relatively stable market volume
> Profit outlook
Net profit in the second half of the year
comparable to the first half of the year,
excluding restructuring charges
Boskalis realized a net profit of EUR 75.1
million in the first half of the year. Revenue
declined by 7% compared to the first half of
last year to EUR 1.09 billion. Adjusted for
consolidation, deconsolidation and currency
effects, revenue was down 13%. EBITDA in
the first half of the year totaled EUR 225.1
million and the operating result was EUR
101.7 million. Boskalis’ financial position
continues to be strong, with a solvency ratio
of 62.6% and a positive net cash position of
EUR 235 million. The order book, excluding
our share in the order book of joint ventures
and associated companies, increased to EUR globally, with a limited number of emergency
3.246 billion at the end of the first half of the response assignments. Furthermore there
year (end-2016: EUR 2.924 billion).
Results by segment
Both revenue and fleet utilization increased
at the Dredging & Inland Infra segment,
with large projects in execution in Brazil,
Indonesia and Oman contributing to the
rise. The result was stable, with continued
pressure on margins. At Offshore Energy
revenue and result declined, due in part to
poor market conditions in the oil and gas
industry. In addition there are no major
offshore wind farm projects in progress
this year, whereas the construction of
two sizable wind farms — Veja Mate
and Wikinger — contributed to revenue
and the result last year. The VBMS cable-
laying activities had a good first half of the
year, making a significant contribution to
the division’s results. Revenue and results
were also under pressure at Towage &
Salvage, partly due to the deconsolidation
of the European harbor towage services
but also as a result of a very quiet first
half of the year at Salvage. It was quiet
were no major wreck removal projects being
executed.
Market developments
‘The market developments as presented in
the Corporate Business Plan 2017-2019
and discussed in greater detail in the Annual
Report 2016 have not materially changed,’
explained the CEO. ‘The long-term mega-
trends that underpin the Boskalis business
model remain positive. These business
drivers are the structural growth and rising
business opportunities for Boskalis, with a
growing need for coastal defense and river-
bank protection in response to increased
flooding as a result of the more extreme
weather conditions.’
While the long-term trends are positive, in
the short term they are not converting into
promising projects across the board. In some when the offshore market picks up again. In
of the regions and markets where Boskalis
is active, demand is expected to develop
less favorably in the coming years and the
outlook is uncertain. ‘We will continue to
focus on market segments that demonstrate
long-term structural growth and offer opportu-
nities in the short term: Ports, Energy — oil,
gas, wind and the dismantling of old offshore
platforms — and Climate-change-related
projects such as coastal defense and river-
bank protection.’
Opportunities
‘We see plenty of opportunities to expand the
company further in line with our Corporate
Business Plan, more specifically the Expand
pillar of our strategy. Not only at Dredging
& Inland Infra and at Towage, but particu-
larly in the high-end section of the Offshore
Energy market,’ said Peter. ‘The current
market conditions also present clear oppor-
specifically help fulfill our strategic ambition
to build a position in offshore survey.
favorable outlook for the cable-laying
activities but no large offshore wind farm
Gardline is a key player in the survey market projects in progress.
with years of experience and a strong The Towage activities have relatively stable
reputation. The acquisition will enable us to market volumes and this is not expected to
further position ourselves for opportunities in change materially in the second half of the
offshore wind energy, and to be well placed year. Based on the fleet planning and work
to take advantage of growth opportunities in the order book and barring unforeseen
circumstances, the Board of Management
the coming period we will continue to look expects net profit in the second half of 2017,
actively at opportunities to strengthen and excluding the restructuring charge, to be
expand the company in the medium term.’ comparable to the level of net profit realized
in the first half of the year.
End of a period
In the past eighteen months the market condi-
tions combined with the outlook described
gave rise to the fleet rationalization project,
an impairment of vessels and goodwill,
and a cost-reduction program aimed at
reducing head-office costs. This program
will result in annual cost savings of around
EUR 30-35 million. ‘We hereby conclude a
period during which we were unfortunately
forced to take leave of a large number of
colleagues,’ said Peter.
Outlook
The market picture will continue to be mixed
01 O
 N THE WAY TO BUNKERING TOGETHER
in the time to come. At Dredging & Inland A recent photo of the trailing suction hopper dredger Oranje in
Brazil on its way to bunker fuel together with one of Gardline’s
Infra, the Board of Management sees a survey vessels (on the right).
6 7

Way of WoRking: foCus Boskalis is launching a new quality management system focusing on an integrated business process
and a uniform approach to clients. The SHE-Q department, with a large group of colleagues from

on tHe Client and on the divisions, is playing an important role in the development and introduction of this new system.
‘Especially given current market circumstances, our success depends crucially on an even better client

ReduCing CompleXity focus and on reducing the complexity of our business processes and systems,’ says corporate SHE-Q
manager Joke Vavier.

The new system allows us to work better and the management team and business units,
to execute our projects more professionally followed by on-the-job training for tender
and profitably,’ says project support manager and project teams. In the next phase, staff
Maris Paap, who was closely involved in the departments will be able to learn about the

SAFETY STATEMENT
creation of the program on behalf of the new approach. The effectiveness of the new
DTED department of the Offshore Energy system is being monitored by Bureau Veritas
The Boskalis WAY OF WORKING quality management system aims to achieve operational excellence
withpeople
a clearare
focus division. ‘The approach focuses on the and by SHE-Q colleagues. Maris concludes:
Our ouronmost
safe valuable
and sustainable
assets,solutions
making and a consistent
safety clientOur
a core value. approach.
goal is:More than just
No Injuries
systems
No and procedures,
Accidents. the Boskalis
This is embedded Waycompany’s
in our of Workingculture
provides
and a supported
consistent approach towardsand
through Values the Rules. smooth and controlled execution of our ‘Our Way of Working focuses on a stream-
All employees,
initiation, including
planning, our sub-contractors,
execution and completion of are
our expected
projects. Attothe
take these
same timevalues and rules
it promotes to heart.
diversity
in our teams with experts, facilitates innovation whilst caring for people and the environment with a processes and on avoiding unpleasant sur- lined business process and on professional
commitment to act with respect and integrity. This is how we create new horizons for all our stakeholders. prises. In that way, we hope to deliver a dealings with clients. A consistent quality
VALUES RULES clear and reliable message to our clients. approach is good for clients and good for
the future of Boskalis.’
I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN SAFETY PREPARE A RISK ASSESSMENT FOR EACH And that is essential, because the range
I APPROACHINITIATE
OTHERS ABOUT WORKING PLAN
SAFELY PROJECT, VESSEL OR LOCATION
EXECUTE COMPLETE of activities executed by Boskalis is wider

01
I TAKE ACTION IN CASE OF UNSAFE OPERATIONS OBTAIN A PERMIT TO WORK FOR DEFINED than ever. The complexity of our business
IF NECESSARY, I WILL STOP THE WORK HIGH-RISK ACTIVITIES
MAKE A JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS FOR
processes has increased dramatically, and > For more information: send an email to
I ACCEPT FEEDBACK ABOUT MY SAFETY
HAZARDOUS NON-ROUTINE ACTIVITIES clients and stakeholders are increasingly joke.vavier@boskalis.com,
OUR PRINCIPLES OUR IDENTITY
BEHAVIOUR REGARDLESS OF RANK AND
POSITION BE INFORMED ABOUT RISK & CONTROL demanding.’ The guiding principle is that our approach It is only then that we can transform those maris.paap@boskalis.com or
I REPORT ALL INCIDENTS, INCLUDING MEASURES
WE FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING
NEAR-MISSES, TO INFORM OTHERS AND BUILD
SAFETY IS DEEPLY EMBEDDED
BE FIT FOR DUTY AND WEAR THE PPE
Joke adds: ‘Now the different disciplines at should be low-threshold and compact. The requirements into an approach that is frank.stikkel@boskalis.com, or visit
OUR CLIENTS AND CONTRACTS THROUGH OUR NINA PROGRAM
ON LESSONS LEARNED REQUIRED Boskalis are teaming up on more and more new Way of Working makes 65% of existing genuinely appreciated by the client. www.boskalis.com/wow
WE DEFINE AND ACHIEVE AS PROFESSIONALS
CLEAR COMMON GOALS WE LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND projects, the drawbacks of using different procedures redundant thanks to a new, A crucial aspect here is the identification
MYWEROLE
ARE INACCORDING
CONTROL TO NINA AS TEAM PLAYERS WE ARE quality systems are becoming apparent, uniform approach. Furthermore, we are and discussion of possible inconsistencies
AS AN EMPLOYEE ALL EVENTUALITIES
MANAGING AS A MANAGER/SUPERVISOR
COMMITTED TO ACHIEVE WIN-WIN particularly during operations, for example improving quality by learning from each in a project request.’
Always check the safety of Yourself, Equipment and ■ Lead by example by demonstrating safety leadership
SOLUTIONS
■
WE CONTINUOUSLY
Surroundings (YES) LEARN ■ Create an atmosphere and conditions within the organization
when clients are faced with three different other, from the best practices at our company Joke explains: ‘This means that an important
■ ANDthatSHARE
Ensure KNOWLEDGE
you are informed about risks and control where ENTREPRENEURS
AS employees WE
are encouraged to TAKE
work safely and to
measures for the job and work environment address safety issues
OWNERSHIP FOR OUR ACTIONS working practices or reports on a single and by looking at things more often from the part of the quality management system
■ Inform your supervisor of hazardous situations ■ Ensure compliance with the values and rules for the area of
■ Always follow the values and rules control project, or when a project team cannot client’s point of view.’ focuses on improving the dialogue not
OUR WAY OF WORKING IN PRACTICE provide adequate answers to all a client’s only with the client but also between
NINA RULES IN PRACTICE
REQUIREMENTS & EXPECTATIONS EQUIPMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE questions. Different ways of monitoring CleaR CommuniCations colleagues. An approach like this requires
Prepare a Risk Assessment for each project, vessel or location Be informed about risk & control measures
Full understanding of our client, their needs, the contract and With a modern global fleet and project management
■ Responsible Manager/Captain coordinates the Risk Assessment and must involve
the applicable legislation is an essential first step in our Way
supervisors
■ Everyone on projects, vessels and offices is informed about the relevant risk and control
skills, we organize and deploy safe, suitable and reliable
measures
progress or managing subcontractors can Frank continues: ‘One of our goals, both different skills. The program is based on the
The Risk Assessment is reviewed periodically and updated when necessary Before starting the work a toolbox meeting is held:
of Working. equipment and create the necessary infrastructure.
represent a threat to the success of a project during the tender phase and during the core values of Boskalis, to which the WoW
■ ■
(such as change in work scope or method or following an incident) - in case of Job Hazard Analysis or Permit to Work
DELIVERY PLAN & KPIs
■ The measures defined in the Risk Assessment must be implemented - asKNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
a result of the Risk Assessment

and of the client, and at the expense of the execution of a project, is to keep the principles and essentials are closely tailored.
■ Updates in the Risk Assessment will be communicated with relevant persons on-site
Byautilizing
Obtain Permit toour Group
Work Deliveryhigh-risk
for defined Plan andactivities
KPIs we ensure a With a company history of more than a century, we
■ Identified high-risk activities:
professional approach to contract management and project Be Fit for Duty and
constantly learnwear
andthe PPEour
share required
expert knowledge.
- entering enclosed/confined spaces
execution.
- working on energized systems (including ‘Lock Out/Tag Out’)
■ “Fit for Duty” means not under influence of alcohol and/or drugs
SUBCONTRACTING & PROCUREMENT
■ PPE on site:
profitability.’ client center-stage and ensure that all our We will be using tools such as workshops
■ Based on the Risk Assessment other high-risk activities can be defined - safety shoes and hard hat
OPPORTUNITIES & RISKS
■ Defined control measures must be implemented We expect
- high-visibility our subcontractors and suppliers to commit to
clothing colleagues have client expectations in mind and posters to get the message across and
We identify risks upfront and manage and mitigate
■ Responsible supervisor issues a Permit to Work
these - lifethe
vestproject objectives and tooradhere
during embarking/disembarking if floating to our Supplier
equipment Code
lacks a railing

throughout the process. That starts with clear to establish a clear picture during the
■ Additional PPE are job-specific and based on the Risk Assessment,
Makeduring operations
a Job Hazard whilstforcontinuously
Analysis seeking opportunities
hazardous non-routine activities Jobof Conduct.
Hazard Analysis or Permit to Work loW tHResHold
foroffurther
■ In case optimization.
hazardous and non-routine jobs, the supervisor should do a JHA
(Job Hazard Analysis)
COMPETENCIES
■ Defined control measures must&
be TEAMS
implemented ‘The program was developed by, with and for communications in the tender phase, and process of the core goals and specific 01 THE COLLEAGUES BEHIND THE BIRTH OF THE WOW
Standing from left to right: Arco van Marion, Annette Panajoti,
With a global presence and large network of experts, we WWW.BOSKALIS-NINA.COM the divisions. During the preparatory stages, with perfect coordination to ensure that we project areas requiring attention.’ Joke Vavier, Frank Stikkel, Allard Leertouwer, Nieke Sterkman,
06-2017

build on teamwork, entrepreneurship and professionalism. WWW.BOSKALIS.COM/WOW

© 2012 All rights reserved Michael Evertsz. Seated from left to right: Bart van Dun, Maris
we identified the needs and expectations are interpreting client requirements correctly. The introduction includes presentations for Paap, Duncan de Meester, Judith Reemnet.

