Van Oord BFM 83

VAN OORD

MARINE INGENUITY AT ITS BEST

VAN OORD

AS A GLOBAL MARINE CONTRACTOR, THE DUTCH COMPANY VAN OORD PROJECTS ITS CENTURY-LONG EXPERIENCE IN INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS THAT BENEFIT BOTH HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

MARINE INGENUITY

AT ITS BEST PROJECT MANAGED BY: LEE PHOENIX

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VAN OORD

Van Oord reflects the Dutch marine engineering competence arising from the Netherlands’ unique location on the North Sea and its battle against the waters. The history of the company is closely entwined with the country’s biggest marine engineering works, including the Nieuwe Waterweg Canal, the Delta Works, and the Port of Rotterdam Maasvlakte II expansion.

T

he knowledge and experience it has acquired has helped the company to grow into one of the biggest marine engineering companies in the world.

Since the late 19th century, its experience has been applied abroad. Van Oord dredged the Suez Canal, extended the port of Surabaya, and built the Palm Islands in Dubai and the Gemini offshore wind park – projects that have put the company on the map worldwide.

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Robert de Bruin, Director of Communications, says: “We have a truly global operation, participating in major projects around the world of national and international importance.

After venturing into the offshore wind segment in the first decade of the new millennium, the company now operates within four business units dredging; land infrastructure in the Netherlands; offshore wind; and oil & gas infrastructure.”

FOCUS ON INNOVATION

He points out that ownership by the family is a factor differentiating Van Oord from companies of similar size. Now under management by the 4th generation, with the 5th already active in the business, the company is focused on a

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HYDROTECHNIK LÜBECK HYDROTECHNIK LÜBECK is a family-run company and is managed by Cay A. Grunau in the 2nd generation. HYDROTECHNIK LÜBECK is committed to protecting the local and global environment and its waters.

HYDROTECHNIK LÜBECK brings environmental protection and technical progress into harmony. Decades of experience in special hydraulic engineering are combined with new, innovative knowledge from science. The company management relies on young team players. Good teams bring good solutions.

Compressed air in water can be used in many ways as a clean, natural aid. For water bodies, oceans and seas, there are various environmental hazards that can be controlled with the help of compressed air in the water.

The Big Bubble Barrier was developed for offshore wind farm construction sites. This flexible compressed air system for reducing noise emissions is used for pile driving and ammunition detonation underwater. Special nozzle hoses and hose winches have been developed for this work at sea. The Big Bubble Barrier is used in almost all wind power offshore construction sites in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Experienced teams are now working around the world for environmental protection, from the Persian Gulf to Taiwan.

The engineers at HYDROTECHNIK LÜBECK are constantly developing the system further. As a result, the Big Bubble Barrier was declared ‘state of the art’ in Germany.

In addition to oil barriers, compressed air barriers, ice prevention systems and the creation of complete protection systems for seawater desalination systems, underwater noise protection is the most important contribution of HYDROTECHNIK LÜBECK to environmental protection. www.hydrotechnik-luebeck.de

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Port De La Mer - Meraas - Completed 2018

PL Group of companies based in Dubai, spearheaded by PLC Contracting complemented by PLC Marine & Projects Link Contracting-Abu Dhabi, with our latest addition in 2020 PLC Contracting SA (Pty) Ltd., South Africa. The group companies are ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certified for Quality, Environment and Health & Safety Management Systems.

We are a specialized contractor with a unique culture: Our Team, a group of highly skilled professional – friends who turned their hobby to a career-; and Our Strategic Alliances with international industry stake holders, collectively result in Rapid Mobilization, early project starts and delivery, low overheads and competitive rates… “It’s Personal” We work with Developers, Governments and General Contractors that require highly productive and specialized marine construction services. We create man-made islands, build breakwaters, causeways, sea defense walls, offshore piling, manage beach maintenance and replenishment, jetties and marina construction.

We proudly state that we have been a part of the coastal development of this great City – Dubai - since 2004. Our growth is linked to the development of a larger capable management team.

La Mer – Meraas Completed 2016

The Burj Al Arab Platform Completed 2015

Dubai Harbour Master Plan in Cooperation with Van Oord

PLC Contracting L.L.C Sheikh Zayed Rd, Al Barsha, API Trio Tower, 8th Floor P.O. Box 212019, Dubai, U.A.E Tel: +971 4 399 9932 Email: info@plc-contracting.com www.plc-contracting.com

V&SH Offshore Solutions Terminations & Testing | Offshore Cable Repair | Offshore High-Voltage Asset Support V&SH Offshore Solutions is an offshore contractor, specialized in testing and terminations, cable repairs and outfitting of offshore high voltage assets. We perform a wide range of offshore high voltage activities for the connection and maintenance of offshore wind assets, covering array, export or interconnecting cables.

High Voltage, High Quality We employ the largest team of HV specialists in the industry. All our staff receive proper and project-specific in-house training and certification prior to every new project. As a result, our professionals deliver the highest quality of work in the shortest amount of time, with an outstanding safety record.

Reducing Offshore Operation Times, Cost-Efficient As experts in our field, we work together with our clients in order to reduce downtime and risks during offshore construction periods. These time-saving measures are engineered during preparation phases where team optimization and smart solutions are scrutinized to reduce offshore operation time.

