ONE DEME #1 2020 by communication.deme

#1 2020

EDITOR: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION DEME

COVER STORY BACKSTAGE

WITH OUR CREWING DEPARTMENT

TSHD ‘Meuse River’ joins the fleet and immediately heads for the Arctic DEME’s much-anticipated sistership to our pioneering and renowned TSHD ‘Scheldt River’ is facing a true test of her abilities as she headed out to the Arctic on her maiden voyage. The 8,400 m3 ‘Meuse River’ was being prepared at IHC’s yard in Hardinxveld-Giessendam in the Netherlands when we caught up with Captain Johan Hiemstra. And then speaking directly from nearby the North Pole, we managed to interview Captain Luc Vandekerckhove about his first experiences of this pioneering new vessel.

Read more about the ‘Meuse River’ on page 10

FAB FOUR

Le Thuy Oanh

Resident Manager Vietnam

Michiel Visser Master ‘Orion’

Koen Vanderbeke

Strategic Operations Director

Ekatarina Avdyunicheva Office Manager Mordraga, Russia

“We are able to offer detailed engineering solutions for almost any problem”

SNAPSHOT TEAM TAIWAN

A special team in a flourishing offshore wind industry

JEREMY COMES TO THE RESCUE

Hugo Bouvy

Managing Director DEME Offshore

EDITORIAL A very warm welcome to the first edition of our new publication ‘ONE DEME’. In extraordinary times like these, I believe it is more important than ever to communicate and share our experiences to bring the DEME world and people even closer together. Given the unprecedented events we are all experiencing, we have an extended Editorial in this first edition of our ‘ONE DEME’ gazette. I wanted to convey my gratitude to you all about the true DEME spirit you are showing and outline recent events over the last few months in more detail.

We have got through these early days of the crisis and we will get through the rest of it.

Over the last few months we have all been through so much together. The year opened in spectacular style and the outlook was really promising, but then in March it became much clearer what we were about to encounter. COVID-19 was not the only exceptional event. Alongside the pandemic, a new – and I believe related – oil & gas crisis emerged. Additionally, the shipbuilder of many of our vessels got into difficulties and then came the accident onboard ‘Orion’ when she was undergoing crane tests. While some of our activities went into complete lockdown initially, crucially, all but one of our projects worldwide continued. Seven months on, we are adjusting from ‘business as usual’ to a new ‘normal’. Even DEME – with its versatility and innovative spirit – was temporarily blindsided by this combination of events. But I stress – temporarily. We did what we always do, and just carried on. We found ways to solve each problem as it arose. Simply astonishing. Of course, while no company could have predicted any of these events and prepared for them, there are certain foundations that DEME is built upon, which help us steer through these choppy seas. RESILIENT, FLEXIBLE PEOPLE – A DEME SUPER TEAM

I have been truly touched by the solidarity shown. Our HR Department worked day and night to facilitate crew changes. We diverted vessels, chartered planes to bring people home and this was without hesitation. Our shareholders were very supportive throughout – understanding our people come first! Project teams and crews continued their work. Our newbuild teams continued despite being shocked by the ‘Orion’ accident. All of our shore-based staff continued when they had to work from home at a moment’s notice. SOLID BALANCE SHEET

Secondly, our solid foundations are evident in our equally solid balance sheet, which has remained in good health because works have continued. Yes, it has been impacted of course, we have faced a huge logistical nightmare and issues continue – getting people home,

unobtainable visas, lockdown, quarantine, travel restrictions – but still cash has continued to flow. We have got through these early days of the crisis and we will get through the rest of it.

abandoning projects because the going has got extremely tough. It is worth noting that only one project was temporarily stopped and this was at the customer’s request. AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES BUT WE SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT

However, we are being affected and won’t be totally unscathed and this has implications going forward. Our markets and customers are being hit and we have to keep a close eye on how things develop, whether they are port operators, shipping companies, the utilities, or oil & gas companies. I would not say I am concerned as such, but it remains to be seen to what extent they are hit by the crisis. We have to ‘keep on our toes’ as it will be a very different and fluid situation in each country. Here, our local knowledge and strong relationships with customers will play a vital role.

Going forward, some might be surprised to hear that I am still optimistic. There are plenty of opportunities out there for us. For example, a lot of countries are considering large infrastructure building projects such as the UK. This is often one of the easiest ways to relaunch out of a crisis and get people consuming again. There are also likely to be opportunities arising from the European Green Deal and the energy transition. These plans are long-term and a great deal of money is still being pumped into infra projects and the transition path to green energy.

ORDERBOOK OF MORE THAN 1.2 BILLION EUROS SIGNED DURING COVID

At the same time, it is difficult to evaluate how bumpy the ride will be in the short term. We are now in the transition period and don’t know how long it will take for the oil & gas market to improve or for international travel to become normal again, if it ever does.

Having said this, I do not wish to overshadow the company’s extraordinary performance – even in the height of the pandemic. During the last few months we have actually achieved a record high orderbook and we signed several key contracts, some of which are for truly ‘once in a lifetime’ projects. These include the 18 km Fehmarnbelt tunnel, worth a staggering 700 million euros, the Oosterweel link for the Antwerp Ring Road (570 mio euros, with a DEME share of 25 %) and widening the access channel for the Sabetta LNG terminal in Russia, representing 400 million euros and this is to name but a few. Additionally, we have also managed to get several important projects off the ground during this time such as the fairway dredging works in Poland and maintenance dredging campaign at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia. Achieving such significant contracts in these times will ‘keep us going’ with ample volumes into the mid-term, giving us breathing space while our customers recover. Not every company can say their orderbooks span into the medium term if I look at our competitors! And in the meantime, despite all of the challenges we manage to keep our customers happy by making massive investments to ensure the wellbeing of our people, by keeping projects on track and finding solutions for every problem and crucially, by not

FLEET INVESTMENT FOR THE LONG-TERM

We build vessels for 30+ years. CSD ‘Spartacus’ will arrive in a few months – this unique vessel is ideal for handling hard rock and bigger volumes. Then we have just ordered offshore installation vessel ‘Green Jade’. We have a very good partnership with CSBC and the outlook for offshore work in Taiwan is looking very favourable. You will all be familiar with the accident on the ‘Orion’ when the crane hook broke. But at DEME we are always looking forward. I am not saying this wasn’t a setback of course, especially for everyone involved in her construction, the crew and for the projects she was due to work on. But the mitigation plan is in place now and we have managed to start the jacket installation works at Moray East on schedule with a replacement vessel. DIVERSIFICATION

Diversification proves key to our resilience and expansion. We are currently executing still a vast number of maintenance jobs in the dredging activity line. In Russia we have six hopper dredgers working on one job for a deepening and widening project. Our activities have continued in Europe, India, Africa, Russia, just to name a few areas. The offshore activity has seen busy times in Belgium and

the UK, SeaMade and Moray East as prime examples. The environmental activity line has seen high activity levels and is experiencing high demand. And of course in Infrastructure, the three big projects continue, and with the addition of Fehmarnbelt and Oosterweel, we have busy times ahead. At the same time Concessions has seen a splendid realisation with the sale of Merkur and a good half year with windy times on the existing Belgian offshore wind farm concessions. COST EFFICIENCY IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT

This is not to say that there aren’t any lessons learnt to take onboard. We have seen – with what happened in 2020 – where we are vulnerable. More so than ever, we have to be cost efficient, we won’t be able to win jobs otherwise. We must rethink our systems and carefully guard our cost efficiency in terms of investments and budgets. In summary: we must be as cost efficient as possible going forward. It is the only way to beat the competition. One lesson that we didn’t have to learn was the importance of digitalisation. I think you can all agree that DEME’s investment in digitalising the company has proven vital as the world became disconnected and went into lockdown. DEME has always been at the forefront of digitalisation. We had pioneered the use of MS Teams so everyone was well acquainted with it way before the lockdown and our data transfer systems are also very reliable and robust. We will certainly go further with digitalisation and consider new ways of working. TEAMWORK AND SOLIDARITY

Although digitalisation has proven a strong backbone, I firmly believe that teamwork – being part of a physical team – is vital in any company. It is an integral part of everyone’s life working together, social contact with your colleagues, informal chats with a coffee. Our job is done by close-knit teams, whether this is working on vessels, on project sites or in the office. Let me end by saying I am incredibly proud of you all. Thanks to your heroic efforts, we have a wonderful future ahead of us.

Luc Vandenbulcke CEO DEME Group

LATEST NEWS You can find an overview of the latest DEME News on our website

CLICK HERE

There are certain foundations that DEME is built upon, which help us steer through these choppy seas

EDITORIAL – 3

BACKSTAGE

From left to right: David Everaerts, Wim Franssens and Bert Geeraerts

Backstage with our Crewing Department To mark the first issue of our brand new ONE DEME newspaper we have decided to shine a spotlight on some of the people working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our operations running around the clock.

As many of you may know, in 2019 we took an important step to improve our services to our crew by bringing three different Crewing Departments (i.e. Fredericia in Denmark, Breda in the Netherlands and the headquarters in Belgium) together to form one strong, combined Crewing Department. This has enabled our Crewing services to become better organised, much more efficient, and crucially, it means all of the procedures and standards are aligned. For example, recruitment methods will be the same in all three offices, they will share the same manning and recruitment agencies, etc. Bert Geeraerts, HR Manager (Maritime) explains that the measures taken have already proven themselves and made life much easier as the department faced the biggest challenge in its history – the coronavirus pandemic. “This reorganisation behind the scenes has certainly been helping us during the last few months.

Overall, it enables us to have more regular contact with the crew, including more frequent vessel visits (post-pandemic), and we believe it makes it much easier for the crew to get in contact with us and get more support from head office. Improved coordination means that the Crewing Department in turn, can assist the crew in achieving their personal goals and to develop a clear career path.” AT YOUR SERVICE

Bert sums up the work of the department by declaring “we are at your service”. “We are not a highly visual department, essentially we are facilitators, making sure we get the crew on and off in time, which is absolutely crucial.” All the individual links in the chain have to be lined up correctly – whether this is arranging flights, visas etc. he stresses. “The timing is vitally important, everything has to be in the right sequence to get one guy onboard and relieve another.”

Very unusually, DEME not only has an extended team of crew planners, to enable them to provide a truly personalised approach, but also the company has crew planners on board. “Not many maritime companies have crew planners staying aboard 24 / 7.” DEDICATED CREW MANAGERS

Additionally, DEME has two dedicated specialists: the Crew Manager – Dredging, David Everaerts and Crew Manager – Offshore, Wim Franssens. “This is so our crew have a single, dedicated point of contact with very short lines of communication. In our three-strong management team, we have all the expertise needed. David started his professional career in planning pilots for European Air transport (DHL), while Wim has a lot of expertise about the payroll, social security and so forth. Bert has 22 years of crewing under his belt. “Our combined experience is complimentary.” The Crewing Department also strives for uniformity across the fleet in terms of training standards. “If you are a Danish captain sailing in the North Sea or a Ukrainian captain sailing in West Africa – the rules are the same.”