of various clients and a large number of

employees from the various business units,’
‘In the past five years, Boskalis has made not only counterproductive in terms of says Frank Stikkel, project manager in the navigatoR: tHe HeaRt of tHe neW system
major advances in the fields of environment merging our business processes, it is also Dredging & Inland Infra division. ‘In our
and safety. In our sector, we are one of the an obstacle to efficient interaction with the industry, the term quality program is typically the heart of the WoW approach process to the execution and completion of example, Salvage. The system ensures that
frontrunners in terms of safe and sustainable systems of clients or joint venture partners, associated with protocols and procedures, is an internal online platform, the the work, including all the safety aspects, can data and lessons learned are passed on better
enterprise. It’s now time to work hard on the and it therefore affects our reputation and but we decided emphatically not to adopt a navigator. be found here,’ says Joke Vavier. ‘Everyone from one phase of a project to the next. The
Q in SHE-Q (Safety, Health, Environment, our returns. So the new program fits in well procedural approach. Obviously, essential can access the entire system to execute a new approach will – particularly on more
Quality). Our ultimate aim is to improve our with the Boskalis “house in order” philo- documents and ISO certification apply, but The Navigator directs users step by step task, and to find the necessary tools and risk complex projects – save a lot of time, even in
profitability by engaging even more inten- sophy.’ we want our approach to be accessible, through all processes, actions to be taken, assessments. Tips & tricks are also displayed the short term.’
sively in a dialogue with our clients, while clear and, above all, client-oriented. The new and the corresponding supporting documents immediately. This means, among other
at the same time reducing the complexity CleaR message uniform quality standard can be summed for the integrated quality management system. things, that a colleague from the Dredging
of processes and quality systems in the ‘We are introducing a standardized up in a clear description of our approach: ‘All the components of our working procedu- division can also quickly acquire a picture of
company,’ explains Joke. ‘That diversity is approach in the field of quality management. WoW, the abbreviation for Way of Working. res, from approaching clients and the tender the knowledge and approach used by, for
8 9

‘THE HELIOS IS A
From deckhand to sandfill master, from cook to ROV pilot: Boskalis has an amazing number of different
jobs. What are the challenges that our colleagues face? They tell us about how they do their work, and

DREDGER TO MAKE
what they think about it. This time we talk to Marcel van Wijk, senior project engineer on the mechanical
engineering side of the construction of the new self-propelled mega cutter suction dredger, the Helios.

US PROUD!’
‘You really see something unique developing along the way!’

‘WE MADE A
3D MODEL OF
LITERALLY
EVERY PART OF
THE VESSEL
TO WORK OUT
ALL THE IDEAS.’

The vessel has 15.6 MW to pump the
dredged material through a floating pipeline
to the shore. That produces incredible
pressure,’ says Marcel. ‘When dredging
sand, the Helios can pump the mixture over
an exceptionally long distance using its own
power.’ Marcel talks about the numerous
innovations enthusiastically and with pride.
‘The wonderful thing about building a
complex, advanced dredging vessel like the
Helios is that you work with a large group of
specialists with the aim of perfecting every-
thing on the vessel. A cutter suction dredger
is a combination of separate elements that
need to be in perfect harmony. I sometimes
compare it to the instruments in an orchestra.
Everything has to work together perfectly to
produce wonderful music and an excellent
result. During the sea trials, we took all the
engines and systems to the maximum, and
went to the limit in every respect. It was like
a symphony! It’s a huge kick when every-
thing we have thought up actually works in
practice.’
Playing with sand
Marcel has been working for Boskalis for
more than seventeen years. He has been a
member of the Works Council for more than
15 years, acting as secretary for much of
that time, and he is a member of the Boskalis In his later career at Boskalis, he was
voluntary fire brigade. ‘I like to be in the
02
front row when there’s a good fire,’ he says
with a broad smile. After studying mecha-
nical engineering and business economics,
he joined the offshore company Allseas as
a field engineer. ‘My main job was marine
pipe laying, but I also worked on a large
excavator,’ he says. ‘From the start, playing
with sand was the most enjoyable part of my
job for me. And because I was always fond
of mechanical engineering, I applied for a
job as an engineer at Boskalis.
My first project was the overhaul of a big
booster, the Cosel, which involved installing
the existing components on a new barge. ‘
also involved in the construction of the >