Being part of Visser & Smit Hanab and ultimately the Royal Volker Wessels Group, we can draw on every expertise from beach pit HDD assistance through to the final termination and testing phase to assist our partners in Delivering Energy.

Facts and Figures 10.000+ HV Joints since 2011 | Over 90.000+ FO connections since 2011 | Both 33 KV & 66 KV with our own team | Largest and best qualified in-house team of high voltage specialists | Early involvement regarding mock-up trials, planning and project optimization. www.vshanab.nl/nl/wat-wij-doen/vsh-offshore-solutions Visser & Smit Hanab bv Rietgorsweg 6, 3356 LJ Papendrecht, NL

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Tel: +31 78 641 72 22

www.vshanab.nl

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VAN OORD

long-term future, with a sound investment programme to secure its development.

The company’s strong position has also been supported by two other differentiators - Van Oord is an asset-rich company, operating its own vessels, as well as a knowledge-driven company. “Our people are our key asset,” affirms Mr de Bruin.

“University graduates account for an exceptionally high percentage of the workforce, with degrees in engineering, design, fleet operation and project management.

The projects we are involved in are complex and demanding, requiring a lot of expertise for both preparation and execution.

Van Oord is renowned for providing that expertise.”

Focus on innovation has always been a strength of the company. Of many, Mr Bruin mentions the slip joint, an innovative connection for offshore wind substructures and WTG towers as an alternative to grouted or bolted connections.

The solution was applied in Borssele V wind farm in April 2020 - the very first time that a slip joint was implemented in the foundation of a fullsize 9.5MW wind turbine in a commercial wind farm with a lifetime of 25 years.

Mr de Bruin explains that the slip joint connection adds a new type of connection to the offshore industry, benefitting not only wind farms but also other offshore applications - it leads to faster installation, allows for submerged installation and is maintenance-free.

“With foundation getting bigger and bigger, the slip joint could help to secure in a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE), making sure offshore wind remains the energy source of the future,” he points out.

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VAN OORD

THE WIND OF CHANGE

While Covid-19 has delayed some projects, Mr de Bruin affirms that the future looks good. “We do have to face uncertainty, particularly in terms of timing and the continuation of investment, but the fact that the company has a diverse portfolio of activities has provided clear benefits. We are financially stable, and we have been lucky in acquiring new contracts for the next few years.”

These include, for example, two contracts for rock removal and revetment work for the Aberdeen South Harbour expansion project, the largest marine infrastructure project underway in the United Kingdom; and the contract for an extensive port expansion project in Taiwan.

Another new project has been awarded to Van Oord by Ailes Marines, in charge of the offshore wind farm in the bay of Saint-Brieuc in France, to transport and install the 62 jacket

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foundations and the foundation piles of the offshore substation.

In northern Europe Van Oord has just become a shareholder in Saare Wind Energy, a company developing the Saaremaa offshore wind farm in Estonia that is a significant step towards offshore integration of the Baltic countries.

Back home in the Netherlands, in November Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Aeolus successfully completed the installation of all 77 MHI Vestas V164-9.5 MW turbines at the Borssele III & IV offshore wind farm. In addition, the Aeolus was deployed for the transport and installation of the wind turbines. Upon completion of the project, the 731.5 MW wind farm will supply renewable energy accounting for up to 2.3% of total Dutch electricity demand.

On the global scale, the shift towards renewables is clearly visible, be it solar or wind energy, and it is estimated that demand will further accelerate as companies strive to progress under the Green Deal.

“The concept of renewable energy, sustainability and digitisation, for example, are more urgent than ever,” agrees Mr de Bruin. “The offshore market is really booming and we can see a lot of tenders coming up. However, fossil fuels have not seen the end of the day just yet. Within the energy transition, LNG will continue to play an important role in the next decade or so, and we do see a lot of gas projects in the market, as well as new LNG projects in ports.”

BUILDING WITH NATURE

“As a family-owned company, we will continue to pursue a diverse portfolio of marine

businesses to cover different developments within our core capabilities. This will be supported by substantial investment. In an average year, we invest around EUR 200 million in new equipment and plan to sustain this level for the next five years.”

The company has recently acquired new technologies to increase cost efficiency and currently has three new LNG dredging vessels under construction in Singapore, in line with the strategy to reduce its environmental footprint. Van Oord has also heavily invested in new assets to support the offshore wind segment and has recently announced construction of new green off-shore vessel, cable laying vessel.

“Overall, sustainability is the key driver of the business’s development, pervading all four business units.

Sustainability, innovation, and collaboration are key to facing global challenges successfully.

That is why we have started our game-changing programme based on three pillars: accelerating climate initiatives; enhancing the energy transition, and empowering nature and communities,” says Mr de Bruin.

In concluding, he affirms that bio-diversity is high on Van Oord’s agenda and the company is involved in numerous actions to preserve or restore natural marine life, applying its innovative ideas and solutions.

“We are contractors in the landwater domain and by developing smart solutions to guard the environment during our work, we can significantly contribute to a better world, building with nature.”

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VAN OORD

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