This ability to work on vessels across the fleet is an important part of DEME’s strategy and has proven crucial in the coronavirus pandemic but also recently following the crane incident on the ‘Orion’. The week after the incident, the majority of the crew already had a new planning in place and were redirected to other vessels in the fleet. And for sure, this standardised approach to training has never proven more beneficial than now. THE PANDEMIC ARRIVES …

“With 2,500 crew and workmen and more than 100 vessels to keep us busy, what we do regularly each day is extremely challenging, let alone in a pandemic. Without being boastful, and while emphasising that the crew are the unsung heroes, I really think we couldn’t have managed to keep operations going without the work of the 30-strong Crewing Department working hard backstage.” Bert stresses: “We do whatever we need to do to get our crews home.” But for the first time in his 22-year crewing career, COVID-19 meant this just wasn’t possible. “Frustratingly,

COVID-RELATED FACTS & FIGURES - Crew affected with extended stay on board: 1,200 - Additional time spent on board: between 1 week and 150 extra (!) days on board - Total performed extra days: > 45,000 - DEME private chartered planes: 10 - Vessel deviations: > 5 - Additional resources made available to arrange repatriation of staff and crew + organise all COVID testing / quarantine follow-up worldwide - Extraction Team: 5 specialists - Crew Change Taskforce: 7 specialists

we can’t break down borders. I personally have never seen anything like this before. I have never seen vessels being diverted solely for a crew change, never arranged charter planes to pick up a crew and yet I have dealt with vessels in the earthquake and following the tsunami in Fukushima, and the threats of terrorism. Initially it was as if the world had come to a halt. Our entire operation was stopped from one day to the next. It was like we had a straightjacket on. The crew onboard couldn’t sign off and those ashore couldn’t sign on and couldn’t even leave their countries.” WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET EVERYONE HOME … BUT ALWAYS SAFETY FIRST

The team were explaining to approximately 2,500 people and often their families, what we were trying to do day and night, he says. Straightaway, DEME decided to stop all crew changes and then to come forward with a plan as soon as possible. “The safety of our crew was the lead factor in all our decisions. We didn’t want to take any risks – and this was an order directly from our CEO.” The figures involved are mind-boggling. From mid-March, 1,200 crew had an extended stay onboard, ranging from one week to even 150 days extra on board. Indeed, 45,000 extra days have been worked. Up until now, ten

CREWING DEPARTMENT IN NUMBERS - Total crew / workmen: ±2.500 - Total fleet / projects: ±100 - Main crewing hubs: 4 - Zwijndrecht (BE), Breda (NL), Fredericia (DK), Lille (FR) - Crew providers: Philippines, India, Singapore, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, etc. - Different nationalities: 80+ - Crewing Department: one unified department since end 2019, 30+ direct employees worldwide

planes were privately chartered and five vessels were diverted to achieve crew changes. A dedicated Crew Change Taskforce was created to coordinate all the COVID risk mitigating measures such as the 7-day quarantine follow-up and COVID testing. Last but not least, DEME set up a specialist Extraction Team of experts that was responsible for coordinating the repatriation attempts.

Not many maritime companies have crew planners staying aboard 24 / 7.

these exceptional crew changes without the flexibility these standards bring.” But overcoming these unprecedented challenges has not been easy – and indeed, it has taken a heavy toll on the Crewing Planners particularly. “There hasn’t been a lot of sleep in the last months,” he says.

home. We feel totally responsible for our crews. We don’t need a medal; this is what we do. 24 / 7, 365 days per year. Getting our crew home safely is really a DEME wide team effort. Without the help of the local projects, the different task forces and many others within DEME, we couldn’t have succeeded in bringing everybody home safely. Truly a DEME wide team effort.”

FULL COMMITMENT OF MANAGEMENT

“At the same time, the show must go on,” Bert says. “Ultimately, the jobs of all of our 5,200 employees are at stake. If our vessels stop work, our entire operations stop.” STRINGENT TESTING PROCEDURES

The Crewing Department is extremely proud that not one vessel was halted because of COVID-19. “I think this shows the measures we put in place to guarantee the safety of our crew are working. They are amongst the most stringent in the industry. We have imposed 14 days quarantine and coronavirus tests before and afterwards.” DEME put a system in place, with people being financially supported during their stay at home and when they were in quarantine. And the generic training standards have certainly paid off during these months. “We couldn’t have rerouted vessels and performed

“Our planners have had numerous conversations a day with the crew and their relatives. It is very hard when you are having to give disappointing news that we just can’t get them out and back home. Having no power over the situation is one of the hardest parts of the job. But honestly, we are doing our utmost to help.”

DEME’s strenuous efforts to keep everything running as ‘normal’ have meant that the majority of clients have not felt any impact at all, Bert stresses. “It is business as usual, DEME’s ‘can do’ mentality with short communication lines, quick decisions, etc. has been key in the last few months.

And so too is the management, Bert emphasises, by putting ‘their money where their mouth is’, giving the department the budgets and flexibilities to do whatever necessary to get the crew home. “From day one we had the full commitment of the entire management team.”

“Yes, it is tough at the moment but we are making sure we will be here tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and into the future. Our CEO has a long-term, sustainable vision for our company so we will remain at his and your service for at least another 100 years.”

The Crewing Department’s dedication to their job is clear to see. Bert comments: “We have always said we won’t stop until we get the last person repatriated and we will continue to go the extra mile to get everybody

Without the help of the local projects, the different task forces and many others within DEME, we couldn’t have succeeded in bringing everybody home safely. Truly a DEME wide team effort.

In July a group of 75 crew members from 12 different vessels returned to their families in the Philippines with one of the special charter flights organised by DEME.

BACKSTAGE – 5

J erry

SNAPSHOT TEAM TAIWAN

A special team in a flourishing offshore wind industry Thank you Pierre! TOP TEAM SNAPSHOT CONTEST With this cracking example of a great team snapshot from Taiwan, DEME is launching its Top Team photo contest! In every edition of our ONE DEME newspaper, we will announce the winners of the best team photograph will and they will all receive a special prize. If you think your team deserves to be in the spotlight, please send your photo to communication.deme@deme-group.com

LATEST NEWS CDWE reaches final investment decision and orders pioneering offshore wind installation vessel ‘green jade’

CLICK HERE

There are not many countries in the world which have such an ambitious and long-term vision for the development of the renewables industry as Taiwan. With an offshore wind project pipeline stretching far into the future, to 2035 and beyond, CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE), set itself an equally ambitious goal – to become the leading EPCI contractor in Taiwan.

A joint venture between CSBC, the largest shipbuilder in Taiwan, and DEME Offshore, CDWE was officially established in February 2019 and has already been awarded several major projects, giving the new company a full orderbook until 2025. And recently, the fledgling company ordered a dedicated offshore wind installation vessel, the likes of which has never been seen in the industry before. Given the wonderful opportunities in Taiwan, DEME knew it needed the right partner and crucially, the right team. We interviewed some key members of “Team Taiwan”. CEO Hedwig Vanlishout says CDWE embodies DEME’s typical partnership approach. “The joint venture is really a DEME model which we initiate in nearly every country where we have a presence. Actually, we are the only EPCI contractor in Taiwan. Our competitors are very much project orientated and go back home as soon as they are finished. DEME is making a longterm investment.”

SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP APPROACH

DEME’s partnership approach was something that caught CSBC’s attention. Hedwig smiles and looks directly at Project Engineer Jerry Liao. Jerry previously worked for CSBC for three years and was given the task of exploring options for partnerships in the offshore wind industry. “So Jerry, why did you choose DEME rather than Boskalis or the other big players?” he laughs. Jerry explains that CSBC searched for two to three years and looked carefully at ‘almost every marine contractor in the world’, including the big four Belgian and Dutch companies. “When the tendering was taking place for the demonstration projects we felt we didn’t have quite enough knowledge, so we started the search for a joint venture partner. We considered many companies but DEME was the only one willing to share information and pass on its knowledge, which we could combine with our local knowledge.” He smiles: “I think I made a good choice and the right decision so far!” Hedwig says this only confirms how DEME’s traditional partnership approach is appreciated.

Simon Van de Sande, Business Development Manager, agrees and comments: “Given the pipeline of work we wanted to start up a local company, with the aim of pursuing as much local content as possible. Localisation requirements in Taiwan are quite far reaching and we believe that together with our partner CSBC, this will give us the edge, plus we will have a locally-built vessel. This will enable us to take full advantage of the Industrial Relevance Plan Goals that the Taiwan Government has established for the offshore wind industry.” 15 GW IN 15 YEARS

The team outlines just how driven Taiwan is when it comes to renewables. Ultimately, in the next 15 years Taiwan is aiming to install 15 GW of offshore wind energy, which is an amazing feat in such a short time. “Taiwan wants to be an offshore wind hub for Asia and is the only country in the world with such a framework about how this is going to be developed. Additionally, we can already see how the next round of auctions will be structured in 2025-30,” Simon adds.

Mr.G uo

Sonia

a d n e r B With this burgeoning new industry, it is vital to have the right people onboard. Hedwig has built up a very diverse and energetic team which includes Taiwanese nationals, expats, baby boomers, millennials and the youngest member, the administration and document control specialist, Sonia Han, who is even Generation Z. ATTENTION TO TEAMWORK

William Vercauteren, Team Leader says: “We pay a lot of attention to teamwork. I think what makes this joint venture special is that we have weekly meetings where everyone (all departments) come together to talk about the projects but also about any general company matters, new potential projects, legal items, project challenges … You don’t see this everywhere – it is a nice way to work!” Desk Manager, Brenda Chen adds: “We all come from different fields of expertise but learn from each other. Everyone is open to suggestions from anyone in the team. There were quite some cultural differences here at the beginning, so it has taken some time, but now we start to understand each other.” However, there are several key differences, Brenda says. “When facing problems Europeans are more open and direct – they are straight shooters – while Asians discuss the issues with several people and then proceed.” Another difference is the importance of the hierarchical structure. “In Asia, we are not keen to confront our managers directly,” she says.

Hedwig

William

OVERCOMING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

William adds: “Taiwanese people are super polite and are generally less confrontational in meetings and won’t give counter arguments necessarily, instead they listen carefully and write everything down. But we try to encourage them that it is good to speak up. This is somewhat of a new experience for Asian people.” But just a few days ago, they laugh, some Taiwanese colleagues had addressed Hedwig during a meeting, and urged him to look at some documents. “It is nice to see it is changing. Everyone has to be comfortable.” For Sonia Han, joining CDWE represents her first job. “I am lucky to work here, it is a very different business culture but I am learning to express my thoughts because you feel that it is a safe environment to do so.” To encourage people to speak up, the team are asked to outline an inspirational moment in meetings and spend five minutes sharing it. Sonia’s inspiration came from her high school teacher, who always told her to respect her own decision and not to regret anything. While for Jerry, he finds inspiration from photography holidays travelling to different countries. ‘TEAM NORMS’

Another initiative helping the team to bond is the so-called Team Norms. The team’s enthusiasm to show these led them to pull their signed declaration board straight off the wall. Hedwig explains: “These norms were composed by the team during workshops,

everyone participated. They are about how we should all behave, how we should be respectful of each other, have a positive attitude so we can embrace cultural differences. There should be mutual trust, transparency and accountability. This is what we have all agreed and signed up for.” He points out that as well as nurturing these cohesive team values, good communication is vital. “I have managed a lot of projects, but offshore wind projects are truly global. We have teams at HQ, in Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and of course Taiwan. Communication and alignment takes a lot of effort and time but it really is the most important thing to make a project successful.” PASSING ON KNOWLEDGE

Thanks to technology, MS Teams and so forth, communication has improved, Brenda says. “We are conquering the language barrier by preparing what we want to express in the meeting. And all of our HQ colleagues are very kind. I can say there is something we don’t understand when we send the minutes over and they will quickly send them back explaining things.” Sonia agrees: “I am very new to this field so I am willing to stay here and keep learning new knowledge. I have noticed that all our European and local colleagues are very patient and help to teach us. Sometimes I need to bother them again and again but they always answer with a smile and make time for me, even if they are super busy.”