01 THE MEGA CUTTER HELIOS AT A GLANCE

01 M ARCEL VAN WIJK DEMONSTRATES THE OPERATOR’S SEAT
‘For the Helios, we had the opportunity to come up with creative
ideas and innovative solutions in almost every area.’
02 T HE HELIOS DURING THE SEA TRIAL
Marcel van Wijk (50), along with a
large number of colleagues from various
disciplines, worked long and intensively on
the development of the Helios. We join
him on the mega cutter in the Waalhaven
in Rotterdam a few days before the vessel’s
official naming ceremony (see page 22).
Marcel is happy to take us on an extensive
tour of the giant ship, and he tells us enthusi- ‘One of the most impressive aspects of the
astically about the smallest details. ‘It’s been
decades since Boskalis built a cutter suction
dredger. For the Helios, we had the oppor-
tunity to come up with creative ideas and
innovative solutions in almost every area. As
a mechanical engineer, it’s like being a kid
in a candy shop,’ he laughs.
Orchestra
Helios is the enormous pumping capacity.
With a total installed power of
almost 24,000 kW, a total pumping
capacity of 15,600 kW and a maxi-
mum cutter power of 7,000 kW,
the self-propelled cutter suction
dredger Helios is one of the most
powerful cutter suction dredgers
in the dredging industry.
The Helios is 152 meters long and 28 meters
wide and it can dredge at depths of between
6 and 35 meters. The vessel was designed so become a new port area for offshore
that it can dredge in extremely hard ground. companies. In addition the Helios is
At 2,060 tons, the cutter ladder is the heaviest expected to be deployed on dredging
in the world. The Helios can accommodate operations for the development of the
a crew of 45, making operations possible port of Duqm in Oman (see page 11).
around the world in the most remote locations. The Helios’ sister vessel is expected to be
Recently the vessel started on her first assign- launched in the course of 2020.
ment. Together with the hopper Strandway
the Helios is executing dredging work in
the Port of Rotterdam for the development of
the Offshore Center on Maasvlakte 2 that will
10
advanced SP10 spray pontoon, the wide-
ning of the Taurus and the development of
the Trenchformer. In recent years, all his time
has been spent on the development and
construction of the Helios.
3D designs
Marcel’s main focus was on the design and
implementation of the dredging technology,
and particularly the enormous cutter ladder,
the huge spuds and the associated spud
carriage. ‘For me, the process began more
than four years ago,’ he says. ‘We spent
the first six months evaluating the merits
and shortcomings of our other cutter suction
dredgers, and listing the wishes and require- ‘Vincent Jutte, project manager at Central
ments for the new vessel. That was followed
by an intensive engineering process that
took almost two years: formulating ideas,
extensive discussions with one another, and
talking to the shipbuilder IHC about the
possibilities,’ he says. ‘An interesting aspect
of the design phase was that we produced
all the designs in 3D starting on day one.
That is a much faster and more reliable
approach. We literally modeled every part of the technology.’
the ship in 3D and worked out all the ideas
like that, and so it was possible to calculate
the different alternatives and modifications
very quickly and to immediately identify
possible difficulties. The construction work on ous structure of the spud carriage, and the
the Helios hull was led by project manager
André Klop at a shipyard in Pula, Croatia.
The dredging section was built at IHC in
Sliedrecht. All the different lines came
together in August of last year and the
final construction work took place at IHC
in Kinderdijk. That was the most intensive
03
period, with quite a few working days
of twelve hours or more. But that didn’t
bother me: you really see something unique
developing along the way.’
Crown jewel
Marcel takes us to the bridge of the vessel to
show us one of the Helios crown jewels: the
operator’s chair. ‘The traditional dredging
panel with dozens of buttons and meters
has been almost completely digitalized. All
parts of the dredging process are controlled
from an ergonomic chair with two joysticks
and a large number of touch screens. The
setup is like a computer game,’ says Marcel.
Fleet Support/E&I, was the driving force
behind this design. A range of colleagues
decided on the best positions for the screens
using virtual reality technology. Left-handed
colleagues can make the appropriate adjust-
ments. This is the first dredging vessel in the
world to be controlled in this way. We are
now working on a simulator setup that will
allow future crew members to practice with
Pit stop
Other remarkable features of the Helios
include the 50-meter-long spuds, the ingeni-
huge cutter ladder, which can cut sand or
harder material down to a depth of
35 meters. ‘We developed a larger type
of cutter head for this vessel to allow for
more pick points,’ he explains. ‘The largest
cutter head consists of 90 pick points. The
heaviest pick points weigh 29 kilos each.
04
We designed a new approach to make the
switching of pick points during operations
safer and easier. The cutter platform has
been redesigned and it is much safer.
The platform has also been fitted out with
an advanced flexible grab arm. This crane
structure resembles the equipment used to
change wheels during Formula 1 pit stops.
We also developed an efficient approach for
recycling the pick points.’
Sister vessel
‘All in all, the Helios is a dredger that
we can be very proud of – and I certainly
am,’ says Marcel. Now that the mega
cutter is ready for action, he is starting the
preparations for his next big project. ‘The
construction of the Helios’ sister vessel will
begin soon,’ he says. ‘Using the same speci-
fications as the Helios.’
> For more information: send an email to
marcel.van.wijk@boskalis.com
>G
 o to www.vimeo.com/boskalis/helios
for a video about the construction of the
Helios.
03 THE HELIOS DURING THE SEA TRIAL
04 M ARCEL VAN WIJK ON THE HELIOS
‘We designed a new approach to make the switching of pick
points safer and easier. We use a crane structure that resembles
the equipment used to change wheels during Formula 1 pit stops.’
BOSKALIS KEEPS
THINGS MOVING ON
DUQM PROJECT
The Duqm Liquid Bulk Berths Project in Oman is currently the largest job being executed by
the Boskalis Dredging and Inland Infra division. ‘This is a multi-faceted project involving a range
of Boskalis disciplines, including Boskalis Nederland and Cofra,’ says project director Bart Pröpper.
‘Given the size, the complexity and the tight schedule, the success of the project depends on
perfect teamwork.’
01 T HE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS IN DUQM ‘Boskalis has built up good relations in Oman. EPC (engineering, procurement, construction)
Work began on bringing in the sand for the bund in June.
The Queen of the Netherlands was deployed first, and the In recent years, we have been involved on
work was taken over in July by the Prins der Nederlanden.
projects including The Wave and Salam Yiti
in the port city of Muscat,’ says Bart.
‘The current project is part of a master plan
for port development in Oman, with the
port of Muscat being adapted to accommo-
date cruise vessels and the port of Salalah
focusing on container handling. Duqm’s
port is centrally located in an industrial free-
trade area, where a modern port complex,
shipyards and extensive dry dock facilities
have been built in recent years. The master
plan includes the construction of a new
bulk liquid berth terminal and a large
refinery in Duqm, where fossil fuels will
be processed to produce high-grade end
products. The port will provide employment
for more than 16,000 people, who will be
housed in the port area. The principal is
SEZAD (the Special Economic Zone Authority tation with Six Construct late last year. We
Duqm), for whom we will be executing an
11
01
contract consisting of a large number of
dredging and civil-engineering activities.
We are responsible for the land reclamation
and compaction, the construction of a kilo-
meter-long quay wall, two jetties, stone work
and deepening the port basin to -18 meters.
The civil-engineering work will be executed
under our responsibility by the Belgian
subcontractor Six Construct, a part of Besix
in the Middle East.’
Bund
The walls of the project office in Building 5 in
Papendrecht are papered with the extensive
schedules for the project. It’s an impressive
overview of the multitude of tasks and acti-
vities that need to be coordinated. ‘After a
long tender period, our design teams started
drawing up the first plans in close consul-
knew we had to work fast. The first part of >
12
the quay wall and the port area behind it
will have to be completed by March 2018
because that is when the construction work
starts on the tank terminal located on the part Nederland for the dry excavation of the
of the port built by us,’ explains Bart.
Soil drilling and soil surveys began this
spring as a basis for the definitive designs.
‘We decided at an early stage to start by buil- will be used for the construction of the termi-
ding a heavy ring dike – a bund – of sand.
It will contain a large, eighteen-meter-deep
construction pit where we will build the quay
and the two jetties,’ he explains.
Sand supplies
Work began on bringing in the sand for the
bund in June. The Queen of the Netherlands
was deployed first, and the work was taken
over in July by the Prins der Nederlanden.
‘We are taking the sand from a borrow area
about twenty miles offshore,’ says Bart.
‘The trailing suction hopper dredger sails
three times a day from the borrow area to
the connection point, where it pumps more
than 30,000 cubic meters of sand through
a floating pipe to the location. Obviously,
we are taking the prevailing environmental
requirements relating to turbidity into account
during this operation. In addition, we have
put procedures in place to ensure that we
don’t disturb the colony of whales living
in the area. The client is represented by
mammal observers on the trailing suction
hopper dredger.’
13
02 INSTALLATION OF FLOATING PIPELINE ON THE BKM104
03 C
 OFRA AT WORK ON A EARLIER PROJECT
02
Coordination nal and the jetties.’ The project includes a involved with the production of the concrete
‘We will be drawing on the equipment and large number of activities requiring precise blocks and the civil-engineering work.
expertise of our colleagues from Boskalis coordination. ‘Large concrete blocks are A project office is being built in an area
needed for the construction of the quay wall designated by the client. ‘It is a major
pit,’ continues Bart. ‘Some of the subsurface and they will be produced elsewhere in the challenge for our designers and for the sand-
is rocky ground and you can’t just spoon port area,’ is one example that Bart has in fill crews to make sure that the bund complies
that out. Some of the excavated material mind. ‘The land reclamation operations will with the strict requirements for strength and
progress in line with the construction of the dewatering,’ explains Bart. ‘Working in such
a huge building pit involves all sorts of safety
considerations. We have a range of monito-
ring systems in place for the bund to ensure
that it won’t slip, leak or break. But you
03
IRAN PAKISTAN
BAHRAIN always have to keep in mind that something
can go wrong. We have spent a lot of time
in several NINA sessions on good rescue
QATAR
Abu Dhabi quay wall. To execute all the different tasks to study the best possible approach to equipment, including ladders and rafts, and
Muscat without literally tripping over one another, compaction,’ says Bart. ‘Boskalis Nederland the development of evacuation plans.’
UNITED perfect coordination between all disciplines is also involved in the construction of the
ARAB is required. Keeping all the balls in the air rock slope next to the quay wall and the two Next phase
EMIRATES is the main challenge on this job,’ he says. large jetties, which we will be covering with The next phase of the project will be to
‘At the same time, we are also learning geotextile and rock. Some of the rock will remove the bund and then dredge out the
SAUDI- OMAN a lot from this project. In particular, we come from the current breakwater, which will port to a depth of -18 meters. ‘We expect
ARABIA
are gaining valuable experience with the form one edge of the port area. We will be to start on that work in December of this
management of civil-engineering works. That removing rock from the inside of the break- year,’ says Bart. ‘That will involve removing
is a specific type of knowledge which we water before putting in the sand.’ a total of 24 million cubic meters for which
Duqm will certainly be able to use in future projects we will probably be using our new mega
as well.’ Safety cutter, the Helios.’ Project completion is
Project manager Louw Dekker is leading the expected in the second half of 2019.
Compaction project team in Duqm. Including the crews, it
To comply with the stringent demands for the currently consists of around 200 colleagues.
YEMEN compaction of reclaimed land, the project As the work progresses, this number will > For more information:
Salalah team called in their colleagues from Cofra. rise, including the people from Six Construct, send an email to
‘Cofra set up a special testing area recently to about 1,500, many of whom will be bart.propper@boskalis.com
 SAFETYTALK
14
‘nina CReates
a team spiRit at
eveRy level of
tHe oRganization’
During a recent MCS meeting in Papendrecht, Bob Kidd, head of
business sector maintenance at Boskalis Westminster, described
the situation: ‘Many projects involve working more and more often
with people from outside our organization for whom NINA is not
the accepted standard. On an increasing number of international
offshore and dredging projects, Boskalis teams up with joint venture
partners, subcontractors, suppliers, crew members and freelance
contractors who work with different levels of safety from us. And they
are sometimes recruited by a client, rather than Boskalis. Outside
parties execute a variety of tasks on projects or on our vessels: from
diving, welding and electrical work to major activities such as delive-
ring complete foundations. As a result, project teams have to make
extra efforts to ensure that responsibilities with respect to safety and
NINA principles are well-defined and respected.’
poRtsmoutH
An example of a ‘shared’ project of this kind is the widening
and deepening of the port of Portsmouth, where half of the 150
people working on the project and crew members came from
outside Boskalis. ‘We soon realized that we had a challenging
situation on our hands,’ says project manager Gerrit Jan van den
Bosch. ‘First of all, of course, we work with preferred suppliers, for
example to charter multicats and tugs. Many outside suppliers had
already worked on some of our projects. We invited these larger
companies to kick-off meetings, where they were given a detailed
introduction to NINA. But we were also working with welders
and divers, sometimes for just a few days or weeks. We organi-
zed dozens of special NINA inductions for these groups at which
colleagues from SHE-Q and members of our project team briefly
explained the NINA Values and Rules and SHOC cards. In particu-
lar, we focused on the specific risks we defined on this project.
These sessions certainly helped us to ensure that all outside parties
were very much aware that safety was the first priority on our
project. In addition, these people almost always worked with
Boskalis colleagues with a NINA background who were able to
keep an eye on them.’
dolWin3
The offshore platform installation project DolWin3 was completed
recently. All the subcontractors who provided manpower were
invited to NINA sessions. ‘We organized kick-off meetings for all
phases of the work,’ says project manager Frank Berrens. ‘We have
outsourced an important part of the project, the extensive ballast
work, to ALE Heavy Lifting. We were very much aware that we had
to deliver a high-risk, demanding, and technically advanced job
and so we organized extensive NINA sessions in advance with this
subcontractor. We did the same thing with the supplier of the large
winches that we used on this project, and with other stakeholders,’
says Frank. ‘Most companies in our sector have their own safety
programs, but we were able to use these sessions to communicate
the NINA philosophy, and therefore our own thinking about safety.
The fact that NINA focuses on assuming personal responsibility
went down well.’ In addition to NINA sessions with the subcontrac-
tor’s supervisors just before the start of the project, there were also
kick-off meetings with colleagues working on the operational side.
Toolbox sessions were arranged during operations and they also
15
NINA has become a natural reflex for Boskalis colleagues in recent years. The safety awareness
program was also introduced at VBMS this fall. However, on an increasing number of projects,
Boskalis works with subcontractors, suppliers and freelance contractors who don’t always have
the same approach to safety. How does Boskalis ensure that safety is also guaranteed on those
projects?
Boskalis colleagues from SHE-Q are on site every day to monitor
safety, talk to people about unsafe conduct, and to help improve
safety. We also carry out a lot of management inspections. And we
are getting the management from Smulders involved in order to pass
on our philosophy. And, of course, we also draw attention to things
that are done well.’
André points out that the contract stipulates that some of the respon-
sibility for safety has been transferred to Smulders. ‘Which means
that we don’t actually have to be involved to this extent,’ he says.
‘But our standards are apparently higher than those adopted by
other clients they work for. We decided to organize safety task force
meetings every week at which we had open discussions with the
client Vattenfall and subcontractor Smulders about all the possible
01
risks. And that really helped: there was a genuine transformation
in the culture. Initially, there was some resistance but they are now
actually grateful that we are helping them to achieve a higher safety
standard, which is an absolute requirement for any collaboration in
focused extensively on safety issues. ‘In this way, safety awareness the future,’ says André.
is gradually spreading throughout the project organization,’ says
Frank. ‘NINA creates a team spirit at every level of the organization.
As a project manager, I think team building is particularly important. > For more information: send an email to bob.kidd@boskalis.com,
A simple initiative like handing out the same poloshirt to everyone gerrit.jan.vd.bosch@boskals.com, frank.berrens@boskalis.com
involved works wonders. It creates a sense of camaraderie. You or andre.andringa@boskalis.com
improve safety because you understand each other better and you
are more willing to watch out for one another.’
abeRdeen offsHoRe Wind faRm
Suppliers and subcontractors play a crucial role in the construction
of many wind farms. On the project in Aberdeen, the Belgian
company Smulders is responsible as a subcontractor for the
construction of the turbine foundations. ‘We immediately realized
that Smulders had an approach to safety that was very different
from ours: they didn’t even require everyone to wear helmets,’ says
project manager André Andringa. ‘We took immediate steps to
make improvements. During NINA kick-off meetings, we explained 01 DIVING SUPPORT VESSEL CONSTRUCTOR ON THE DOLWIN3 PROJECT
The Constructor working alongside the DolWin Alpha platform preparing the jacket for the float-over
our goals and the level of safety we expect from them. In addition, of the DolWin Gamma platform as part of the DolWin3 project.
16 17

ACQUIRED ORDERS
PRECISION WORK
The Boskalis flag flies proudly on numerous projects throughout the world. Cohesion has selected
some of the many projects that are in the pipeline, or that have been launched recently. ON THE GIRONDE
Vlissingen, THE Netherlands Offshore, Ivory Coast Offshore, Thailand Zeebrugge, Belgium Boskalis completed the Gironde project in France this month, a maintenance dredging project to make
START 10-3-17 START Q1/Q2, 2017 START Q2, 2017 START 3-7-17
the port of Bordeaux more accessible for cruise and freight vessels. ‘The crucial factors in the project
DURATION 97 weeks DURATION 8 weeks DURATION 4 weeks DURATION 22 weeks
FOR Fugro FOR BWO / CNR FOR Nippon / PTTEP FOR Eneco Holding were the big tidal differences, the strong water flow and the precision involved in the work,’ says
JOB Detection and removal of unexplo- JOB Saturation and air diving for JOB Repair of pipelines and installa- JOB Detection and removal of unexplo-
project manager Hans Been.
ded ordnance (UXO) for the installati- maintenance work on the FPSO tion of stone mattresses at pipeline ded ordnance (UXO) for the Norther
on of the export cable for the Borssele Espoire. crossovers. wind farm.
wind farm (see also page 28). The Gironde estuary is 75 kilometers
Helsinki, Finland Owendo, Gabon Norvik, Sweden
long and 12 kilometers wide, the largest
Fox River, USA START 7-5-17 START 1-6-17 START 1-8-17
in Western Europe. The Garonne and
START 15-3-17 DURATION 12 weeks DURATION 8 weeks DURATION 132 weeks
DURATION 104 weeks FOR City of Helsinki FOR Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. FOR Port of Stockholm Dordogne rivers discharge about 1,000 m³
FOR Fox River Cleanup Group JOB Construction of a temporary JOB Dredging operations with a JOB Construction of a 1,100-meter- of fresh water a second, while the rising tide
JOB Washing contaminated soil 60-meter-long quay wall. The project volume of 350,000 m3 to a depth long quay wall for a new Ro-Ro port. pushes up 15,000 to 25,000 m³ of sea-
from the Fox River in the US state includes dredging operations with a of -14 meters. water twice a day. ‘This dynamic in particu-
of Wisconsin. volume of 22,000 m3 and a range of Wilhelmshaven, Germany
lar was a major challenge on this project,’
civil-engineering works. Limburg, THE Netherlands START 1-8-17
Groningen, THE Netherlands START 1-6-17 DURATION 17 weeks
says Hans. ‘The difference between ebb and
START 4-4-17 Rotterdam, THE Netherlands DURATION 28 weeks FOR N-Ports Wilhelmshaven flood can be as much as 4.5 meters. During
DURATION 36 weeks START 8-5-17 FOR Rijkswaterstaat JOB Reconstruction work on the revet- spring tides, the flow rate of the river can
FOR Rijkswaterstaat DURATION 20 weeks JOB Repairing the noise barriers on ment of the slopes in the port: dred- be about 6 knots. That impacted not only
JOB Design and execution of major FOR Port Container Services the A2 and A76 motorways. ging, transportation and deposition
our dredging work but also how long it took
maintenance on road surface and JOB Revitalization of a container of 14,000 m3 of redundant material,
to get our colleagues to the project on time.
infrastructure on the A7 and A28 terminal with a surface area of ​​4.6 Terneuzen, THE Netherlands and the delivery and placement of
motorways. hectares. START 7-6-17 geotextile and 18,000 tons of rock The area on the banks of the Gironde is very
DURATION 48 weeks for scour protection. shallow and so the distances between the

