Page 18: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Mar/Apr 2017)

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DREDGING & INFRASTRUCTURE an Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Closer to Home, Looking Ahead

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD). In the United States, policy changes on the horizon may

In Kuwait, the Dutch ? rm of Van Oord has been a contractor bode well for investment in maritime equipment, if the pro- to Kuwait National Petroleum Company in a 65 million cubic posed investment tax credits (ITCs) take shape in an action- meter reclamation project for construction of a “green? eld” able way, but it’s too early to draw a ? rm conclusion. Donjon’s port at Al-Zour that will serve a new re? nery producing low Witte noted, “Like all prudent operators, we will look into the sulfur fuels and petrochemicals. Two suction hopper dredges advantages and disadvantages of whatever changes the new have been used on the project. In a joint venture with Boskalis, administration will bring (or not) and make an informed deci-

Van Oord’s trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Maxima is in sion based upon a number of different factors; all of which will the midst of a three year project where 20 million cubic meters hopefully result in the continued success of Donjon marine.” of sand will be used to create an arti? cial island for residen- When asked about the role of ITC’s at GLDD, going forward, tial use kin the bay near highly crowded Jakarta, Indonesia. Mr. Hanson said: “I don’t think there have been enough speci? cs

Van Oord will be part of a consortium working on the West to really comment on this.” Nevertheless, he was quick to men-

Nile Delta project, which will tie offshore gas drilling to an on- tion the newbuild soon to be completed at Eastern Shipbuilding, shore facility at Burrulus, near Alexandria, in Egypt. Van Oord and told MLPro, “We recently launched our new hopper dredge, will also deploy a trailing hopper suction dredge as part of the the Ellis Island and plan to continue to invest in new equipment, landfall portion of the project in 2017. In a two year project in so yes, ITC’s would theoretically help us make investment de-

Kingston, Jamaica – where loc al authorities hope to capital- cisions. Obviously we are monitoring these developments and ize on larger containerships entering the Caribbean from Asia appreciate the new administration’s interest in infrastructure and – Jan de Nul’s cutter suction units Marco Polo and Pedro Al- US manufacturing and US job creation that is critical to us.” varesCabrál will be deepening the channel and the port basin. Ultimately, however, government incentives don’t relieve

Dike reinforcement, vital in the Netherlands where ? ood pro- businesses of their roles to manage balance sheets, a point em- tection and water management are paramount concerns, is an im- phasized by Mr. Witte, who said simply, “Donjon was built portant segment for Van Oord. Its 2016 built cutter suction dredge based upon the simple principle that you do the work you are

Biesbosch was employed in the ZeetoegangIJmond project, the capable of with, for the most part, equipment that you own. construction of the new sea lock at Ijmuiden. Along with GMB, We look to add equipment based upon need and our ability to another Dutch provider, Van Oord has been a lead contractor on purchase what we need. Debt, while a simple fact of life, is the Dutch “Room for the River” program, a national ? ood pro- something that we try very hard to aggressively manage.” As- tection effort in low-lying river areas. To that end, Van Oord also suming the developments inside the Beltway continue produce has equipment working at Maasvlakte, near Rotterdam. positive news and that IADC’s annual projections and recap

Van Oord has also played a role in international beach re- of the previous year are correct – and typically, they do a very plenishment projects. In Spain, the contractor has recently good job – there is a lot to look forward to; here and abroad.

completed projects at Barcelona and La Pineda. Work at Playa Bigger and deeper ships are coming, and further inland, the de Castillo (in the Canary Islands) is also ongoing using the barges need to move those products to the deepwater gate- small trailing suction hopper dredger “Costa Verde” acquired in ways. There’s a dredge for that.

early 2016. This new addition to the Van Oord ? eet was recently

The Author

Barry Parker named, after the coast of Asturia in northern Spain. In describ- of bdp1 Consulting Ltd provides strategic and tactical ing this asset, Van Oord said: “With its small dimensions and support, including analytics and communications, to shallow draft, the ship is very well-suited to the shallow water businesses across the maritime spectrum. The company and smaller harbours that dominate the Mediterranean market.” can be found online at www.conconnect.com

Credit: Van Oord 18 Maritime Logistics Professional March/April 2017 | |