We all come from different fields of expertise but learn from each other.

SNAPSHOT – 7

Taiwan is surrounded by very deep water and fairly tricky soil conditions. There are only a handful of jack-ups able to work in these conditions, therefore a floating installation vessel such as ‘Green Jade’ is ideal because the depth doesn’t matter.

The newest member of the team – the pioneering offshore installation vessel ‘Green Jade’

Jerry comments: “This is a very new industry in Taiwan. I originally joined CSBC but came here one year ago with an electrical engineering background. I am now learning about the offshore wind industry. This is a really positive environment and I’m very willing to THE LATEST MEMBER OF THE TEAM – ‘GREEN JADE’

The team is very excited that it will be joined by a new vessel, the pioneering ‘Green Jade’, and they were due to have a dinner to celebrate. “ ‘Green Jade’ is a very special vessel, tailormade for Taiwan,” Mr Guo, CDWE’s Vice CEO emphasises. The metocean conditions are challenging compared to Europe, he says. “The seabed conditions are difficult with soft soil conditions and deep water, so the majority of offshore wind farms will choose jacket-type foundations, rather than monopiles.” Additionally, the region is subject to a lot of earthquakes and typhoons, so the turbines must be able to withstand them. “The wind is very good here but the conditions are difficult.” William explains: “Taiwan is surrounded by very deep water and fairly tricky soil conditions. There are only a handful of jack-ups able to work in these conditions, therefore a floating installation vessel such as ‘Green Jade’ is ideal because the depth doesn’t matter. She is also perfect for the next generation of foundations with her 4,000-tonne capacity crane. We believe this local vessel will give us the edge to secure the projects to come.”

STEEL CUTTING

Mr Guo says steel cutting is set to start in September but the team is already gearing up and due to start recruiting for the crew very soon. “We are trying to crew ‘Green Jade’ with as many local people as possible, but of course for certain positions such as DP operators it takes at least three years to train people, so it will take time.” Key functions such as the captain and chief officer should be Taiwanese nationals and initially there will be a ‘duplicate’ European crew, so around 100 crew members in all. CDWE will also build its own simulator in Taiwan. Mr Guo says he has noticed that there is much more interest in renewables now as people have seen the long-term vision of the government. “People want to join, for example, the students at marine universities understand they have this opportunity.” Brenda adds: “We are all very lucky to witness this industry growing. It is a nice chance for the next generation, and for youngsters to learn about it and gain the knowledge. In the future there will be more local talents.”

The government’s long-term vision is also exactly why CDWE got the go-ahead to build such a vessel as well. Hedwig stresses: “This is a major reason why our shareholders are willing to invest. The Taiwanese Government is committed to its vision. This gave us the confidence to build here. We are extremely excited to build such a special vessel.” In the first round of tenders the company was not successful because it couldn’t tender with DEME’s new state-of-the-art installation vessel ‘Orion’ because it was built in China. “We were very disappointed that we couldn’t be competitive, therefore we came up with the idea to tender with a vessel that doesn’t actually exist yet! Then we tendered with this vessel on the premise that it would come to fruition if we were successful.”

the shareholders wouldn’t agree to such an enormous commitment, so they were absolutely delighted to get the green light for ‘Green Jade’. RECRUITING LOCAL TALENT

Currently, the team has its hands full with the project preparation phases, especially for Hai Long. Then in the fourth quarter, new third round auctions will begin. Hedwig says: “We are already talking to all the potential developers. With 10 GW set to be installed in the next decade, CDWE is also ramping up and recruiting local talent.” Approximately 50 more staff are needed soon and these numbers will grow exponentially as the projects develop. Hedwig concludes: “We have an excellent team, and I am very happy with the team spirit. It has taken some deliberate effort to achieve this, but makes the office a pleasure to come into each day.”

Hedwig and the team admit they were very anxious that given the COVID-crisis and the lacklustre investment climate,

A PROMISING PROJECT PIPELINE

Team Norms, composed during workshops, help the Taiwan team to bond

LONG-TERM VISION AND A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT

In October 2019, CDWE signs Taiwan’s first comprehensive, large-scale Balance of Plant (BOP) Preferred Supplier Agreement with the Hai Long Offshore Wind Project. The BOP package includes the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) of 73 foundations, inter array cables, export cables, as well as the transportation and installation of the turbines.

In the same month, CDWE then signed two contracts with Zhong Neng Wind Power Corporation Preparatory Office for the 300 MW Zhong Neng offshore wind farm project. The contracts comprise the transportation and installation of 33 foundations, as well as a Preferred Bidder Agreement for the transportation and installation of the wind turbines.

The extraordinary, next generation 14 MW Siemens wind turbines will be installed. With a hub height of around 150 m and blades of 108 m, they will soar to 258 m high – almost as high as the Eiffel Tower.

Additionally, CDWE signed a contract for the transport and installation of 62 wind turbines for CIP’s 600 MW Changfang-Xidao offshore wind farm.

FAB FOUR RESIDENT MANAGER VIETNAM

Le Thuy Oanh INTRODUCING OUR ‘FAB FOUR’ INTERVIEW SERIES Each edition of our ONE DEME gazette will focus on four DEME colleagues in diverse roles and located all over the world. Each person is asked the same four questions, which reveal why DEME is special to them and also gives an insight into their career development and standout projects. The Fab Four are also asked if they have any tips for DEME, in line with our drive to continuously improve. If you would like to participate or nominate a colleague who you think deserves a special mention in the next edition, please email: communication.deme@deme.group.com

Philip forced me to learn to swim. I was afraid of the water but he teased me that if I am working for an expert in water management I should be able to swim. I now swim like a pro!

In this first Fab Four interview we speak to Le Thuy Oanh, DEME’s Resident Manager in Vietnam, who has just celebrated her 25 th anniversary with the company. She fondly remembers her first encounter with DEME.

“How I entered the DEME family was very special for me. I was working for the Belgian Embassy in Hanoi and through my work with the Foreign Trade Board I had to assist Belgian companies coming into Vietnam. And this is when I met Marcel Van Bouwel. One day he asked if I would be interested in assisting DEME in Vietnam. I was young and learning all about DEME seemed very attractive to me. My interview was at 8 pm. Marcel had a meeting with a Vietnamese partner and asked if I could help to translate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) before the meeting. He had to sign the deal at 6 pm. I readily agreed, so took the handwritten MOU home to start the typing and translation. But at that time there were many electricity problems and my house had a power cut. So I asked if I could come to the hotel and work on it there. Eventually, we managed to get everything done 30 minutes before the deal was signed! Then he asked me to sit in the lobby. He interviewed a geologist first and I asked when I would be spoken to. He laughed and said: ‘I have interviewed you already – I like the way you work!” What makes DEME special for you? “One of my hobbies is travelling, exploring new markets, new countries. The Embassy was very much 9-5 routine. But with DEME there are opportunities to travel and learn about countries from all over the world – from Africa to Oceania, from Europe to Asia.” “I like the varied business activities of DEME. At that time, it was focused on dredging and land reclamation. In order to fulfil my job requirements I had to study hard, and everything was from books, printed documents.” (Oanh holds up thick volumes from those early days where she has made copious notes about all aspects of DEME’s activities and translated them all from English into Vietnamese). “And for me there are great opportunities such as being the project assistant on the Hon Chong Cement Plant, the first project DEME did in Vietnam. I learnt about making applications, permits, establishing a project office, importing equipment, all the logistics processes, visas for personnel … Not many women do this, so I was very proud to show that I could do what the men do!”

Le Thuy Oanh with the two men who deeply affected her career at DEME: Philip Hermans and Daniel Kong

Is there anyone / something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? “DEME is my second family but there are two people that have deeply affected me, Philip Hermans, formerly Area Director

Asia & Oceania, and Daniel Kong, General Manager DI Asia Pacific. I met Philip on 24 September 1997. Le Thuy Oanh, At first, I was very Resident Manager Vietnam nervous standing in Ho Chi Minh and the surrounding provfront of the big boss, but he was very charminces. It has created a lot of jobs and opened ing, has a kind heart and has supported me up opportunities for further development. very much. I have been in the front line of We also had very tough international compebusiness transactions. I never thought I could tition and especially from a certain Belgian achieve the things that I have done. And I will neighbour. But I won’t go into details there always try my best to deserve his trust.” ;-) Crucially, we also contributed a lot to disabled orphans who had been victims of Agent “With Daniel, I remember the first phone Orange through DEME4Life, so they could call I had in November 2003 when I said have some fun days out.” ‘good afternoon’ to my new boss. Daniel said very humbly, you have a new colleague. This What do you still dream about? touched my heart; the effort to reduce the “Well I have two dreams. I wish DEME’s barrier between a manager and subordiflag could fly from the north to the south in nate. Both have empowered me, I have been Vietnam and that we would not only be in allowed to do my work in harmony with the dredging and land reclamation projects but local culture, operating between HQ and the also active in offshore wind farms here. This country office. This is a very special attitude would enable the country to move away from and I believe will help DEME obtain more coal-fired power plants and remove all the and more projects here.” pollution for nearby residents. I am doing my best to help establish the first offshore wind Oanh also points out the she has something farm through my work with DEME. We are else to be grateful to Philip for. “Philip forced already an offshore wind pioneer in Europe me to learn to swim. I was afraid of the water so why not in Vietnam! I would like to see but he teased me that if I am working for an another ‘Orion’ built here too.” expert in water management I should be able to swim. I now swim like a pro!” “Then on to my other dream. In Vietnam women have to retire at 55 years old. Of course, Which performance are you most proud of I do hope DEME is interested in my assistance within the team you work in? after I retire but in the meantime I would like “I was really waiting to give you this answer! to transfer my humble knowledge to my junior Without doubt, the project I would like to colleague, who will be my successor. My philoshighlight is the Soai Rap Navigation Channel ophy in the morning is that I consider myself a in Ho Chi Minh 2012-2014. DEME had newcomer. There are always things to learn at a remarkable team.” DEME about Concessions or offshore wind etc. and then in the afternoon I will transfer During the project Oanh also had a chance my knowledge to my junior, helping her so she to meet King Philippe of Belgium again. She can be independent and confident and help had met him when he was a Prince at her make DEME a further success. DEME is a former job in the Embassy in 1994 but was working university, with plenty of assignments. delighted to get to chance to speak to him We enrich our knowledge project by project.” at the Soai Rap project.“DEME wouldn’t have been awarded this project without the Do you have a tip for DEME? Vietnamese and Belgian’s governments joint “I would say that when anyone from DEME support. 2012 marked the 45th anniversary comes to Vietnam they need to learn about of diplomatic relations between the two the culture and try their best to adapt to a new countries. We had to deal with two very working environment. If they understand complex EPC contracts and three financial it better, this is the key to opening the door. agreements. There was huge amounts of work And actually to give an example from my and a lot of pressure travelling between Hanoi work with Philip. He may have just landed and Ho Chi Minh. I would say it took at least in Vietnam and had a few hours of sleep, but six months to finalise them all. ‘Uilenspiegel’ whenever we visit a customer he always asks arrived on 30 March, 2013 and successfully me how he should talk to the customer and completed in 23 June, 2014. All on schedule!” if there are any special items to mention. He always respects the locals and performs “This project is not only significant politically, perfectly in the meetings!” it also brings socio-economic benefits to

FAB FOUR – 9

MEET THE FLEET

“It is always very hectic getting ready for departure and for more sea trials but I really enjoy that,” says Captain Hiemstra, who joined DEME in 2005 and has sailed on many of the fleet including ‘Antigoon’, ‘Congo River’ and ‘Marieke’ to name a few. ‘Meuse River’ is something special, he says and it was really a pleasant surprise to be assigned to be a captain of the latest vessel to join the fleet. For Captain Vandekerckhove, who is a true DEME ‘veteran’ having been with the company for 28 years, ‘Meuse River’ represents a new career challenge. He has spent the previous decade with DEME Building Materials as captain of the hoppers ‘Charlemagne’ and ‘Victor Horta’. “‘Meuse River’ is an exciting fresh challenge for me; everything has

changed and developed so quickly over the years, particularly the level of automation onboard. This is a one man bridge operation, so I am looking forward to updating myself with the latest technology. They always say if you keep learning, you stay young!” he laughs. SUPER POWERFUL

Although he is just getting to know his new ship, Captain Hiemstra points out that it is certainly clear that she is super powerful. “She is a ‘challenging vessel’ in terms of the high standard of technology onboard, particularly the new power management system. When sailing, trailing and pumping, I can really see the innovation that has gone into her design, particularly regarding power management. She’s ahead of her time!”