Mumbai, India
START 27-4-17
DURATION 52 weeks
FOR JNPT
JOB Preparations in India’s largest
port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, for
accommodating larger vessels.
Deepening of the 35-kilometer-long
access channel, various turning basins
and berths. Boskalis is removing more
than 40 million m3 of sand, silt, clay
and rocky ground, deploying a jumbo
trailing suction hopper dredger, a
jumbo cutter suction dredger and
a large backhoe. A later issue of
Szczecin-Swinoujscie, Poland
START 15-5-17
DURATION 13 weeks
FOR Szczecin Maritime Office
JOB UXO survey in the 6-kilometer-
long access channel and the Zbozowe
Quay turning basin.
Portsmouth-Plymouth, England
START 31-5-17
DURATION 208 weeks
FOR DEOB
JOB Two-year maintenance contract
for dredging operations in Portsmouth
and Devonport naval ports.
FOR Rijkswaterstaat
JOB Creation of a working area of ​​
approximately 2,000 m2, construction START 1-8-17
of a 200-meter-long quay wall and a DURATION 8 weeks
125-meter-long jetty.
Cardiff, United Kingdom
START 8-6-17
DURATION 260 weeks
FOR Cardiff County Council Harbour
Authority
JOB Maintenance dredging work in
the port and the entrance channel.
Uusikaupunki, Finland
Maasvlakte, THE Netherlands
FOR Rotterdam Port Authority
JOB Raising a 30-hectare port area
with sand from a nearby borrow
area.
Drogheda, Ireland
START 28-8-17
DURATION 156 weeks
FOR Drogheda Port Company
JOB Maintenance work in the Boyne
River, the access channel and berths
embarkation locations are 50 kilometers on
average. Our crew boat has a theoretical
maximum speed of 20 knots but that drop-
ped to 14 knots when the current was in the
opposite direction.’
Outside help
‘After our involvement in maintenance work
in the past in ports such as Boulogne and
St. Malo, this was another successful acquisi-
tion of a project on the French market,’ says
John Elsinga, regional manager Southern
01
de l’Ouest in the Gironde estuary, where we
dredged more than a million cubic meters
in just under four weeks to maintain and
deepen the channel from the Bay of Biscay
to the estuary.’
Precision job
The survey work was particularly intensive.

Cohesion will focus on this project.
Soyo, Angola
START 30-4-17
DURATION 260 weeks
FOR Angola LNG
JOB Maintenance contract for dred-
ging operations in the Kwanda Base
for a period of five years, with an
option for a one-year extension.
Hamina, Finland
START 1-5-17
DURATION 40 weeks
FOR Port of Hamina Kotka
JOB Construction of a quay wall for
inland shipping. The project includes dril-
ling for the installation of 76 steel piles,
the driving of 72 steel piles, dredging of
a volume of 27,000 m3 and concrete
works with a volume of 3,500 m3.
02
Europe. ‘The French government usually has ‘A six-man-strong survey team conducted
START 18-6-17 in the port.
its own equipment for carrying out this sort surveys 24 hours a day from two survey
Egypt-Bahrain DURATION 23 weeks
START Q2, 2017 FOR Port of Uusikaupunki Offshore, United Kingdom
of dredging work, but the client, the Grand vessels,’ explains Hans. ‘The surveys were
DURATION 3 weeks JOB Extension of an existing quay START Q2-Q3, 2017 Port Maritime de Bordeaux, wanted outside time-consuming because we were only able
FOR Besix NV wall and positioning of steel bridge DURATION 12 weeks help to deepen the Gironde. Led by country to use single-beam equipment. The large The software we needed was developed
JOB Transport of the jack-up barge structure. FOR various clients manager Jeroen Tazelaar, we put Boskalis amounts of silt in the Gironde make it impos- in-house and written specifically for this work.
Ignatios V from Ain Sukhna in Egypt JOB Cable repair work at the
back on the map.’ sible to generate any useful information with This digital registration system allowed us
to Bahrain. Maasvlakte, THE Netherlands Rampion, Ormonde and London
The project office in Blaye ran the project multi-beam surveys.’ to prove with 100% certainty that the bed
START 30-6-17 Array wind farms.
Offshore, Germany DURATION 25 weeks with support from Atlantique Dragage To level the riverbed, the Yvonne W, a profile was exactly as agreed and that we
START Q2, 2017 FOR Kramer Group Offshore, Germany colleagues in Paris. The Gironde was former Stemat multicat, was fitted out with had dredged every point on the riverbed to
DURATION 8 weeks JOB Completion of a port area START Q2 / Q3, 2017 deepened by a meter over a distance of an A-frame and a 13-meter-wide plough exactly the right depth.’
FOR Nordic Yards measuring 6 ​​ ,000 m2. DURATION 6 weeks approximately 30 kilometers between weighing 20 tons. Hans describes the
JOB Air diving work from the FOR OWF Wikinger
April and August. ‘We worked in six project as a precision job: ‘The client
Constructor. Naantali, Finland JOB Saturation diving from the
START 2-7-17 Constructor.
different zones and dredged about three imposed stringent requirements for the > For more information: send an email to
DURATION 40 weeks million cubic meters of sand and silt. We registration of the dredged volumes. We also hans.been@boskalis.com
FOR Port of Naantali deployed the trailing suction hopper had to prove that the depth of the riverbed
01 E
 KE MÖBIUS AND YVONNE W AT WORK ON THE GIRONDE
JOB Extension of the jetty. The project dredgers Causeway and Eke Möbius, was right everywhere. In addition to the log The trailing suction hopper dredger Eke Möbius, one of the vessels in
consists of demolition work and the Strabag fleet, will get the Boskalis colors shortly and be renamed
which will soon be renamed the Medway,’ data from the suction heads of the hoppers, the Medway.
various civil-engineering structures.
continued on page 43 > says Hans. ‘The last section was the Passe we fitted the plough with an acoustic modem. 02 TRAILING SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER CAUSEWAY
18 19

sand motoR CentRal About 180 Boskalis colleagues and their families attended the annual Boskalis
Family Day on Saturday, 12 August, and joined the Boskalis Beach Cleanup Tour

on family day duRing organized by the North Sea Foundation. The participants cleaned approximately
four kilometers of the beach near Monster and the Sand Motor. Together, they

boskalis beaCH Cleanup collected more than 200 kilos of waste.

Protecting the Dutch coastline has traditionally
been one of the core Boskalis activities. So
Boskalis sees clean seas and beaches as a
social responsibility. That is why Boskalis has
been the main sponsor of the Beach Cleanup
Tour organized by the North Sea Foundation
since 2013. Just like last year, the campaign
lasted 14 days. The cleanup started simul-
taneously on 1 August at Schiermonnikoog
and Cadzand, and progressed from both
directions before reaching the central point
in Zandvoort on Tuesday, 15 August. A
record number of 2,748 volunteers joined the
campaign this year, collecting 14,929 kilo-
grams of waste. A group of colleagues repre-
senting Young Boskalis took part in the stage
from Rockanje to Oostvoorne on 10 August.
sand motoR
The Boskalis Family Day was two days
later. A large group of colleagues and their
families were welcomed on the beach at
Monster. ‘We also wanted the Family Day to
be a surprising and educational activity,’ says
communications advisor Sophie van Anrooij.
‘The youngest participants were helped to
build sandcastles and there was a workshop
with kites for the older children.’ One of the
highlights was the visit to the Sand Motor,
with an explanation of how it was created,
the role played by Boskalis, and Building with
Nature. ‘Professional sand sculptors made a
huge Boskalis logo in the sand, and that was
obviously a fantastic backdrop for a group
photo,’ says Sophie. The Family Day ended
with a lunch for all the participants. The orga-
nization arranged for bicycles so that every-
body could cycle back to the starting point.
> For more information: send an email to
sophie.van.anrooij@boskalis.com
> For a video about the Family Day 2017
go to:
www.vimeo.com/boskalis/familyday2017

Colleagues fRom boskalis WestminsteR Clean up tHe beaCH on Hayling island
in early june, boskalis Westminster
colleagues decided to clean up
eastoke beach on Hayling island in
the united kingdom.
The cleanup was organized with the help of
local employees from Havant Borough
Council. Eastoke Beach is a popular tourist
destination in the immediate vicinity of
Boskalis Westminster’s office in Fareham.
‘Boskalis executed beach nourishment opera-
tions earlier this year to strengthen the coast-
line and improve the quality of the beach for
locals and tourists,’ says office manager
Borough Council. ‘We collected about fifteen
large bags of rubbish consisting mainly of
packaging material, empty bottles, straws and
pieces of rope,’ says Laura. ‘It was a sunny,
enjoyable day and I think that there will defini-
tely be a repeat event in the future.’
> For more information: send an email to
laura.hayward@boskalis.com
Laura Hayward. The beach cleanup was
done by Boskalis colleagues and their fami-
lies, along with employees from Havant
beaCH Cleanup in abu dHabi gives team spiRit a boost
during the execution of the igd-e
project in abu dhabi, colleagues
on the project team decided to orga-
nize a number of beach cleanups.
both the client and the subcontractor
joined in.
The IGD-E project included the construction
of a landfall in Ras al Qila. ‘The Boskalis
project team decided to clean up a number
of local beaches in Abu Dhabi. When our
client GASCO and our subcontractor NPCC
heard about the plan, colleagues from both
organizations offered to help,’ says senior
helpful because working together created an
excellent team spirit at Boskalis, NPCC and
GASCO. So it was a successful initiative in
many ways!’
> For more information: send an email to
ard.vd.heide@boskalis.com
SHE-Q engineer Ard van der Heide. ‘We
removed a large amount of waste from
the beach. The campaign was particularly
20 21

BETTER MEDICAL CARE

‘Boskalis is one of the participants in Port XL, an initiative aimed at accelerating start-ups in the
maritime sector. Port XL supports start-ups working on digitalizing the port of Rotterdam,’ says

ON BOARD THANKS TO
Sander Steenbrink, corporate R&D manager. ‘One of the start-ups we support is Medassist.online.
They offer digital solutions that can help us improve medical care on board our ships.’

MEDASSIST.ONLINE

Together with, among others, the Port of Rotterdam Authority, EY,

ECE, Vopak, Uniper, Van Oord, Rabobank, Thales and Innovation
Quarter, Boskalis took the initiative for PortXL in 2015. The City of
Rotterdam and Rotterdam The Hague Airport have signed up since.
‘The abbreviation XL stands for accelerator,’ explains Sander.
‘The intention is to create a kind of pressure-cooker environment
to make innovations in the field of transport and logistics, energy,
petrochemicals and the maritime sector viable as quickly as possible.
Promising start-ups receive the financial and organizational support
they need to develop and market their business model in a short
period of time.’
Sander points out that this involvement benefits all concerned. ‘The
start-ups give us something, too,’ he says. ‘The speed, the effective-
ness and the inventiveness of the start-ups are also inspiring for a
company like Boskalis. We can learn from each other and strengthen
each other.’ Sander is one of the mentors who are helping the selec-
ted start-ups with advice and assistance during the course of their
development. ‘A mentor’s help consists of transferring knowledge
and experience, and sharing networks. We also provide practical
support,’ he says. ‘An example is the start-up Medassist.online. We
have given them the opportunity to run a trial on our trailing suction
hopper dredgers Strandway and Barent Zanen.’