Being diesel-electric rather than diesel-direct, ‘Meuse River’ is both powerful and agile. The vessel has a hybrid gearbox on the pump which enables full power when it is required – equal to a dual pump system. Captain Hiemstra explains: “On some of the older vessels if you are using the dredging pump, there is not so much power available to you. But this vessel really allows you to do what you want – she has a huge pump in relation to her size. We will all have to get used to having this extra power.” Captain Vandekerckhove agrees: “We certainly have power enough, especially when dredging. And we can dredge using electric, on hybrid and gas later on.” IMPRESSIVE PUMPING DISTANCE

Being a carbon copy of her sistership ‘Scheldt River’, she will also be a top performer in terms of pumping distance ashore. Captain Hiemstra was really looking forward to pumping ashore and rainbowing to see how she handles. The new vessel has a very shallow draught and a Dynamic Position & Dynamic Tracking (DP / DT) system to enhance manoeuvrability and position keeping. As well as the power at his fingertips, Captain Hiemstra points out that the new vessel has an automatic trimming system to reduce draught and that the vessel is very comfortable for the crew, with reduced noise and vibrations. GREEN CREDENTIALS

Additionally, there are many green innovations inherent in the ship’s design and ‘Meuse River’ has a Green Passport and Clean Design notation. She is also fully prepared to operate on cleaner fuels. “DEME has innovated across the board to make the whole ship more environmentally friendly and the integrated systems will also result in substantial fuel savings.” EXTRA SEA TRIALS

Captain Johan Hiemstra

DEME definitely put her through her paces before she headed out. Extra trials were conducted to test her capabilities as she was

destined for such a remote location. Captain Hiemstra says for sure the COVID crisis is meaning that extra hurdles had to be overcome but in true DEME fashion he was not daunted. As the new crew was in quarantine, the ship was being prepared and mobilised by another team. Following the crew change, extra sea trials took place before they set sail for Murmansk. SMOOTH MAIDEN VOYAGE

The maiden voyage to Sabetta was really smooth, despite the difficult circumstances brought about by COVID during the preparations, the captains add. “We departed from Zeebrugge and for the whole trip had flat seas. I am very proud of our crew. They are very committed to doing their best. As soon as we arrived at the Arctic project we started working. There were some small problems in the beginning but with the good cooperation and team spirit shown from the crew, we solved them in a very short time,” says Captain Vandekerckhove. “‘Meuse River’ has made a very good first impression on me, I am really enjoying the automation, the nice rooms, internet, everything – she is a very comfortable ship,” he adds.

She is a ‘challenging vessel’ in terms of the high standard of technology onboard.

GREAT TEAM SPIRIT

Captain Hiemstra emphasises: “I would also really like to thank all the crew who were involved in getting the ‘Meuse River’ underway. Even knowing she would not be their assigned ship, they still went above and beyond themselves. Without them, it would not have been possible to head off to the Arctic within the short timeframe we had.” Captain Vandekerckhove is agrees and adds: “There is a really nice atmosphere onboard. Some have experience of the one man bridge vessels, while others are learning. We have all settled in well and very quickly, despite the fact that this is a new vessel and we will all have to stay aboard longer than usual.” SOLIDARITY OF ARCTIC PROJECT COLLEAGUES

Captain Luc Vandekerckhove

‘Meuse River’ arrived in Sabetta on July 25, where she is working on widening the access channel to the LNG facility. Both captains say it is amazing to be surrounded by so many DEME vessels, although they are in one of the most remote locations in the world. Captain Vandekerckhove highlights that the DEME fleet’s team spirit was evident right from the beginning. “The solidarity

between the DEME vessels is exceptional. Given the COVID restrictions, when ‘Meuse River’ left Zeebrugge we didn’t have a full complement of spare parts and there were not enough winter overalls onboard. I asked my colleagues if they could help us and straight away the captains of ‘Congo River’, ‘Uilenspiegel’, ‘Breydel’, ‘Breughel’ and ‘Artevelde’ gave their spare winter overalls to us. They have also helped with other spare parts. This really shows the ‘One DEME, One Team’ philosophy! Thank you guys for helping us!” FAMILY SUPPORT KEEPS EVERYONE MOTIVATED

Captain Vandekerckhove is also very keen to highlight the wonderful support that everyone gets from their family. “If I take myself as a typical example, I am working entirely on the Arctic project from July 5 until the end of October. Without the support and motivation of my wife it would be very difficult to stay focused and driven, so I can motivate my crew and keep the ship’s productivity at very high levels. I believe that our partners and families really deserve DEME’s gratitude and should be put in the spotlight too.”

Six DEME vessels are working on the project, plus two chartered? ships. While the larger dredgers perform the deepening, ‘Meuse River’ is working on the maintenance works. The vessels can only operate between July and October before the area gets completely frozen over. Captain Hiemstra says the prospect of being in the Arctic, even past Nova Zembla, is no real problem for him. And he has worked on the Sabetta LNG project before onboard the ‘Marieke’ and ‘Reynaert’. “Compared to some of my colleagues, I really enjoy the remoteness. It is strange having 24 hours of daylight but somehow the Northern Lights look even closer.” He admits it is a very remote location to be for four months, particularly with a new vessel, but takes comfort from the fact that he will be surrounded by so many of his DEME colleagues. And as ‘Meuse River’ is put through her paces in one of the most challenging regions on the planet, he says: “I am confident that she will be just as capable and in demand as her sister ‘Scheldt River’!”

MEET THE FLEET – 11

“DEME will prevail and emerge stronger than ever!” JOINT INTERVIEW PHILIP HERMANS & ERIC TANCRÉ Philip Hermans and Eric Tancré, DEME’s Managing Directors of the Activity Line Dredging, give their view on the tumultuous first half of 2020. Perhaps surprisingly given the combination of events we have all faced – COVID, the oil & gas crisis, troubles at our shipbuilder Royal IHC and the ‘Orion’ accident – they are not pessimistic about the future. If anything, they believe the pandemic has only highlighted the strengths of DEME and shown the Group’s ability to perform in even the most difficult circumstances – including circumstances that were unimaginable just a few months ago. Philip Hermans and Eric Tancré

The crisis has led to enforced synergies between the departments – and unity is strength!

The mobilisation of CSD ‘Amazone’ for the Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway project in Poland was a triumph in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

They are in absolute agreement that without its people, DEME is nothing. And indeed, they are certain that DEME will emerge stronger than ever. Philip Hermans, Managing Director - Activity Line Dredging (Rest of World), comments: “DEME places a lot of trust in you. Stick with us, carry on with what you are doing. We are winning and we will prevail. Together we can overcome these challenges.” Managing Director Activity Line Dredging (Europe), Eric Tancré agrees: “I second that! I really hope our people realise the capabilities they have, their capacity. They should have faith in their teams and in themselves to achieve great results. We will survive the COVID crisis and more than ever be the world’s number one dredging and marine engineering company.” THE RIGHT PEOPLE

“These months have made it clear to me that I am – more than ever – so proud that I can be part of such a team. I always have immense pride in our vessels, with their nice green colour and knowing that we have some of the most powerful assets in the industry, but if you don’t have the right people, you have nothing,” says Eric. Having the right crew offshore and staff onshore is a crucial success factor; the two Dredging directors further outline some other factors that help DEME weather the current rough seas. When Luc Vandenbulcke became CEO on 1 January 2019, he subsequently implemented a strategy based on four Activity Lines, leading to a new organisational structure for DEME. Eric and Philip believe this new structure is having a positive influence; they were jointly appointed Managing Directors of the Activity Line Dredging, and joined the Executive Committee which supports Luc. Philip explains: “This decision really transformed the company, particularly concerning operational matters. All operations were distributed over the four Activity Lines, with some matters of strategic importance managed centrally.” A NEW ORGANISATION

Eric and Philip worked on a blueprint for the future structure of the company throughout the end of 2019 and, in the midst of the COVID crisis, they became responsible for

the operational management for the Activity Line, with the retirement of Theo Van de Kerckhove on 1 May 2020. They add that the Group’s previous structure in two divisions – Dredging and ‘Dredging plus’ – was becoming obsolete with the rapid growth and diversification of DEME’s Offshore activities. In the changed business environment, it makes more sense to have four Activity Lines with clear businesses and products, that all have their own profit and loss responsibilities. This new structure has also helped them steer the Dredging activities, they stress. Philip says that he has never been busier in his 35-year career with DEME than during the COVID crisis. “Before, Eric and I would have hardly any interaction, but now we see each other every day. We have different perspectives, but manage the dredging resources jointly. As a group of managers we have taken our responsibilities, supported by excellent teams such as the HR Department, which has really enabled us to tackle this crisis head-on. We have all had ‘no choice’ as such but to come closer together and I think this has cemented relationships, even when we are working from home.” There is now even more of a razor-sharp focus at the company. “There is no chit-chat anymore, which is a pity. It is often meeting after meeting, which can also take its toll because there is no chance to de-stress. But notwithstanding the high tempo, I believe we have all come much closer together and have a more detailed view about what is happening on the project sites because of this.” However, Philip does have a note of caution. “For Overseas, in particular, the pandemic has been extremely disruptive for the crews and site staff who can’t sign on and off and the project teams and for our acquisitions. We can’t travel to meet clients or partners and it is important to see them face to face – there is always a need for the third dimension. I am concerned about how long this will last.” Eric adds: “The nature of our responsibility is changing both because of the reorganisation and because of COVID. Dare I say, perhaps in 2021 we will look back at this and see that COVID has helped us become more efficient – we really have gone back to the essentials.

The crisis has led to enforced synergies between the departments – and unity is strength!” MOBILISING IN TIMES OF COVID

Eric and Philip emphasise that, even against the backdrop of the most disruptive event for 75 years, DEME has achieved some amazing feats over the last few months. The mobilisation of our CSD ‘Amazone’ for the Świnoujście – Szczecin fairway project in Poland was one triumph that Eric wants to highlight. “Our dredger was just mobilising in mid-March and, two days before the departure from Belgium, Poland suddenly closed its borders. Initially, there was a little bit of a defensive reaction in the Joint Venture team, but this didn’t last long. Our partners needed us,” Eric says. The mobilisation stopped entirely but a substantial part of the project team that was already in Poland for the preparation works decided to stay there, instead of going back home. “And guess - 95 % of this hard core were people from DEME! They immediately worked out a Plan B. A real momentum had built up, we had been preparing since September 2018, so if it was to come to a halt, it was bad for the project and we didn’t want to have a massive asset that was not producing,” he adds. HR threw all the resources it had in the project’s direction, Eric stresses. “Of course, the client was disappointed we couldn’t start. But we did everything to find solutions to improve the situation and foster the relationship with our customer.” Despite everything, the team started dredging on 1 May, in the height of the most difficult period. “I honestly think we were even more efficient as a company due to COVID. Everybody helped – the crew, people on site, HR …” Philip points to an equally impressive performance from the project team and crew in Nigeria, where ‘Marieke’ was performing a reclamation job in a very remote location, even though all the borders have been closed. Initially, and understandably, the crew were worried that if there was an outbreak, they would have to go to local hospitals. “We explained that we would do absolutely anything, anything possible to get them home.” Many of them chose to stay on in Nigeria. Then it became time for a crew change, which was also very difficult – for a

time, it looked like the only possible location was going to be Las Palmas. “We all worked hard on this, together with the HR team, and eventually found somewhere closer. But what I want to say is that this project kept running and the crew and site staff never stopped performing!” “Meanwhile in South America, ‘Lange Wapper’ kept going, we have a new project in Malaysia and in June we started mobilising for the Arctic, even though the borders in Russia are closed. This project has been prepared with real military precision: six DEME vessels, two charters, 400-500 people over the duration of the 2020 campaign. I have so much respect for the crew and staff. They realise the importance of keeping going for both the company and ultimately, for everyone’s future,” explains Philip. A FRONTRUNNER IN DIGITALISATION

As well as the resilience and determination of our people and the new organisational structure, another key foundation that helps DEME through the crisis is its ongoing digitalisation. Philip stresses that digitalisation is simply ‘the oxygen of the company’. “If you don’t do it, you will fail. It is an absolute necessity.” Eric smiles: “What Philip didn’t say is that he is one of the main driving forces behind the modernisation of the company and IT. We have a very strong team dealing with IT, and his inspiration meant that from 15 March we were all geared up to use MS Teams efficiently because he took the right actions over the last few years, not on 14 March.” About the last Monthly Safety Meeting with the European dredging teams Eric says: “I think we had 40 people in eight countries connected and the system worked perfectly. It was as if there was no pandemic at all.” It is not just about the MS Teams software, it is also important to enable people to work from home, says Philip. “They can travel with their tablet-sized laptop and their phone in their pocket. DEME has been taking its IT to the next level, with many initiatives underway, and our partnership with Microsoft is now paying off with every meeting we organise.”

JOINT INTERVIEW – 13

In Nigeria the crew of TSHD ‘Marieke’ and the project team carried out a challenging reclamation project in an extremely remote location

BIGGEST ORDER BOOK IN HISTORY

Despite these hugely difficult times, our people stay onboard and at project sites. Kudos to them!

DEME’s solid business fundamentals have led the Group to achieve the biggest orderbook in its history – even at the height of a global pandemic! Eric and Philip underline the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel, the Oosterweel Link for the Antwerp Ring Road, the Sabetta access channel widening and deepening in Russia, and the three major Dutch infrastructure projects. “These are all long-term projects, so the other dredging activities we are executing and acquiring are really ‘the cherry on top’. We will have to reroute people to other Activity Lines, but this is what we want as a Group – we want to be versatile, and we want to have flexible people that can enjoy fulfilling and diverse careers within DEME.” Eric enthuses: “We have been able to secure these important infrastructure projects, some of which have been triggered by the pandemic. We signed for the Oosterweel Link – an immersed tunnel under the River Scheldt – we can even see the project site from the DEME HQ roof. COVID has given these projects a push. Additionally, our colleagues in Italy report that the country is likely to modernise many ports and invest in infrastructure projects. There are a lot of opportunities coming along.” “We are only a few months into the crisis and we don’t know where the chips will fall. But, for sure COVID represents the biggest economic impact we have seen since the Second World War,” Philip adds. “When governments want to stimulate economies, construction is one of the first things they think about. In Belgium we have a saying: ‘when construction goes well, everything goes well’. We are seeing local authorities in Europe launch projects that will generate a lot of work, whether this is related to improving infrastructure, land reclamation or dredging.” SPECTACULAR FLEET ADDITIONS

Looking back at the successes of the last 12 months, DEME’s future is secured, they stress.

“But having said that, Operational Excellence is even more important and we have to be leaner. At the same time, we have to be kinder to the planet.” Philip foresees that sustainability will be a main driver of operational change and, ultimately, the success of DEME in the decade to come. “Leading by example in curbing our emissions is something society increasingly expects from us, and many of our clients do as well. I am convinced that, now that we have a systematic approach to sustainability in place, we can find a way to not only differentiate ourselves with ‘promo talk’, but also make this focus into a competitive edge that will pay its way.” The spectacular newbuilds that are slated to enter the fleet – ‘Spartacus’, ‘Orion’ and ‘Green Jade’ – will, for example, all be contributing to higher sustainability, be that through dual fuel or other high-tech, clean technologies. “Just to think that, in these times, the shareholders still backed us to make a huge investment like ‘Green Jade’! That is because they believe in the strength of the team and the company,” Philip says. A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR AWESOME DEME PEOPLE

And for both, the most important competitive edge is the ability of DEME’s people. “Despite these hugely difficult times, our people stay onboard and at project sites. Kudos to them! Our HR team are doing everything possible to solve logistical challenges and to make sure the DEME family sticks together,” Philip says. And in a very important message they want you all to hear, Eric states: “Philip and I want to say an enormous thank you to all your families and indeed, our own families, for their support.” “We are facing a situation which has never been seen before in our lifetime. Families are facing life without fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. And at the same time, the normal challenges of life go on, with extra amplification because of the crisis.”

“We want to pay a really big tribute to our crew and project teams. When you are confronted with staying onboard and onsite much longer than you expected, you all keep going. Without you we would not be able to achieve these amazing accomplishments and we would be in a much worse situation now. To all our crew, project teams and staff – thank you – what you are doing is truly incredible.”

FAB FOUR MASTER ‘ORION’

Michiel Visser Captain Michiel Visser celebrates his 21st anniversary with the company this November. DEME is only his second ever employer. Previously, he worked on merchant vessels sailing all over Northwestern Europe. In 2018, Michiel was delighted to be named one of the new captains of the DP3 offshore installation vessel ‘Orion’.

What makes DEME special for you? (Laughs) “DEME is definitely special, otherwise I wouldn’t be here after 20 years! Above all, I think it’s the company’s philosophy of taking care of its people. DEME is a very social employer. Look at the handling of the COVID crisis and the incident on ‘Orion’ for example. I believe that at least 90 % of Orion’s crew were working on another vessel in our fleet again very quickly, due to the efforts of colleagues, other vessels and the HR team. After the accident, DEME took swift action and made sure everyone was looked after. The company’s mindset makes it special. We took a breath and then switched into ‘fix it’ mode. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt and the Moray team immediately took action to find a replacement vessel. And now, the Moray East offshore wind project is progressing well again. Luc Vandenbulcke, our CEO, and our Strategic Operations Director Koen Vanderbeke both rang me personally following the incident. I think this says something about our company. It is all about how we react in these situations.Taking care of employees – this is what DEME stands for. I have seen this again and again in the past 20 years. Another thing that makes DEME special is the opportunities it gives its people. I have been able to work in so many parts of the company and in different sectors – on TSHDs, CSDs, jack-ups, and travelled across the world. In 2013, I finally ended up in the offshore branch with GeoSea, now DEME Offshore, which I very much enjoy. I wouldn’t be here now unless DEME had given me the opportunities to broaden my horizons.

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to work on ‘Orion’. We all know what has happened to her, but ultimately ‘Orion’ will still be a fine vessel, a truly competitive ship, a gamechanger.” Is there anyone / something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? “My answer here is related to the answer I gave about why DEME is special. My career has been influenced by the DEME culture of giving people opportunities. The management have enabled me to work where I wanted to go to and take on fresh challenges, explore new sectors. The ‘Orion’ is actually a ‘new line of business for me’. It is a fresh challenge. It will be great to sail again and to have the opportunity to work on a heavy lift vessel.

Another reason why DEME is special and a factor that has influenced my career is the culture of sharing knowledge. I am appreciative of all of the colleagues, staff and crew members that have shared their knowledge with me throughout my career. I originally went from merchant vessels to the hopper dredgers and people such as Ruben, Captain of ‘Breughel’ and Captain Jan of the ‘Spartacus’, passed on their knowledge of hopper and cutter dredgers. I am thankful to everyone. I have enjoyed every bit of my career. And without going into details, as for sure there have been ups and downs, finally it has led me to the place where I am now.” Which performance are you most proud of within the team you work in? “There are so many projects but a few particular highlights include one of my first projects, way back in 2000 on ‘Vlaanderen XVIII’ which was performing a dredging project on the Orinoco River in Venezuela. I spent eight weeks dredging in the jungle with nice colleagues. Hard work but also a lot of fun.

Though only involved in the trial phase, a special jack-up job was the MeyGen tidal power project in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth in Scotland. This was carried out with ‘Neptune’ in September 2016. This area has very strong currents, so it was quite challenging. To get everything installed was quite an achievement and again, performed by a nice team.” What do you still dream about? (Smiles) “Seeing my son grow up. He is already 18 though. I am simply a happy man – I don’t really have so many dreams. Work-related dreams have been realised so far, though I am always open for new challenges and opportunities.” Do you have a tip for DEME? My tip would be for DEME to be the company that it has been for the last 20 years moving forward. I hope I can still work for DEME for more years to come and I hope I can see the company give people the same opportunities that I have had.

Taking care of employees – this is what DEME stands for. I have seen this again and again in the past 20 years.

Michiel also worked on board of offshore installation vessel ‘Apollo’

FAB FOUR – 15

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

An insight into the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm Much has already been written about the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm project, both in the specialist press and internally. And no wonder, as it is clearly a major milestone project for everyone involved: France and its national energy provider EDF, the industry, DEME Offshore and Herrenknecht AG, the company constructing a tailor-made subsea drill specifically for the project. We interviewed Yves Chiffoleau, Business Unit Director Renewables, South Europe at DEME Offshore who has been closely involved in securing this contract, and Grégoire Le Miere, the Saint-Nazaire Project Director at DEME Offshore, who is leading the team responsible for the transport and installation of the wind turbine foundations and offshore substation. CONCEIVED IN 2012

INFO The 480-megawatt (MW) wind farm will feature 80 GE Haliade 160-6MW turbines and is expected to generate the equivalent of 20 % of the Loire-Atlantic’s electricity consumption. Turbines will be located between 12 and 20 kilometres off the coast, at depths ranging from 12 to 25 metres, and over an area of about 78 square km.

6 MW TURBINES Interestingly, when the project was conceived, the largest possible turbines were 6 MW with rotors of a diameter of 150 metres. As there has been considerable progress in the size of turbines since that time, these will actually be the last 6 MW turbines produced by the GE factory in Nantes.