Skills application
‘Medassist.online is a digital application that improves medical care

on board at low cost,’ explain doctors Walther Boon and Remko
Huigen. ‘Our apps provide medical solutions that can be used when
there is no doctor nearby. So a captain can rest assured that he
can provide the best medical care, far away from home, for crew
members who fall ill,’ says Remko. ‘An additional advantage is that
shipping companies and maritime employers can save on medical
costs and comply with international regulations and legislation for
medical care.’The initiative developed as a result of Walther and
Remko’s experience in their Emergency Control - Maritime Training
(ECMT) Training Center in Rotterdam, where they provide training in
medical procedures every year for around 500 captains and
officers from companies including Boskalis. ‘Our clients asked
for digital training materials to be made available on board. That
led to an app with instructional movies and pictures which we
dubbed the Skills app,’ says Walther. The app shows the eighteen
most important medical procedures that a captain or officer has to
01
preparation and execution of medical procedures and after-care.
The instructions are based on the use of medical resources present
on board.’
Heart App
A second application is the Heart app. ‘This app consists of an easy-
to-use heart rate monitor and the accompanying software on
a tablet, which allows a captain or officer to make a hospital-quality
electrocardiogram in a straightforward way,’ Remko says. ‘The result
is a PDF file that can be sent to a doctor on shore with one click for
a fast diagnosis.’
Captain Wim de Rover and officer Ruud Cornelie tried out both
a remote project location, this is definitely an asset,’ Ruud says.
‘The Heart app is easy to use. If we hear from a doctor on shore that – designed specifically for medical care on board. It can be used by
we need to put in a drip, it’s nice to be able to use the instructions in
the Skills app because these aren’t procedures that we do often.’
Offline as well
‘Medassist.online’s apps bring together medical knowledge, prac-
tical nautical experience and IT knowledge,’ Walther says. ‘The
applications take into account the often limited bandwidth on board
ships. They are suitable for Android and iOS platforms and they can
also be used offline on laptops or tablets.’ The apps are available
in 45 languages​​. ‘The apps also provide an overview of important
02
Augmented Reality app – for which we have also requested a patent
a doctor onshore to watch what is happening and to provide instruc-
tions about ongoing medical procedures on board.’
> For more information: send an email to
sander.steenbrink@boskalis.com or
Strandway-Captain@boskalis.com
01 T ESTING THE SKILLS APP AND HEART METER ON THE STRANDWAY
Captain Wim de Rover (left) listens to Dr. Walther Boon from Medassist.online.

be able to perform, such as stitching a wound, introducing a drip,
or stabilizing a neck. Remko: ‘The Skills app provides captains or
officers with a step-by-step guide to the safe and professional
apps recently on the trailing suction hopper dredger Strandway and
they see them as a useful addition to the mandatory medical training
that they complete every five years. ‘During a long crossing or at
phone numbers for contacts with the Radio Medical Service and
other practical information that may be urgently needed on board,’
said Remko. ‘We hope to expand our services quickly with an
02 S
 TRANDWAY AND HELIOS AT WORK FOR THE OFFSHORE CENTER IN ROTTERDAM
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is setting up a new port area in the Princess Alexiahaven measuring ​​
70 hectares. This will be the location for the Offshore Center, the hub for activities in the field of wind
energy at sea and the oil & gas market, such as the dismantling of oil and gas platforms. It is the first
project on which Boskalis used the new mega cutter Helios.
22 23

Helios named
The self-propelled mega cutter suction dredger Helios was named during a festive ceremony in the port
of rotterdam on July 1. The sponsor was Mrs Van der Veer, the spouse of Jeroen van der Veer, a member
of the Boskalis Supervisory Board. The Helios is the largest and most powerful cutter suction dredger

to tHe beat Boskalis has ever developed.

of tHe dRums

Mrs Van der Veer was accom-

panied by CEO Peter Berdowski
and Rob Cieremans, the captain
of the Helios. Sophie Klop, the
daughter of André Klop, who
was the project manager of the
Boskalis construction team, was
the sponsor’s flower girl.
The naming ceremony was
accompanied not only by loud
blasts from the ship’s horn of the
Helios, but also by a spectacular
drum show from Cesar Zuider-
wijk, the drummer of the Dutch
rock band Golden Earring, who
handed his drumsticks to Peter
Berdowski after his solo (see the
photo below).
After the ceremony, the Helios
left for the Maasvlakte for her
first job. In addition, the vessel
will in all probability go to Oman
to work on dredging operations
for the development of the port
of Duqm later this year (see page
11). Boskalis will launch the
Helios’ sister ship in the course
of 2020.

> For an impression of the

construction and of the
naming ceremony, see
www.vimeo.com/boskalis/helios
24
SMIT SALVAGE
EXECUTES NOTABLE
SALVAGE OPERATIONS
Honduras
The car carrier Morning Claire ran aground
near San Lorenzo, Honduras, in March. The
vessel was on its way to several ports in
Central America with a large cargo of cars
from Korea and Japan. After several refloat
attempts had failed, SMIT Salvage was
brought in to help. ‘We knew that there
would be a high tide soon and so we
had just enough time to mobilize the right
equipment,’ says Thijs. ‘Our salvage team
calculated the ground reaction, adjusted
the ballast conditions and chartered a strong
tug locally. We managed to refloat the vessel
without any difficulty.’
Ecuador
At about the same time, the ninety-meter-
long multipurpose vessel Isla Bartolome ran
aground near Puna Island in Ecuador, listing ‘Our salvage team mobilized diving and
about 40 degrees. SMIT Salvage set up
an international salvage team and went to
work immediately on the mobilization and
local chartering of the auxiliary equipment,
such as barges with anchors and the appro-
priate crane. ‘There isn’t much equipment
available in this area and that made this
salvage operation challenging,’ says Thijs.
pumping equipment from our support center
in Houston and started on the transshipment
of a large number of containers. That meant
climbing and clambering on the listing vessel,
which is why our salvage team had all
followed rope access training. They were all ‘An excellent example of synergy at Boskalis
supervised during the work by a professional was a salvage operation in Romania when
instructor.’ After unloading most of the contai- we were called in by a shipyard to salvage
01
02
ners, the salvage divers created a number of
holes in the ship’s hull so that pumps could
be installed. After being refloated, the Isla
Bartolome was returned to the owners.
Romania
25
With salvage operations in every corner of the world, SMIT Salvage has again confirmed its
status as a versatile global salvage specialist. ‘This is in line with our strategy, which is geared to
strengthening our global position by optimizing the deployment and exchanges of our international
salvage teams,’ says global operations manager Thijs van der Jagt. We look back at some notable
salvage operations.
03 04
the seaworthy yacht Bella Anna,’ says Thijs. work, the floating dock started to leak and and compartments, precautions to prevent
‘The yacht had fallen through the bottom of partially sank. As a result, the tanker’s holds environmental problems, extensive consulta-
a dry dock. Although it was listing slightly, filled up with water and the ship listed in tions with local authorities, the offloading of
there was no major damage. In order to lift the dock. ‘We spent six weeks working on some of the cargo, refloating the vessel with
the yacht as carefully as possible from the calculations and cost calculations in order three tugs and putting the cargo back on
dock, we mobilized the Taklift 7 and execu- to acquire the contract,’ says Thijs. ‘That board. ‘After four intensive weeks, the vessel
ted the lifting operation without a hitch.’ is something that happens more and more was returned to the owners,’ says Thijs, who
often in this economically difficult period.’ describes the project as ‘a great salvage
Indonesia The salvage team managed to repair all job that, once again, more than adequately
The very large crude carrier Alex ran the holes in the hull and to pump out the demonstrated our craftmanship.’
aground in the Java Sea in April. The tanker, holds. Even though the Hordafor was still
which is more than 330 meters long, was listing slightly, it was possible to refloat the
carrying more than 260,000 tons of crude vessel without touching the walls of the dock. > For more information: send an email to
oil. The ship was too firmly entrenched to After the salvage team berthed the tanker t.vd.jagt@smit.com
move away under its own steam. After the elsewhere in the port, they also managed to
salvage team had gone on board the tanker, refloat the eighty-year-old dock. ‘We comple-
a detailed refloating plan was drafted and a ted this salvage operation on time and on
smaller tanker, the Cakra Patriot, was mobi- budget, and that is something to be proud
lized and then moored alongside the Alex. of,’ says Thijs.
After a total of 60,000 tons of crude oil
had been transshipped, the Alex was light Greece
enough to be pulled off by tugs. In early June, the 180-meter-long bulk carrier
St. Gregory sailed at a speed of 13 knots
01 THE ISLA BARTOLOME LISTS 40 DEGREES
Poland straight onto the rocks near Kokkala in the
02 C
 LIMBING OVER THE CONTAINERS
Repairs were being conducted on the Peloponnese. Together with our Greek part- The salvage team had all had rope access training. They
received assistance from a professional instructor during
Hordafor V, an 80-meter-long Norwegian ner MegaTugs, the salvors of SMIT Salvage their work.
chemical tanker, in a floating dock in the drew up a salvage plan that consisted of, 03 THE TAKLIFT 7 LIFTS THE BELLA ANNA OUT OF THE DOCK
Polish port of Gdynia in April. During the among other things, various repairs to tanks 04 THE BULK CARRIER ST. GREGORY IN GREECE
26
UNORTHODOX
APPROACH ON PROJECT
IN WEST PAPUA
‘It took ‘We executed the Tangguh Extension Project
for our client CSTS, with BP Berau as the end certainty. A small local dredger had been
at least client,’ says André van der Wiel, operations
manager of the Landfalls and Rockworks
forty hours discipline of the Offshore Energy division.
‘The CSTS consortium is led by the contrac-
to get to ting company Tripatra and it also includes
the project
Chiyoda, Saipem and Suluh Ardhi Engineering.
CSTS is responsible for the construction of
location.’ a new LNG facility, a new terminal and
various infrastructure works for the Tangguh
andré van der wiel, operations manager
gas field near Papua Barat, Indonesia. Our
job was to make the new terminal accessible. worked a few hundred meters offshore in
We used an unusual piece of equipment
for this location: the backhoe Magnor, in
combination with a range of push barges
chartered locally and Indonesian tugs that
we converted into push boats. Given the
scope of the project, we could have done the Far from the inhabited world
job with smaller equipment but it would have ‘Executing a project in Indonesia involves
taken much longer.’
Impressed
Works manager Eric de Troije explains why
this unorthodox approach was adopted:
‘Our regional manager Erik de Haas convin-
ced the client that the expense involved
in using the Magnor would be more than
01
compensated for by the gains in speed and
working in an existing access channel since
2015 and it had done less dredging in a
year and a half than we can do with the
Magnor in a few days! Increasing the pace
means that production from the gas field can
start earlier. We mobilized the Magnor from
Colombia to Indonesia with the Dockwise
Teal. The clients were very impressed by the
equipment we used here and by how quickly
we managed to get started,’ says Eric. ‘We
water that was actually too shallow for the
Magnor. The benefit for the client is that we
dredged the channel to a depth of one meter
more than was required.’
complying with a large number of require-
ments, both in terms of import procedures for
the equipment, and for the visas and work
permits for our colleagues,’ continues André.
‘In this case, we were working for an oil and
gas client who had strict safety standards.
What made the project special was that the
project location was so far away from the
27
The Tangguh Extension Project in West Papua recently reached successful completion. The Magnor,
the largest Boskalis backhoe, was deployed to dredge a turning basin and an entrance channel for
a new LNG terminal. The project was in a location that was very difficult to reach. Boskalis opted
for a groundbreaking approach.
02
civilized world. It took at least forty hours about which spare parts to take with us. the fact that we were contracted in mid-July
to get to the location: first a flight to Jakarta, Another important aspect was the realization to do some extra work: the deepening of
then another flight to Makassar, followed by that replacing a sick colleague would lose us an existing channel and a turning basin.
smaller aeroplanes to Sorong and next Babo, a lot of time. Including the crews, the project That was about one month of extra work.’
and finally another half an hour with a small
boat to the location. Because the location
team consisted of some sixty colleagues.
So safe and, above all, healthy working
was so difficult to reach, the client didn’t was more of a priority on this project than > For more information: send an email to
want to run any risks at all with respect to ever.’ André adds: ‘Safety considerations andre.vd.wiel@boskalis.com or
the health of the people working there. So made it very important to fit out the Magnor eric.de.troije@boskalis.com
all our colleagues had to prove that they had
passed a medical. The check-ups were at the
with the Mooring Actuator. Our client BP was
very impressed with this innovation, which
Port Hospital in Rotterdam. All the medical we developed in-house to make manual
data were forwarded to a CSTS doctor who mooring with lines unnecessary. The Mooring
consulted BP’s medical department if there Actuator maneuvered the barges alongside
were any doubts. People with even slightly the backhoe without a hitch and provided
raised cholesterol or blood pressure weren’t a stable connection during the loading
allowed to work on the project.’ operation. Particularly on a project like
this, where safety played a major role,
Risks an innovative system was an asset.’
Eric explains: ‘What made the job extra
challenging was that we knew that it would Extra work
be difficult to obtain spare parts in good ‘Partly thanks to the Mooring Actuator,
time in this remote location. Repairing the Magnor proved once again that
or replacing something like a damaged it can operate very cost-effectively,’
propeller would have taken weeks and Eric points out. ‘We worked professionally,
endangered the continuity of the project. efficiently and safely on this project,
Project manager Raymond Yeung led the clearly demonstrating our value for our 01 part of the magnor CREW IN WEST PAPuA
process of assessing the risks and deciding client, BP.’ André adds: ‘As shown by 02 ONE OF THE INDONESIAN BARGES APPROACHING THE MAGNOR
28 29

BORSSELE ALPHA PROJECT:

The Borssele Alpha export cable project is one of the largest projects being executed by VBMS. The actual
operation will start in September 2018, but preparations are already in full swing. Commercial manager

OPTIMAL TEAMWORK
Pieter Wijnmaalen and project manager Hans Veth describe how the various disciplines of VBMS and
Boskalis strengthen each other.

BETWEEN VBMS AND BOSKALIS

Complexity
Perfect coordination is vital in both the
preparatory and operational phases. Hans
explains: ‘The cables will be buried much
deeper than normal: there are a lot of shal-
low sections and we have to take shipping
traffic and strict permit requirements into
account. The challenge is to coordinate all
the activities perfectly. We are responsible
here for managing numerous aspects of
the work of VBMS and Boskalis, and this is
where all sorts of disciplines interact.’
In addition to cable-laying, the project
consists of tasks such as specialist dredging,
earthwork, upgrading dikes, surveying and
rock placement. The variety and numbers
of the vessels and equipment, not only from
VBMS but also from Boskalis, demonstrate
how complex the project is. ‘We are already

01 02 hard at work with a team of around twelve

01 L OWERING OF THE BORSSELE SEA DIKE
The landfall will require the temporary lowering of the Borssele
sea dike. If there is an unexpected storm, the sea defenses have
to be completely intact. The dike will have to be restored to its
original condition within 24 hours.
02 IMPRESSION OF THE NEW BSS3 TOOL
The BSS3 is being developed with a combined team in-house for
the simultaneous laying and burial of cables.
03 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM SHOWING THE FLOTATION PITS
Thanks to these maritime refuges, the equipment can stay in
position above the sandbank at low tide, and then continue
laying the cable with the BSS3 at high tide.
The client on the project is TenneT Nederland, in Borssele via the Western Scheldt estuary.
with DONG Energy as the end client. The
project involves the laying of two 700 MW
export cables with a combined length of
120 kilometers. They will link the Borssele 1
and 2 offshore wind farms to TenneT’s high-
voltage grid in the Netherlands. The cables
will be connected to the Dutch electricity grid
The cables consist of two aluminum and
one copper component. Most of the operatio-
nal work will begin in September 2018.
The project will be completed in February
2019. ‘We are executing this project in
a consortium with NKT Cables, and that
is a good example of the strategic
cooperation with other market players that
VBMS pursues,’ says Pieter.
‘The cable manufacturer is an equal partner
with us in this project. That helps to achieve
a good project result and it provides the
client with the assurance that neither party
can hide behind the other. It also makes
an integrated and cost-effective solution
possible.’ Hans adds: ‘Another advantage
is that we were able to make sound agree-
ments immediately with NKT about the cable
specifications. These agreements ensure
that we can reduce the costs and risk for the
client, and that makes it more likely that the
client will call us in to execute other projects
in the future.’
colleagues from VBMS and Boskalis on
making all the calculations and applying
for the necessary permits,’ says Hans. Pieter
adds: ‘And there are a lot of them, because
the cables have to go through an area
where strict environmental regulations apply.
And another part of the route runs through
the busy shipping lanes offshore Zeeland
(NL). That means we need a sound plan that
is coordinated with various authorities and
waterway managers. We are dealing with >

THE NEARSHORE OPERATION ON THE BORSSELE ALPHA PROJECT

The nearshore installation of the cable through a sand-
bank in the Western Scheldt, the Spijkerplaat, will be
the most critical part of the Borssele Alpha project. This
sandbank rises to between 20 and 30 meters above
the seabed and it can sometimes be above the water-
line at low tide. The cables will be buried to a depth of
between 6 and 10 meters here.
The new BSS3 tool, which is now being developed in-house, will play
with a cutter tool. During the operation, the cable goes from the vessel
through a dedicated item of equipment to the BSS3, which will be
located on the floor of the Western Scheldt. The BSS3 uses the jet pipe
to install the cable at the desired depth. In locations where there is not
only sand but also clay, the cutter will remove soil from directly in front
of the jet pipe.
flotation pits
‘VBMS has opted for a method based on the application of what we
back considerably on the amount of dredging we have to do. And it
also means we can use the most suitable installation equipment. This
part of the project depends vitally on the perfect coordination of the
FLOTATION PIT
cable-laying and dredging work. As the first cable is being laid, we
have to start preparing for the second. That means preparation and
installation work have to take place at the same time.’
The landfall will also require the temporary lowering of the Borssele
dike. There are additional requirements in this area as well: if there
BORSSELE
is an unexpected storm, the sea defenses have to be completely

a crucial role. The BSS3 will be a dedicated tool for the simultaneous
laying and burying of the cables. In blunt terms, it is an unusual sort
of sledge that is fitted with a powerful jet pipe and pulled along by
a ship. The BSS3 will be equipped not only with a jet pipe, but also
03
call flotation pits. We dredge specific areas where we can stay at low intact. ‘So we have to be able to restore the dike to its original shape
tide with our equipment, floating above the sandbank, allowing us to within twenty-four hours and that requires quite a lot of coordination,’ FLOTATION PIT
resume cable-laying again at high tide,’ Hans explains. explains Hans.
‘That means we are dependent on the tide, but this approach still cuts
30 31

AASTA HANSTEEN:
04 PIETER WIJNMAALEN (LEFT) AND HANS VETH

ON COURSE FOR THE

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE
The Aasta Hansteen project is one of the most wide-ranging operations being executed by the
Offshore Energy division. The project consists of three separate components. Phase 2, the transport
of the substructure for the SPAR-FPSO from South Korea to Norway by the Dockwise Vanguard, was
completed in June. ‘Phase 3 involves the transport of the topside of the FPSO with the White Marlin

04 followed by the dual float-over. That will be our biggest challenge,’ says project manager
Bas Polkamp. ‘An operation like this has never been executed on such an enormous scale before.’

numerous stakeholders and a wide range
of permit requirements, such as the environ-
mental permit for the Natura 2000 area and
the permits for the temporary digging out of
the primary sea defenses.’ All that affects
the starting date for the various operations
but another important factor is the weather.
‘WE ARE
Trenchformer
The Ndurance will be deployed on the
PULLING OUT offshore work to lay the cables over a
distance of about 30 kilometers. ‘We will
ALL THE STOPS use the Trenchformer for the burying work,’
says Hans. ‘The cables will be protected by
TO STRENGTHEN a natural backfilling process. The final survey