The road to this project has been long. EDF, with Canadian Enbridge subsequently, won the contract back in 2012, and though the company had hoped to have the wind farm up and running by 2020, lobbying and local opposition got in the way. “Over the years, different groups have been opposed with reasons or less to this project: fishermen concerned with their livelihoods, city-dwellers with a second home on the coast, bird and marine life lovers, etc.” Yves goes on to say. “And this was despite the fact that the project will deliver green electricity and a good number of local jobs both during the construction and the 25 year maintenance period. There is now a growing acceptance that offshore wind farms are a good way to broaden the supply of energy generated.” “The wind farm will be gradually put into service from late 2022, but there is still lots to be done – fortunately, the construction is finally getting under way now,” explains Grégoire. Grégoire, who is currently based in Lille, will be moving to La Rochelle in the near future, from where the operations will be managed. “We had hoped to be based in Saint-Nazaire, but the bridge over the mouth of the river – spanning the Loire River and linking SaintNazaire on the north bank and Saint-Brevinles-Pins on the south bank – is too low for our installation vessel, ‘Innovation’, to pass under. This change will add about 80 nautical miles to the journey, roughly half a day’s sailing, but it’s the only solution. The foundation elements – all coming from Rotterdam – will be stored in La Rochelle and shipped to the offshore site during 27 trips. Another smaller base – our grout logistics team – will be established at Saint-Nazaire.”

The grout logistics is also an interesting story. As it’s only possible to store 600 to 800 tonnes on the grouting vessel at any time, a refill vessel will accompany the ship from Saint-Nazaire and sail next to it. Also, a special motion compensated gangway will offset the movement between vessels and the foundations – this will ensure greater safety for the crew, and avoid that they have to climb ladders. A SERIES OF FIRSTS

“Not only will Saint-Nazaire be the first offshore wind installation in France, but it will also be the first time drilled XL-monopile foundations will be used offshore, all in a very oceanic environment.” Yves Chiffoleau, explains. “The whole offshore wind world is following this French project with great interest, and the reason for this is there are similar rock conditions all over the world for receiving offshore foundations, including in the Far East and Japan particularly. The Atlantic Ocean’s long swell and wave conditions,” says Yves, “are another very important factor which adds stresses and strains to the marine operations and vessel workability. These were also determinant data for the design in permanent but also in temporary conditions, necessitating innovative methods and tools adapted to the Saint-Nazaire marine conditions.” The drilling solution is also a first. The vertical large-diameter drill has been developed jointly with and subcontracted to Herrenknecht AG in Germany. This company is a specialist in manufacturing large tunnel boring machines (TBM) including over 20 TBMs for the road and rail links for the “Grand Paris” infrastructure project currently under construction for the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s not the first time that DEME has been working with Herrenknecht, and not the first time DEME is drilling vertically into rock. DEME is also responsible for the construction of six large shafts at the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in Somerset, England. But this will be the first time that 73 separate 7.7 metre holes (out of the 80 foundations) will be drilled into the seabed, for installation of the 7 m diameter steel XL monopile forming the foundations of the Saint-Nazaire wind turbines. The 450-tonne offshore foundation drill, with a massive 7.7 m diameter full face drill head, will be working in rocky The Saint-Nazaire team is managing one of the most challenging offshore wind projects

seabed conditions and up to 25 metres of water. “The torque generated by such a drill,” explains Grégoire, “would normally simply turn the drill around and around, but the MODIGA, a special equipment between the drill and the seabed, avoids this. Drilling these many holes of such a large diameter and then installing up to 1,000 tonne XL monopile has never been done before. Moreover DEME Offshore is also designing and fabricating a wave protection system to reduce its exposure to the marine Atlantic swell and enhance the ‘Innovation’s operational working time. This so-called MODIGA s ystem will not only guide the drill and withstand the huge drilling torque, but it has a second purpose as well, which is to enable the annulus grouting between the rock and the monopile to be poured. This grouting, at a depth of some 30-metres below the seabed will support the 80-metre steel XL monopile to a tolerance of roughly 2 mm. The MODIGA will also reduce the noise of the hammer and protect the local environment, making the MODIGA a strue swiss knife” as called by EDF.” TOTALLY NEW TECHNICAL SOLUTION

“The amount of preparation that goes into a project such as this one is enormous – and a lot of preparatory work has already been done. Our major challenge was mainly to develop an innovative and cost-effective solution to tackle the tough conditions for installing the 80 XL monopile foundations on a mainly difficult rocky seabed and in oceanic conditions. We are convinced DEME Offshore’s technical solution is the good one, and that it will deliver the stability and robustness which wind farms of this size and in this environment require,” says Yves. Grégoire concludes by confirming that all the engineering and procurement side of the project has now been completed, and that manufacturing is ongoing. Eiffage Métal, DEME’s Consortium Partner, through its subsidiary Smulders in Belgium – a company that DEME knows well – is busy producing the XL monopile foundations. “We’ve also designed and developed shock absorbers to go under the legs of the ‘Innovation’ to enable the jack-up vessel to work in the swell of the Atlantic on all seabed conditions. It’s just another example of how much attention to detail goes into a project like this,” says Grégoire. The Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm project is one that will be followed with interest over the coming years, as challenges are faced and significant project milestones are completed. The project is on track despite COVID-19, with installation of the foundations starting in March 2021.

For the first time drilled XL monopile foundations will be installed at an offshore wind farm

All eyes in the renewables industry are on the Saint-Nazaire project, where DEME Offshore will be deploying a series of innovative installation technologies

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17

KITCHEN SECRETS

Stefaan De Craemer, TSHD ‘Meuse River’

Stefaan’s famous trout dish, served with beetroot sauce.

“Herbs, fresh produce and a pinch of love makes the perfect dish!”

Without doubt, fresh produce, the right combination of herbs and cooking with a pinch of love are the secrets to a good dish, says Stefaan De Craemer, who has been a cook onboard of DEME’s vessels for 12 years.

dish. So I created it again for him. I take out the bones, put fresh steamed vegetables inside and serve it with a beetroot sauce.”

importantly birthday cakes. “My birthday cakes particularly,” he laughs. Stefaan also tries to personalise his recipes to include some local dishes where possible, depending where the crew is from. “On a recent trip to Poland I asked the steward about the local dishes and he suggested the famous Golabki, which is white cabbage filled with rice, onions and minced meat with a tomato sauce. A couple of Polish crew members came in and weren’t that enthusiastic about their home ‘favourite’. But they tried my version, with my special combination of herbs and I was very pleased to that they came back for a second plate!”

For Stefaan, the most exciting place to visit and cook was Libya. “I will never forget it. It was really a special way of shopping, I would go every week to the market to buy all the fresh fruit, fish and meat – choose what I want. I regularly used to go to a fish shop and bought some beautiful, small tuna for the BBQ. Then I went another day but the fishmonger didn’t have any left. He promptly rang his friend who was a fisherman to see if he could get some for the next day. I was really surprised to see a huge 80-kilogram tuna delivered by a crane to the ship’s kitchen door the next morning. Absolutely delicious! Definitely the nicest food I have ever had and the crew also loved it.”

And clearly Stefaan’s food makes a good impression. Many years ago when he was working in Abu Dhabi he had invented a special trout dish for the crew. “Funnily enough, recently I was aboard the CSD ‘Amazone’ and the Master said I think I know you from Abu Dhabi and he remembered eating my trout

He also talks about the challenges of being a cook. “As mentioned I prefer fresh food – I think if it is truly fresh you are half way to a good dish, but of course this depends on d eliveries.” And for him the other major challenge is making sure the kitchen is spick and span and up to his exacting standards.

GIANT TUNA … DELIVERED BY A CRANE!

Most of this time – nine years – was with the TSHD ‘Artevelde’. But just before he joins our latest newbuild ‘Meuse River’ and set sail for the Arctic, we interview him about some of his kitchen secrets. Stefaan says: “I had always wanted to be a chef and always had a calling for the sea, although I didn’t have any family in the maritime world. I approached DEME and within a few months was onboard.” The last 12 years have taken him from destinations in Europe to Abu Dhabi and Libya. LOCAL DISHES AND BIRTHDAY CAKES

He explains that he always tries to surprise the crew with a new menu every day during the six week shift. “Sometimes it is not always possible, depending on deliveries. But I do my best to get everything fresh and prepare some favourites.” Definitely the 16-strong ‘Artevelde’ crew are partial to fresh fish, spaghetti Bolognese or spaghetti with scampi, vegetables with a cream sauce, and

“Sometimes when you take over a ship, the kitchen is not as spotless as I like to have it. I always begin by giving it an extra good clean. I did this recently and cleaned it from the cabin ceiling to the floor; it took two to three days. But when the new crew came aboard they were astonished. It is nice that they appreciate it. I think having a clean kitchen gives a good energy on a ship.” A SPOTLESS KITCHEN

Although he will miss the crew of ‘Artevelde’ after nine years working on the vessel he is very much looking forward to a new challenge. “Perhaps it will be more tricky to get fresh salad and fruit etc. I imagine we will get a delivery for all of the vessels working on the project every few weeks. I will still try to get fresh produce as much as possible. And I have never been to the Arctic so it is also exciting and a new challenge.” Stefaan joined ‘Meuse River’ in Zeebrugge for the two-week journey to the Arctic. And one thing is certain, he smiles, joining DEME’s latest newbuild vessel will mean “I have a sparkling, clean kitchen!”

I was really surprised to see a huge 80-kilogram tuna delivered by a crane to the ship’s kitchen door the next morning. Absolutely delicious!

Stefaan tries to personalise his recipes to include some local dishes where possible, depending where the crew is from

FAB FOUR STRATEGIC OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Koen Vanderbeke Operations Director Koen Vanderbeke joined DEME in 1995 straight from university. “So I have only had one job interview in my life!” he says. With a civil engineering background, Koen actually worked as a deckhand initially but then a few months later he was transferred to his first project team. Koen started at Dredging International and then moved on to Hydro Soil Services (HSS), GeoSea, and finally DEME Offshore.

What makes DEME special for you? “Definitely the diversity of all the people working at DEME. Different trades, nationalities, backgrounds – there is a big mix. And indeed the variety of all of our activities and the scale of things we do. There is never a dull moment and you never know what is going to happen next. “As well as this, our innovative spirit makes DEME special. We will always find solutions, new ways of doing things. Personally, I am very proud of DEME’s presence in the offshore renewables industry, which is still quite a young industry. We were active in this market right from the very beginning in 2000 and pretty much everything had to be pioneered. From then on we have made huge steps to play the leading role that we do today.” Is there anyone / something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? “Lots of things have influenced me. There are always plenty of opportunities here. New things come along continually and I have never said ‘no’. I believe you should grab all opportunities that present themselves and always be ready to try. This of course, shapes your career, you could be more selective, but personally I think you should ‘just get on and do it!’. This approach has taken me to countless countries and every continent on the globe over the years. And although I started in dredging, in recent years I have been deeply involved in the offshore sector.

“Numerous people have influenced me – too many to name when I consider all of the projects and vessels. But perhaps I have worked with Luc, our CEO, most intensively. During our careers we were often involved in the same activities, and Luc also joined HSS and went on to GeoSea. “I would also say that working with both the vessel and project crew has had a big influence. They have a more practical, experienced-based way of looking at things, which is often quite different from the staff and project management team. It is really enriching to combine practical experience with a civil engineer’s more theoretical approach. I believe these interactions are extremely important in everything we do.” Which performance are you most proud of within the team you work in? “Over the last couple of months, I would undoubtedly highlight how the DEME team has handled the Coronavirus pandemic – particularly the crews and the project teams abroad. They have done an extraordinary job and kept the company going. “All of the projects continued – not one stopped – despite the severe operational issues and restrictions. Some of our crew have been on the vessels for an extremely long time because crew changes and permits to shore were not possible and then our project teams – some of whom are in remote locations in Nigeria, Russia, Asia and South America – all kept the projects going.