‘Obviously, the weather conditions mean that
the autumn and winter are not the ideal time
for laying cables,’ explains Hans. ‘We drew
up a schedule in the tender phase that takes
these factors into account, while guaran-
teeing that we will install and connect the
cables on time.’
Execution
Pieter: ‘The project consists of two parts:
the offshore and nearshore sections. In the
offshore area, we have to work with sand
dunes; the nearshore area includes a difficult
sandbank in the Western Scheldt. Both
sections present their own specific challenges
but the nearshore area in particular (see
inset on page 28) requires the perfect coordi- begin in 2018 to make the route accessible
nation of different execution methods.’ Hans
explains: ‘We are starting by making the
preparations for the separate production and ‘In the shallow sections, we will be using
installation of the cables. NKT is starting with the expertise and equipment of Boskalis
the detailed engineering for the cables and
a test phase, which will take place this year,
after which cable production can start.’
NKT is transporting the cables in separate
sections by inland barges to Rotterdam,
where the separate segments are being
welded together. The condition of the cables
is continuously monitored during that process. tion channel known as De Honte in order to
Before operations start, extensive surveys
will be completed to determine the current
status of the seabed. The dredging work will
OUR POSITION
AS THE MARKET
LEADER IN THE
FIELD OF LAYING
HIGH-VOLTAGE
CABLES AT SEA.’
Pieter Wijnmaalen, commercial manager VBMS
for the new BSS3 burying tool and later the
Trenchformer.
Nederland, including backhoe dredgers and
excavators,’ explains Hans. ‘In addition, we
will be deploying several Boskalis trailing
suction hopper dredgers to lay the cable in
the navigation channel along the Zeeland
coast. The client has asked us to cover the
cable with rock in the section of the naviga-
prevent damage by, for example, anchors.
The fallpipe vessel Rockpiper will do the rock
placement work.’
and the definitive tests will follow at the end
of the project.’ Pieter: ‘This project really is
a demonstration of the synergy with Boskalis.
Thanks to Hydronamic’s expertise, we were
able to convince the client that we have the
knowledge required to interpret the different
types of soil and the associated risks. If we
can perform this job to TenneT’s satisfaction,
we will have a better chance of acquiring
other projects in the future. We are pulling
out all the stops to show what we can do
and strengthen our position as the market
leader in the field of laying high-voltage
cables at sea.’
> For more information: send an email to
h.veth@vbms.com or
01
p.wijnmaalen@vbms.com 01 T RANSPORT OF THE SPAR-FPSO SUBSTRUCTURE ‘Everything involved in this project is compre- from the yard in Ulsan to a fjord between
BY THE DOCKWISE VANGUARD
hensive and complex,’ says Bas. ‘We have Stavanger and Bergen in Norway.’
been working with a large team for more
than two years to prepare for the different Delay in construction
phases. Our first involvement in the project That transport went ahead later than planned
was the transport of the living quarters, due to delays in the construction process.
which consist of eight floors. This module ‘The Vanguard arrived on schedule in South
was built in Schiedam in the Netherlands. Korea on 3 January, but it was 21 April
We took it to the Hyundai yard in South before we managed to lift anchor again,’
Korea with the Dockwise Swan in 2015, says Bas. ‘So we were waiting for more
where the module was positioned on the than a hundred days. Even after the sub-
topside,’ he explains. ‘The second phase structure had been moved onto the Vanguard,
involved the recent horizontal transport of the rope access teams had to carry on
the substructure by the Dockwise Vanguard working. They climb over the structure like >
32
mountaineers to complete the final painting
work and other jobs. We managed to draw
up an agreement with the client that was fair
to both sides to compensate for the lost time.’ from the White Marlin in a single operation.
Final phase
When the Vanguard arrived in Norway,
the offloading operation was completed
within ten days. After the sea fastenings and
buoyancy tanks designed especially for this
transport had been removed, local operators
towed the substructure to a safe, sheltered
location in the fjord. ‘The substructure was
then moved into an upright position and
submerged to wait for the installation of
the topside,’ explains Bas. ‘This operation,
which we refer to as the dual float-over,
will be the final phase and the absolute
climax of the project.’ The dual float-over
began recently with the load-out and the
transport of the topside from South Korea
to Norway on the White Marlin, which
will take about 55 days. The dual float-over
itself will be in late October or the first week
of November.
Dual float-over
‘The installation is this complex because we
can’t install the topside on the substructure
‘That meant we needed to develop an inno-
vative working method, a lengthy process
involving a large number of colleagues.
The solution involves the addition of an
intermediate phase, which allows us to
create the space needed to sail over the
substructure with the topside,’ explains Bas.
Calculations precise to within a centimeter
were made to check our approach and there
have been discussions with the client that
have even involved looking at individual
nuts and bolts.’
The dual float-over, which is also referred to
as a catamaran barge float-over, will involve
the deployment of S-class vessels: the Swift
and the Teal. ‘Large steel carrier structures
are being installed on the topside in South
Korea,’ says Bas. ‘When the White Marlin
arrives with the topside in Norway, the two
S-class vessels will come alongside with four
giant supports for these structures.
The supports have steel compartments
covered with rubber. They serve as shock
absorbers that we can adapt in line with the
dynamics of the wind, weather, waves and
currents at the time of the operation. We
position the two vessels on either side of the
White Marlin and raise them. At the same
time, we submerge the White Marlin and
sail it out. The result is a sort of catamaran
structure with the topside linking the two hulls.
Then we deploy a number of tugs, probably
including the Union Sapphire and the Union
Diamond, to position the topside exactly and
install it on the substructure.’
3D simulator
‘We expect this operation to generate a
lot of publicity for Boskalis,’ continues Bas.
‘Nobody has ever executed such a critical
and large precision job with such enormous
structures. On top of all that, the installation
work will be in a difficult season, with
short days and a high probability of cold
and poor visibility due to fog and rain,’
he says. ‘To maximize our grip on this
complex challenge, we have been practicing
for some time now at the Maritime Research
Institute Marin in Wageningen. We have
developed a real-time 3D simulation – with
the entire configuration and all the external
conditions – to mimic the actual situation
as closely as possible. We made an exact
copy of the control cabin. This is where the
towmaster will be coordinating the operation worst possible weather conditions, such as
and communications between the operatio-
nal team, which includes the captains of the
four tugboats, the captains of the S-class
vessels, the operations manager, the super-
intendents and the winch operators. We will
be practicing every last detail of the entire
operation and all the associated communica-
tion protocols. And we have already learned complete the commissioning of the FPSO,’
a lot. On the basis of our 3D sessions, we
have even modified some of the initial
EXTREME CONDITIONS ON AASTA HANSTEEN GAS FIELD
Aasta Hansteen is a gas field that
Statoil discovered in 1997. It is
located in the Arctic section of the
Norwegian Sea, where there is no
other platform. The water is 1,300
meters deep, and the currents and
weather are extremely turbulent.
The gas is taken to land through a new pipe-
line with a length of 482 kilometers known as
the Polarled. In view of the extreme conditions, than 200 meters long, with a diameter of
approach and the engineering. We are now
working on developing perfect operating
procedures by practicing with unforeseen
situations and unexpected operational issues
as well. The float-over as a whole has been
split up into small steps. We avoid safety
risks by working step by step from one safe
situation to the next. As a result, even the
a storm that occurs only once every hundred
years, will not pose a threat to the success of
the operation.’
Offshore tow-out
‘In the weeks following the completion of
the dual float-over, other parties will further
explains Bas. ‘The entire complex will then
be towed to the definitive location in the
Statoil opted to develop the world’s largest
spar platform. The Aasta Hansteen platform
is a SPAR-FPSO (Floating Production Storage
and Offloading unit) consisting of a vertical
floating cylinder (the substructure) with a
gigantic topside that houses the production
facilities and the accommodation.
The topside is a conventional gas extraction
plant weighing 25,000 tons. The substructure
is a colossal cylindrical buoy that is more
33
Arctic region in early 2018, and that
promises to be a spectacular transport as
well. We hope that our Fairmount vessels
will have a role to play. The contract for this
offshore tow-out will be on the market next
month and it goes without saying that we will
be doing our best to be involved.’
> For more information: send an email to
bas.polkamp@boskalis.com
> For a video about the loading of the
substructure on board the Vanguard go to
www.vimeo.com/boskalis/aastahansteen
50 meters and weighing 46,000 tons,
which was built and transported entirely in
a horizontal position. Construction began in
2014 at Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan,
South Korea.
34
Range of CHallenging
pRojeCts foR
boskalis WestminsteR
bReXit
To get straight to the point: Brexit. Will a lot
change for Boskalis Westminster if the United one of the mainstays of Boskalis Westminster.
Kingdom leaves the European Union?
‘To be honest, I think it will work out OK.
We did have a few problems with the
mood of uncertainty at the time of the Brexit
referendum. We took steps immediately
to reduce the impact of the unpredictable
pound sterling exchange rate. But as far as
the more distant future is concerned: we
are a UK company working in a UK market.
We depend to a large extent on investments
made by the British government in coastal
protection, and in maritime and infrastruc-
ture projects. The government has already
developed various plans, and I am assuming
that the planned stimulation projects will go
ahead.’
sand and gRavel tRade
Maintenance work has traditionally been
Can we expect a change of course in that
respect?
‘Definitely not. Our regular long-term main-
tenance projects in Cardiff, Drogheda and
Barrow, as well as in the ports of Plymouth
and Portsmouth for the Royal Navy, are a
sound basis for our activities. We hope our
maintenance contracts in the ports of Liver-
pool and Harwich will be renewed soon.
The relevant tender procedures are under
way at the moment. But we are also working
on the expansion of our market by increa-
sing our share in the sand and gravel trade.
In the past, we obtained various sand and
gravel concessions from the British govern-
ment, and we have a 25-year contract for
01
supplying gravel to nourish British beaches.
We have a fixed contract for supplying sand
to a major concrete manufacturer in Liver-
pool and we also deliver raw materials to
various construction companies. We will be
focusing more strongly on activities like this
in the time to come.’
poRtsmoutH
A major recent project was the expansion of
the port of Portsmouth. Has that project been
completed now?
‘We are busy dotting the i’s. We have
deepened and widened the entrance
channel, berths and the turning basin in
Portsmouth so that the port can accommo-
date two new aircraft carriers. An important
aspect of the project was the detection and
removal of UXO (unexploded ordnance).
These are busy times for Boskalis Westminster, the Boskalis home market organization in the Uk.
‘Traditionally, our maintenance contracts have provided a stable basis for our company. In addition,
we completed a number of projects successfully in 2016, and we are engaged in a range of
challenging jobs in 2017,’ says managing director Paul M. de Jong. An interview to discuss ongoing
matters and some of the larger projects in the United kingdom.
We used advanced survey technology in
collaboration with Boskalis Hirdes. These
Sub-Tem surveys can also detect non-ferrous
metals. The intensive survey work was
a major challenge, but we managed to
complete this project to the full satisfaction of
the client.’
doveR
In the meantime, the Dover Western Docks
Revival project has also started. Is that
Boskalis Westminster’s most important
project right now?
‘It certainly is. We are executing this project
in a joint venture with Volker Stevin, with
whom we collaborate a lot. The project
includes the redevelopment of the Western
Docks area. Our job is to fully modernize
this area, which consists of a cruise terminal,
02
jetties for hovercrafts that are no longer used
and an outdated marina. The first phase of
the process involves the construction of a
quay wall measuring hundreds of meters to
replace existing jetties and piers. We will be
working from three large crane barges
to drive large piles into the bed to create
a new pile wall. We are responsible for dred- > For more information: send an email to
ging and processing about 1.2 million m3
of material from the port area. We will be
deploying the trailing suction hopper dred-
gers Causeway and Barent Zanen, among
other vessels, at various times in the process
to bring in a total of 1.1 million m3 of sand
from borrow areas nearby for the new quay
wall and the land reclamation operations in
the area behind it. We have teamed up with
our colleagues from Cofra on this project
and they will be compacting the ground
35
in the new port area. The first phase of
the project involves the construction of
a commercial port. In phase 2, a new
marina will be built near the Dover prome-
nade. The land reclamation in the area of the
former marina, which will also acquire
a new commercial function, still has to be
tendered separately. We hope to execute
that project after we have finished the other
work. All in all, this is a complex job that
requires intensive coordination of the dred-
ging and civil-engineering work. We expect
to complete the project in March 2019.’
peteRHead
Boskalis Westminster is also at work in
Peterhead, Scotland, on the modernization
of the port. Is that a similar project?
‘In one sense it is, but this project is smaller.
In Peterhead, we are giving the fishing port
a makeover in a joint venture with the Irish
contractor McLaughlin & Harvey. We will
be building a new quay wall by drilling and
installing Ruukki piles in front of the small,
historical quay walls in place. We will also
be dredging approximately 120,000 m3
of rocky ground from the port with the
MP40 backhoe. The dredged material will
be used to create a new port area. Our
scope also includes the construction of the
bank protection for this area using local
and imported rock. The difference in size
between our enormous backhoe and the
small fishing boats and the surrounding
houses is a fascinating contrast.’
paul.m.de.jong@boskalis.com
01 BOSKALIS AT WORK NEAR THE ‘WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER’
02 OPERATION WITH THE MP40 IN PETERHEAD
36 37

king Willem aleXandeR RopaRun: ‘unfoRgettable,

visits maRkeR Wadden but muCH too little sleep!’
During a recent visit to the first island of the Marker Wadden, king Willem Alexander of the This year, a large team of colleagues took part for the fifth time in the roparun, a relay event organized
Netherlands was impressed not only by the progress made but also by the large numbers of to raise money for people with cancer. On this occasion, the team ran a distance of 560 kilometers from
pioneer birds that are already flourishing in the new nature area. Hamburg to rotterdam.