“And then if I look back to projects in the past the one I am most proud of is the salvage of the car carrier ‘Tricolor’ in 2003. This was extremely challenging. The 16,000dwt ‘Tricolor’ sank after colliding with a container vessel in the English Channel near France. At that time, the vessel really hit the headlines globally, so the world was watching and we were under quite some time pressure. “At the start it was mind-boggling, how were we going to get the vessel out of an incredibly busy shipping lane? Two vessels had already run into her at high tide and she was too big to lift. Normally we would upend her but she was too weak and was on her side, so effectively collapsing onto herself. The team decided to cut her into nine pieces and remove her piece by piece. We used a specially invented cutting technique between two jack-up vessels, so two sheerlegs could lift the huge vessel slices onto pontoons. The innovative spirit really shone through and we successfully performed the removal in just four months.”

Grab those chances! They are sometimes a leap into the unknown, but it worked for me. So far, I have had an exciting and rewarding career and I am sure there will be more interesting opportunities in the future.

Do you have a tip for DEME? “Concerning a tip about how we can improve, I think this relates to what I said earlier. We are a company with plenty of opportunities and an innovative spirit. I would urge our people to make the most out of the possibilities that present themselves. Grab those chances! They are sometimes a leap into the unknown, but it worked for me. So far, I have had an exciting and rewarding career and I am sure there will be more interesting opportunities in the future.”

What do you still dream about? “I would like to see DEME developing some totally new activities in the future. When I joined we were 90 % into dredging then offshore renewables started. I hope we can create something completely new that hasn’t been envisaged yet. This is great for the people involved and again, will show our entrepreneurial spirit. I hope I can see that happening in the coming years!”

FAB FOUR – 19

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

DEME to build ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Oosterweel link Drivers on the Antwerp Ring Road often suffer hours of delay and frustration as currently only the southern section of the route is open – it’s been like that for over 40 years – but finally there’s light at the end of the tunnel. DEME, together with three other companies, has been tasked with building a new Scheldt tunnel towards the north side of the city. The consortium includes four leading Belgian construction groups: DEME, BESIX, BAM Contractors and Jan De Nul. The value of the contract is EUR 570 mio, with a DEME share of 25 %.

This project is a major part of the Oosterweel link and will lead to the Antwerp Ring Road being completed. The immersed tunnel under the river Scheldt will be the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Oosterweel link, as not only will the project complete the ring, but it will also be a remarkable engineering achievement. SCHEDULED OPENING OF THE TUNNEL IN 2027

Designed to reduce traffic congestion and the number of accidents, while also increasing the quality of life in the region, the Oosterweel link is a major project for the greater Antwerp

region. And yet it’ll be a few more years before the population can enjoy the benefits. The civil works on the tunnel should be completed by early 2026, but it’ll take an extra year before the tunnel is actually ready for traffic, since the tunnel technical installations have to be installed. Even then, the link won’t be fully accessible, as all the dual-carriage way connection roads between the Linkeroever (the left bank) and the Oosterweelknooppunt (right bank) need to be completed. With a number of different projects going on at the same time to complete the 15 km section,

the currently scheduled completion date for the whole Oosterweel project will be 2030, provided everything goes according to plan. WORKING WITH PARTNERS

While the actual construction work on the tunnel itself will begin after the summer of 2021, following a period of preparatory work including required permits and fine-tuning of the design with the client, DEME and its consortium partners have been working together on the tender since 2018. Inevitably, it’s always an interesting personal experience working in a joint venture, establishing new relationships, good mutual understanding, and the right procedures. “Everyone in the team has had to make a concerted effort to establish a new team culture,” Philippe Van Gorp, project manager at DIMCO, explains. When asked why DEME chose to work in partnership with other companies – even a company that’s usually considered a competitor – he says, “By partnering, we can draw on the support

DEME has particular standards that we all want to adhere to.

Eight tunnel elements of approximately 60.000 tonnes each will be built in a specially constructed dock.

Elke Rombaut, Project Manager

Philippe Van Gorp, Project Manager

and knowledge of some of the most experienced players in the Belgian construction business, including DEME, especially valuable in this specific type of project. Every partner has something to bring to the table, resulting in a great combined intelligence, skillset, etc. Furthermore, the project includes dredging the river Scheldt and we already partner with Jan De Nul on that. ” MOST INGENIOUS BUILDING METHOD IN CONCRETE AND HYDRAULIC CONSTRUCTION

THREE TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION Three different types of construction will be required for the river Scheldt tunnel: - A cut and cover construction on the left bank: approx. 500 m, constructed in an open excavation, and backfilled later. - A cut and cover construction on the right bank: approx. 140 m, constructed between slurry walls. - The immersed tunnel: approx. 1,280 m long comprised of 8 separate sections of 160 m each, installed in a dredged trench in the river and through the existing dykes. The cross-section of one element is roughly 41.3 m wide by 9.9 m high.

CONSTRUCTION OF AN IMMERSED TUNNEL An immersed tunnel is made up of separate prefabricated tunnel elements that have their ends temporary sealed with bulkheads so they can be floated. In this project, the tunnel elements are reinforced concrete structures, which are prefabricated in a basin in Zeebrugge. After construction of the tunnel elements, the basin is flooded to allow transportation. At the same time the access ramp structures are constructed and a trench is dredged on the bottom of the river and then graded to fine tolerances to support the elements. The concrete tunnel elements are towed into place, and once in position, immersed to their final location on the riverbed. This is a critical stage of the operation, as each piece has to be aligned correctly. After being put into place, the final (sand) foundation is created and the joints between the tunnel elements are completed, and this sequentially all along the tunnel.

Philippe Van Gorp, who has been working as a project manager in the sector for more than 10 years, with experience in tunnelling and concrete works, has been working on the tender of the project. He explains the project in a little more detail, “Eight tunnel elements of approximately 60,000 tonnes each will be built in a specially constructed dock and then towed to Antwerp via the North Sea and the Western Scheldt, where they will be immersed in a pre-dredged trench in the river Scheldt in Antwerp. This technique, in which gravity and the upward force of water have to be constantly balanced, is one of the most ingenious building methods in concrete and hydraulic construction. DEME has experience in this type of work and all the techniques are proven to work well. It’s a tunnel construction methodology that’s known as OTAO in Dutch (Opdrijven, Transport, Afzinken en Onderstromen). Antwerp already knows it well, as it was used to build the Kennedy tunnel (the southern link on the ring) in the 1960s.” Philippe explains why the immersed tunnel method is chosen for this connection and why a drilled tunnel wasn’t considered: “One of the reasons is that a drilled tunnel under the river would have to be one or two diameters deeper than the riverbed, making the approach roads either much longer – too long for the area available – or considerably steeper which would be unacceptable for normal traffic. The immersed tunnel on the contrary is placed just below the river bed, in the middle of the river only separated from the navigation channel by a rock protection layer.” MULTI-SKILLED TEAM OF TALENTS

The project will require a multitude of specialist talents, including dredging, civil engineering and environmental specialists, all present within DEME. And it also needs skilled project managers. One of these – a DEME stalwart – is Elke Rombaut. Elke has been working at DEME since leaving university and in that time has worked all over the world either as a Works Manager in Qatar, (on the biggest port extension in the region), as deputy project manager in Angola, as a project manager in Belgium (construction of breakwaters in Ostend) and in Sweden (remediation of the 3-year project Valdemarsviken).

Elke explains how she got involved to work on this tender. “On my return to Belgium from Sweden, I started working on the maintenance dredging works of the river Scheldt and it’s ‘non-stop’ dredging. It was also in that role that I worked closely with Jan De Nul and got to know both the ups and downs of working the river and the client very well. The river with its strong currents and large tides is very unpredictable, and there is a remarkable number of fauna and flora. Dredging knowledge is very important, as it’s not simply a question of taking the material away, but moving it to another place within the river Scheldt (keep the morphology of the river Scheldt intact).” This specialist knowledge is an invaluable asset when it comes to the river Scheldt tunnel project.

end, as well as an ability to stay true to one’s values. “DEME has particular standards that we all want to adhere to. You need to ensure you are wearing the right hat at the right time – either DEME or that of the consortium. My work in Qatar on the Ras Laffan port working with three other dredging companies was a good experience in this regard.” While the construction work on the tunnel has not yet started, it is clear that a lot of time and effort has already gone into winning the bid. “I am looking forward to being there at the end of this project,” says Elke, “and seeing the construction through from tender to delivery. To go from an idea in your mind to the physical reality is a fantastic experience, and one I’m excited about.”

THE MARKING SYSTEM OF THE BID

Elke explains the bid process in a little more detail. Besides the financial aspects there are different elements of the offer that are important to the client, and each of these was marked. - Liveability: it is important not to negatively impact the life of the population in the vicinity of the project, including the water’s fauna and flora. This means limiting turbidity and avoiding too much traffic, noise, dust and vibrations when building the tunnel. - Accessibility: similar to the first point, it is important to have a plan to avoid disturbance to marine traffic. - Interfaces with VTTI: this is a Dutch term that means ‘Verkeers- en tunneltechnische installaties’. This refers to the installations within the tunnel after it’s been built e.g. lights, security, etc. – in short all the technical installations required to make the tunnel usable. - Interfaces with third parties: on the one hand the parties involved in the other different projects of the Oosterweel link; on the other hand external parties e.g. Flemish government, Port of Antwerp, City of Antwerp, etc.

MISSED THE PRESS RELEASE? Read it on the DEME website

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Elke says a number of permits are still required. This type of project requires a great deal of finesse and diplomacy to see it to the

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT – 21

THE COFFEE BREAK

“Despite competition being fierce, we differentiate ourselves through our track record.” Hugo Bouvy, Managing Director DEME Offshore Despite the distractions, DEME Offshore has had a busy year so far. The SeaMade foundation project was concluded in record time and foundations and wind turbines (WTGs) for the prestigious Borssele 1&2 project were completed for Ørsted ahead of schedule. Further afield, a first rock placement project was delivered in Taiwan and an offshore trench completed in Vietnam. And we’ve also just signed our largest ever power cable contract to date in the UK. At the same time our teams also had a major setback with the crane accident on board of the newbuilt offshore installation vessel ‘Orion’. Managing Director of DEME Offshore, Hugo Bouvy, was kind enough to tell us more about the ups and downs of the year so far in the offshore activity line. It was a thoughtprovoking conversation that yielded a number of interesting finds. A FAVOURABLE WIND DESPITE COVID-19

There is plenty of good news to report at DEME Offshore, as by and large work on offshore wind farms has continued as usual, despite COVID-19. “For example, after delivering the foundations and cabling at Otary’s second offshore wind farm in Belgium, SeaMade, we are meanwhile making good progress with the turbine installations with Apollo,” says Hugo. “DEME’s installation vessel ‘Innovation’ has been extremely busy, as it installed the foundations for SeaMade, Ørsted’s Borssele 1 + 2 wind farm off the Dutch coast, and following the early completion of the SeaMade and Borssele projects, we even had capacity to install 34 (of the 90 in total) monopiles and transition pieces at a new wind farm, Triton Knoll, off the coast of Lincolnshire, East England. Installation vessel ‘Apollo’ worked over the entire winter period on the 37,000 tonnes of piling work needed for the foundations of Moray East, off the east coast of Scotland Following the incident on board our offshore installation vessel in early May at the Liebherr construction yard in Rostock, and the damage done to the crane, DEME Offshore has had to quickly find another ship to handle future commitments. ‘Orion’ had been expected to start work in July 2020. Fortunately a replacement vessel has been found rather quickly. It has taken over Orion’s duties for the next year, the estimated time it should take to repair and rebuild the crane. In truth,

CFD CONTRACTS CfD contracts are designed to give investors more certainty when investing in low carbon electricity generation. They work by fixing the price of electricity received for a number of years in the future – and also fixing the price consumers will pay – thereby reducing the investment risk.

the ‘Orion’ incident has maybe even been a bigger headache than COVID-19,” comments Hugo. And further afield, in Taiwan, the company has completed its first rock placement project in the country to support a gas pipeline. And during this time, the ‘Nile River’ completed the pre-trenching works at the Nam Con Son project in Vietnam.” SOME DISRUPTIONS DUE TO COVID-19

“I can’t say that the coronavirus hasn’t disrupted operations, it has,” says Hugo. “Indeed, it’s been tough ensuring that there have been no infections on board any of our vessels. It’s been necessary to enforce 14-day quarantines in all cases before a crew boards a vessel, and social distancing, where required, has been strictly enforced. In Taiwan however it just wasn’t possible to swap crews, as people couldn’t go in or out of the country.