The king was on a visit to learn more about
the development of the Marker Wadden.
During a cruise and a walk across the first
island, which measures 250 hectares, he
spoke with representatives from the Dutch
Society for the Preservation of Nature
(Natuurmonumenten), researchers and
colleagues from Boskalis.
‘The island is less than a year old, but we
have already counted 2,000 breeding pairs
of pioneer birds such as the common tern
and the avocet. Birds like the little ringed
plover and the black-headed gull are already building WitH silt
pioneering,’ explains forester Ruben Kluit
from Natuurmonumenten. ‘Pioneer species
only need a hollow in the sand where they
can keep their eggs. They feel safe on the
Marker Wadden: there are no people and
no land predators, and they can see birds of
prey from a distance. But the islands will look program will focus on nature restoration
very different in a few years from now. There and experience with one of the unique
will be marshes, reeds and more vegetation.
The pioneer birds will probably be replaced
by marsh birds looking for shelter that need
other things from their surroundings. The
species in place change with the nature,’
says Ruben.
The king also talked to some colleagues
about their work and experiences with the
construction of the islands. During his tour,
he was brought up-to-date with the research
program that will be conducted on the
Marker Wadden in the years to come. The
aspects of the construction of the Marker
Wadden: building with silt. Roel Posthoorn,
the project director for the Marker Wadden
from Natuurmonumenten, told the king that
birds in particular benefit from the islands in
the Markermeer lake, but the area will also
01
02
be used for leisure activities. ‘So we will be
building a nature port, footpaths, hides for
bird-watching and a lookout tower,’ he says.
Boskalis will be at work until 2020 on the
completion of the remaining four islands.
There were 321 teams this year and together Together, we delivered a great sporting than 20,000 euros for charity and I’m proud
they collected more than 5 million euros. achievement.’ Paula sums up her memories to have played a part!’
‘All the runners in our team ran about 65 kilo- of the Roparun in a few words: ‘I ran almost
meters, more than one and a half marathons. 80 kilometers and slept far too little. But
The group also included cyclists and a large there were unforgettable moments: drum > For more information: send an email to
support team with drivers, minders, caterers solos at sunset, a polonaise at night to music paula.ockeloen@boskalis.com
and route scouts,’ says contract coordinator from Dutch singer Guus Meeuwis, a follow-
01 AERIAL VIEW OF THE MARKER WADDEN Paula Ockeloen. up course in Brabant dialect for Beginners
02 KING WILLEM ALEXANDER (RIGHT) DURING THE VISIT ‘The Roparun was an unforgettable expe- and encouragement from thousands
On the left: colleague Bart van Asperen, Marker Wadden
project leader. (Photo: Jiri Buller) rience. The feeling of togetherness is unique. of people. Team Boskalis collected more
38
BOSKALIS IMPROVES
EFFICIENCY WITH
EQUIPMENT PORTAL
01 A NNETTE BARENDREGT AND WIM HOKKEN ‘In line with the Boskalis “house in order”
‘It’s a lot of work, but it pays for itself several times over.’
philosophy, we are making a major step
forward with the Equipment Portal,’ says
Wim. He launched the platform late last
year with mechanical engineer Annette
Barendregt. ‘The main focus at Boskalis is
on project execution. On some projects, we
buy dedicated equipment for particular tasks: The Equipment Portal will make sure that
winches, for example, or power packs, but
also special suction heads, grabs, pontoons
or plows. And there are times when we
even build specific items of equipment for
a project in-house,’ explains Wim. ‘Usually,
the costs are paid from the project budget.
And once a project is completed, the orga-
nization focuses on the next job. In the past,
there have been no set procedures for what
happens with the purchased equipment. That at DTED know from experience more or less
01
equipment is often expensive, and it may
be possible to use it on other projects. But
it has to be easy to find.’ Annette adds:
‘Until now, a tender or project team that
needed a particular type of plow wouldn’t
know that the equipment they needed had
already been bought for a previous project.
equipment isn’t purchased or chartered
when Boskalis already has it available.’
Extensive range
‘Boskalis has a large number of disciplines
with their own equipment, own mana-
gers, own administrative systems and own
schedules,’ Wim continues. ‘Many project
managers, superintendents and colleagues
‘Our company owns a large amount of equipment and ancillaries at all sorts of storage locations
worldwide, but not everyone knows what equipment is available. So we sometimes end up chartering
or buying equipment that we already have in store or that is available for charter inside the organization.
The Equipment Portal provides an overview for everyone of both large marine equipment and smaller
‘dry’ equipment of Boskalis. That saves time and money,’ says Wim Hokken, fleet manager backhoes
and the man behind the initiative.
what Boskalis has in store. But in recent
years, in part as a result of the integration
with SMIT, Dockwise, Stemat, VBMS and
Strabag Wasserbau, a lot of equipment
has been added to the range.’ Annette:
‘Worldwide, Boskalis has dozens of storage
locations, all with their own managers and
own registration systems. In addition to the
fourteen different Boskalis locations in the
Netherlands, there are storage locations in
Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), Singapore, Cape
Town (South Africa), Mexico, Batam (Indo-
nesia) and Panama. And the home markets
in Germany, Finland, the UK and Nigeria
also have their own equipment. So a lot of
colleagues thought it was time for a central
registration system and a single search
engine. The Equipment Portal allows every
colleague to check whether Boskalis has a
particular item of equipment. It is then possi-
ble to get in touch with the relevant manager
to find out where the equipment is and to
discuss planning.’
Proven practicality
With technical support from colleagues in
the IT department, Wim and Annette started
with the development of the portal in the
Office 365 environment late last year. It
was decided to adopt a clear tree structure
with different search functions. With help
from colleagues in different business units,
Annette has since added thousands of items
of equipment, together with photos and
technical descriptions, often in the form of
existing equipment sheets, to the database.
‘We do this alongside our regular work.
So we have made considerable progress
but there are still quite a lot of items to be
added in the time to come,’ she says.
Wim: ‘We think that there are about
100,000 different pieces of equipment in
about 120 product groups, ranging from
large units such as vessels, barges and
excavators to smaller ancillary equipment
such as anchors, boosters and pick points.
It’s a lot of work, but it pays for itself several
times over.’
39
’THE MAKASSAR AND DUQM
PROJECTS ARE NOW USING
CONTAINERS FULL OF NEW
PACKING FOR PIPELINES AND
PALLETS WITH THOUSANDS OF
NUTS AND BOLTS PURCHASED
FOR OTHER PROJECTS.
THAT ALONE REPRESENTS
A SAVING OF MANY
THOUSANDS OF EUROS.’
WIM HOKKEN, FLEET MANAGER AND THE MAN BEHIND THE EQUIPMENT PORTAL INITIATIVE
The practical value of the Equipment Portal Colleague involved in preparing or
has already been proven on a range executing a project are automatically
of projects. As part of the launch of the linked to the Equipment Portal by the new
Equipment Portal, several large storage Boskalis Way of Working (see page 6).
locations have been cleared up recently. Steps are being taken to see whether the
‘That revealed the existence of quite a bit of Equipment Portal can also be linked to the
“forgotten” equipment,’ says Wim. internal search platform Boskalis.world.
‘The Makassar and Duqm projects are now
using containers full of new packing for
pipelines, and pallets with thousands of > The Equipment Portal can be found at
nuts and bolts purchased for other projects. https://boskalis.sharepoint.com. Click on
That alone represents a saving of many the Equipment Portal icon.
thousands of euros.’
> For more information: send an email to
Way of Working wim.hokken@boskalis.com or
‘We hope we can make clear agreements annette.barendregt@boskalis.com
about the registration of equipment that
comes back from a completed project,’
concludes Annette. ‘This project can only
succeed if everyone is willing to make
equipment from previous projects available
for their colleagues. It goes without saying
that the Equipment Portal can only remain
up to date and reliable if all the necessary
information is added and updated in a clear
and disciplined way by all the different
managers of the equipment.’
40
inspiRing ‘College touR’
oRganized by young boskalis
Young Boskalis recently organized a ‘College Tour’ event for the second time. Board of Management
member Theo Baartmans was in the spotlight, following on from CEO Peter Berdowski last time
round. It was an evening with plenty of tough questions and candid answers.
The College Tour was in the Kunstmin Theatre submitted questions focusing on three key
in Dordrecht. ‘Christian Schütte from AMI
Consultants was the host and interviewer.
However, as in the TV program, we wanted
to give as many colleagues from Young
Boskalis the opportunity to put questions to
Theo,’ says the Young Boskalis chair Lieuwe
Gietema. Before the evening began, the
participants, who numbered more than fifty,
boskalis Continues to WoRk suCCessfully on sustainability
boskalis is active in offshore wind
energy, delivering an important contri-
bution to making energy supplies more
sustainable, for example by building
wind farms and laying cables. sustai-
nability and energy economies are an
important goal, not just at sea but also
in our offices. the initiatives in this area
include bReeam in use certification,
which specifically targets the boskalis
head offices, and the energy manage-
ment project.
The first results of the sustainability certifi-
cation BREEAM In Use were achieved in
2016. Boskalis was awarded the rating
‘Good’ (2 stars) for the three areas covered
01
themes: personal leadership, organizational
developments and general management
issues.
On the basis of photos from his early life
and personal stories, Theo gave a candid
description of his personal development and
the choices he has made during his career.
He talked about discussions with his adult
by BREEAM In Use: Asset, Management and
Use. In the second half of 2016, Boskalis
initiated a study to determine whether it is
desirable and feasible to move on to a ‘Very
Good’ (3 stars) rating. After the completion
of this study, certification was successfully
upgraded to three stars in February. Boskalis
is the only company in the Netherlands that
has been able to achieve this upgrade for
all three areas within one year for existing
buildings.
eneRgy management pRojeCt
In parallel with its BREEAM campaign,
Boskalis launched the Energy Management
project. This project is intended to save
energy in order to comply with the Energy
children and with younger colleagues from
Boskalis. ‘Doing something good for the
world was much less important then than
now, for me too,’ he said. ‘The social and
environmental impact of our work requires
creative and innovative solutions, and that is
what makes this work so exciting.’
He responded to questions about time
management and being bold when it comes
to difficult decisions. He was open about his
views on rapidly-changing market develop-
ments, the global energy transition, and the
consequences for Boskalis’ internal organi-
zation and strategy. Theo also discussed
the differences between the different genera-
tions and the specific challenges facing the
younger generations. ‘Young Boskalis can
look back on an interactive, informal and
enjoyable evening,’ says a happy Lieuwe.
> For more information: send an email to
lieuwe.gietema@boskalis.com
01 SELFIE
At the end of the College Tour, Theo Baartmans made a selfie
with all the participants from Young Boskalis.
Efficiency Directive (EED) obligation that
European regulations impose on all large
companies. The EED requires all companies
to be carbon neutral by 2050. To achieve
this goal, Boskalis aims to reduce energy
consumption in all Dutch offices by at least
2%. The goals and activities initiated by the
Energy Management project have made
a significant contribution to the successful
upgrading of our BREEAM certification. The
two systems are complementary and, toge-
ther, they contribute to a more sustainable
Boskalis.
> For more information: send an email to
paula.ockeloen@boskalis.com
41
‘ConveRsion of bokalift i
pRoCeeding smootHly’
The conversion of the Dockwise Finesse to a transport and installation crane vessel is in full swing.
The new vessel will be called Bokalift I and will also be used for decommissioning work. ‘We expect
the Bokalift I to go into service early next year,’ says Jurjen Haitsma.
01 02
The veseel will be fitted out with a large, the installation of wind turbine foundations.
rotating mast crane with a lifting capacity of ‘That will certainly be one of the main activi-
3,000 tons, dynamic positioning (DP2) and ties of the Bokalift I,’ says Jurjen.
accommodation for up to 150 people.
Jurjen works as a project manager in the
Central Fleet Support department and he > For more information: send an email to
is responsible for the large-scale conversion jurjen.haitsma@boskalis.com or
and installation of the heavy crane. rob.vd.meer@boskalis.com
‘The project is proceeding smoothly. We
03
are working on two fronts at the moment,’
he says. ‘The crane is being built at the
Huisman yard in Xiamen, China. At the
same time, the modifications to the vessel
are being made at the Keppel yard in room and the new accommodation. A multi-
Singapore.’ disciplinary team led by Rob van der Meer
A new engine room has been added to drive is supervising the operations in the yard.
the four azimuth thrusters for the DP2 system Gerben Swan and Edwin Nickerson, the
and the heavy crane. ‘We have installed new captains of the ship, have also been
two Bergen diesel engines from Rolls Royce involved in the construction process for
which are being synchronized with the some time now, together with several crew
Wärtsilä engines in place,’ Jurjen explains. members. In September, the Bokalift I will
‘From March to June, we were in dock at the sail under its own steam to Xiamen, where
Keppel yard to prepare for the installation the new crane will be installed. ‘We think
of the thrusters and the heavy foundation for that the Bokalift I will be sailing around the
the crane.’ Cape of Good Hope in November before
arriving in Europe around the new year,’
main aCtivities says Jurjen. In all probability, the Bokalift I
The Bokalift I is now moored alongside the will be deployed on a project in the UK star- 01 ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF THE BOKALIFT I
quay in the yard, where work is proceeding ting in February 2018, after which the ship 02 THE 3,000-TON CRANE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN CHINA
apace on the completion of the engine can be deployed on various projects such as 03 THE BOKALIFT I AT THE QUAY IN SINGAPORE
42 43

SMIT SALVAGE SITE AS colophon Acquired

orders
BACKDROP FOR MAJOR cohesion is the staff magazine of continued
ANTI-TERRORIST EXERCISE royal boskalis westminster n.v.
and is published three times a year

IN PORT OF ROTTERDAM
Offshore, United Kingdom Offshore, Denmark
IN english and dutch START Q2 / Q3, 2017 START Q3, 2017
DURATION 15 weeks DURATION 2 weeks
suggestions? FOR DONG Energy FOR Maersk O&G

The SMIT Salvage quay and warehouse in the Waalhaven in Rotterdam were the backdrop for Corporate Communications Department
Port Defender Rotterdam, a major anti-terrorist exercise involving a range of Rotterdam emergency Rosmolenweg 20
PO Box 43
services, the Dutch Navy and the Marine Corps.
3350 AA Papendrecht, The Netherlands
T +31 78 69 69 310
JOB ROV operations and removal
of UXO, working from EDT Protea
and Smit Kamara for the Hornsea
wind farm.
Amsterdam, THE Netherlands
JOB Construction and installation
work by air divers working from EDT
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DURATION 61 weeks FOR Shell
Port Defender Rotterdam was being organi-
FOR City of Amsterdam JOB Installation work on pipelines and
zed this year for the second time. The Dutch
JOB Delivery and deposition of risers by air divers working from DSV
Royal Navy, the Special Interventions Service pre-loading on Zeeburger Island. Constructor.
(DSI), the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the
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FOR ValkonHalliOy FOR DNO
to any urgent incidents involving an acute
JOB Construction of a ship dock JOB Construction and installation work
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of several integrated scenarios, giving the activities. Prestige.
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DURATION 52 weeks DURATION 5 weeks
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while navy divers, marines from the Marine JOB Design and realization of an JOB Heavy lift work with the Asian
Advanced Search Team and military experts architecturally-designed bridge with Hercules III for the installation of new
from the maritime bomb disposal service steel foundation and associated work. spuds for the jack-up vessel Haven.

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Brazil - India
casualties. The scenario required the terrorist START Q3, 2017 Offshore, Baltic Sea
suspects to be arrested in the SMIT Salvage DURATION 9 weeks START Q2, 2018
warehouse, where a realistic operation was FOR Queiroz Galvão Óleo e Gás DURATION 60 weeks

02
simulated. The exercise also included the JOB Transport of the Olinda Star FOR Nord Stream 2
platform from Rio de Janeiro to JOB Rock placement work to protect
recapture of a tug by the DSI marines. The the two Nord Stream 2 pipelines.
Kakinada, India.
ZP Chalone, one of Kotug Smit’s harbor tugs
was used for this action. USA - Nigeria
START Q3, 2017
DURATION 6 weeks
FOR Dewayles International
JOB Transport of two liftboats from
New Orleans to Bonny, Nigeria.

Offshore, Germany
START Q3, 2017
DURATION 8 weeks
FOR OWF Veja Mate
JOB Construction and repair work
01 O
 NE OF THE CAPTURED ‘TERRORISTS’ ON THE WAALHAVEN
QUAYSIDE involving the use of an ROV on the

03
Veja Mate wind farm.
02 THE RECAPTURE OF KOTUG SMIT’S ZP CHALONE

03 THE ARREST OF THE ‘TERRORISTS’ IN THE SMIT SALVAGE

WAREHOUSE