As a result some of the crew on the ‘Seahorse’ working there were obliged to stay on board for almost five months before being allowed to disembark and return to their families.” The crew’s dedication in this case is something that Hugo is particularly proud of. Also, a number of oil and gas related contracts, normally a firm fixture of the company’s workload, have been affected by the drop in oil prices. Several projects in traditional oilrich countries (Nigeria, Venezuela, Mexico and Angola for example) have had to be postponed due to a shortfall in oil income. There has also been resulting delays to projects in Singapore, Newfoundland and Vietnam, though this last oil and gas related project finally moved ahead, and has since been completed. NEW PROJECTS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2020

There’s an exciting new offshore project in Saint-Nazaire, France that has involved a number of our ships. Neptune, with its jack-up Platform has done the pre-piling work there, in excellent cooperation with two dredging vessels: D’Artagnan and Bonny River, who completed the sea bed levelling work in record time. Saint-Nazaire will be the first offshore wind farm to be built in that country and demands very particular engineering. In fact, the project requires the drilling of an 8-metre diameter hole into 6.5 metres of rock wherein a monopile will be placed. The drilling equipment foreseen for this operation is very similar to that used when boring a horizontal tunnel, except that the drill will

be turned to work vertically. This is a new and revolutionary way of working. Besides these projects, DEME Offshore has also signed an early works contract for the construction of the pioneering installation vessel ‘Green Jade’, which will be built in Taiwan for the Taiwanese renewables market. Lots of rock placement work has been secured and the fall pipe vessels are fully occupied. Meanwhile all the inter-array cabling works on the Moray East project have been awarded, this is on top of the work that Ørsted asked us to do in replacing the faulty cables on the Hornsea One project. These two things together mean that our Living Stone vessel has a full order book for the foreseeable future. A MOVE FROM CFDS TO MERCHANT PRICES AND LARGER TURBINES

Hugo is happy to report that the levels of investment in wind energy remain high, and though a number of customers still rely on CfDs (Contracts for Difference), there has been a significant move to subsidy free projects. This willingness to accept more risk and go for open market and merchant prices is a sign that more and more investors are willing to put their money into renewable wind projects in the expectation of a good return. This is a healthy sign for the industry, especially as these investors are not idealists but are committing for the long-term. “The turning point came a couple of years ago following the exponential growth in turbine size, and resulting leaps in energy generation efficiency. To put this issue into context, the first offshore wind farm in the

LINKEDIN Check out our sisters at work at Borssele 1 & 2

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Foundation installation at the Borssele 1&2 wind farm in the Netherlands

The turning point came about a couple of years ago following the exponential growth in turbine size, and resulting leaps in energy generation efficiency.

world, built in 1991, had 35-metre diameter blades and an output capacity of 0.45 MW. By 2012 these numbers had increased; blades were more than 100 metres in diameter and produced roughly 3 to 4 MW. Today, it’s not unusual to be installing turbines capable of producing 12 or even 14 MW of power. These large-sized turbines have a 222-metre rotor diameter, and a wind swept area of an astounding 39,000 square metres! That’s an area equivalent to about six football fields,” explains Hugo. There is an issue however… and that is the low price of oil and gas at the moment, which is putting pressure on renewables. “It’s a problem when increased use of cheaper gas is not offset by gas powered energy plants paying an appropriate price for the long term pollution damage they cause. In short, the price of CO2 emissions is much too low and needs to be increased substantially to even the keel. There is a parallel here to the

experience of the chemical industry in Europe, another business where the playing field isn’t a level one. In Europe, there are environmental norms that need to be met, but this isn’t always the case elsewhere,” comments Hugo.

more renewable energy in the future. As far as DEME Offshore is concerned, it is hoped that deals for new installations will be signed soon and that clean offshore energy will start production in the USA around 2024,” says Hugo.

OFFSHORE WIND SET TO BLOW AROUND THE WORLD

In Japan, DEME Offshore and Penta-Ocean Construction Co. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) relating to the construction of offshore wind farms. This merely confirms the country’s enthusiasm for wind power – the government is hoping power producers will develop at least 10 GW of wind capacity by 2030.

While Europe, Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea have been forging ahead with offshore wind installations, the US market has lagged behind, and this for a number of reasons, including political and regulatory issues. “So far, the first and only commercial offshore wind farm in the US is the 30 MW farm located off the Rhode Island coast. It began operating in 2016. This is expected to change in the next few years, as there are a number of projects off the East Coast waiting for permits and approval. The leap in size of the turbines makes the economic case for wind in the US even stronger and it’s also possible that a new president could push for

Hugo explains: “Since those early days, we have accumulated expertise and R&D know-how and are now able to offer detailed engineering solutions for almost any problem. Despite competition being fierce, we differentiate ourselves through our track record of successful installations – on time and within budget – and our ability to handle bigger and more complicated projects, including taking responsibility for more and more of the installation process e.g. foundations, turbines, cables, etc. This is a big difference vis-à-vis other players in the market.”

“As the desire for wind power grows around the world, we also understand there is a need to support the local industry, it’s why we often DEME Offshore has an unmatched track establish joint ventures. So, above and beyond record in offshore wind. This is in large part delivering work at the right price and with thanks to DEME’s investment in a wind the right technical solutions, we realise that farm off the Belgian coast about 15 years ago. a part of the equation includes the number The C-Power project was a great training of locally created jobs. We are of course interground for the company and definitely gave ested to hear more about the EU’s new Green it a head start in the industry. Deal, but are not counting on it to secure our future. The world is our oyster and THE EUROPEAN GREEN we look forward to finding DEAL ROADMAP many more pearls out there,” concludes Hugo. The EU Commission’s President THE REAL EXPERTISE OF DEME OFFSHORE

Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Green Deal roadmap in December 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis. It includes a number of trade and industry policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curtail climate change. With Europe suffering from both the economic and social impacts of COVID-19, the European Green Deal is being seen as a key measure to stimulate the economy. Offshore wind power looks set to receive a particular boost, as more capacity will be constructed under public-private partnerships (PPP).

We offer detailed engineering solutions for almost any problem

THE COFFEE BREAK – 23

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

PFAS explained

Why our environmental specialists developed a cleaning technique for PFAS contaminated soil

Our environmental specialists have developed a cost- efficient and sustainable cleaning technique for PFAScontaining soil in the Dutch market. But what are these PFAS chemicals, where do they come from, and why do we need to treat ground containing high levels of contamination? Pieter Van der Mussele, Department Manager Environmental Technology, Jochem Bloemendaal, Advisor Soil & Environment and Stany Pensaert, Department Manager Research & Development, shed a light on this burning matter. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE

PFAS are a class of chemicals that are widely used in consumer products including nonstick cookware (e.g. Teflon), water- and wrinkle-resistant clothing, as well as in fire fighting foam. It is because fire fighting foam has been widely used by industrial companies, fire departments and military bases – in particular during training to combat kerosene fires – that there is such a problem. In essence, PFAS are a special kind of detergent with a stable molecule that is resistant to heat. They are often referred to as “forever chemicals”, as they can remain in the environment for a very long time. These PFAS chemicals – the acronym stands for Per Fluoro Alkyl Substances – are particularly dangerous, as they are soluble in water and can therefore easily be transferred to the environment. Unfortunately, when levels become too high, they can negatively affect humans and mammals, and cause adverse health effects including developmental defects, kidney cancer, liver damage, and damage to the thyroid and immune system. LEGISLATION IS THE DRIVER OF SOIL WASHING

There is new legislation relating to PFAS, which for many years were unregulated chemicals and so passed under the radar when it came to detection and prevention.

Governments across Europe, with the backing of the EU, have set levels of pollutants permitted in the soils. Naturally, for such a dangerous series of chemicals of which there are 1000s, the pollutant levels have been set very low. This has created a new market for soil washing in the Netherlands, where there are many building projects looking for a sustainable solution for excavating soil.

CLEAN OR A NON-CLEANABILITY DECLARATION?

There is an alternative to soil washing that’s been approved by the Dutch government when levels can’t be brought down to the low levels of PFAS required by law, and that is to simply put all the contaminated soil into landfills. This is a rather poor solution and potentially exposes the area around the landfill to leakage and consequences later on.

in a sustainable manner and drastically reduce the amount of material to be landfilled (by at least 60 %).” This business offer is brand new, but with clients including Schiphol and the military being obliged to follow the Dutch authorities’ lead in cleaning up the ground, and the public’s desire to see sustainable practices, there is significant potential around the country.

HYBRID SOIL WASHING PROCESS

This is why our environmental specialists have developed a special soil washing process that cleans PFAS-containing soil with an impressive cleaning yield achieved of more than 95 %, in both laboratory tests and at full scale. Essentially, the innovative method is a hybrid version of the wet extractive cleaning process, which, in addition to fracture separation, focuses on purifying the water (used to wash the sand) in a water treatment plant. PFAS contain carbon-fluorine bonds, which are one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry. This means that they resist degradation when used and also in the environment. The soil washing technique for PFAS contaminated soils is based on the removal of organic matter from the soil, the continuous water treatment to remove the PFAS load from the process, and a second washing step of washed gravel and sand to remove PFAS traces in the water.

In mid-May, Rijkswaterstaat Bodem+, which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, extended the possibilities for applying for a ‘declaration of non-cleanability’ for batches of PFAS-contaminated soil. As a result, batches of PFAS-containing sandy soil with an elutriated fraction of less than 40 % (organic matter + fraction < 63 µm) can be landfilled, even when the levels of PFAS are higher than 20 times the temporary standard limit. Pieter Van der Mussele, Department Manager explains DEME’s thought process: “We know that dumping PFAS-containing soil is expensive, as it is subject to a landfill levy, and it’s certainly not sustainable or circular. We believe dumped soil is just ‘waste’, while cleaned soil is given a second economically- viable life. The reuse of cleaned soil also saves valuable primary raw materials. With the “DEME hybrid soil washing process”, it is possible to clean most PFAS-containing soils

CONTAMINATED SOIL Landfills, military bases and industrial sites frequently contain contaminated soil. From there, chemicals can move into groundwater and aquifers, and start polluting nearby wells or municipal drinking sources.

WHY ARE THEY PRESENT IN FIRE FIGHTING FOAM? Fire fighting foam, with a combination of water, pressurised air and PFAS, is more effective at controlling fires than just water, particularly when it comes to fuel- based fires. However, unlike water and air, PFAS are man-made chemicals that don’t break down over time. This puts fire fighters at higher risk, and often causes problems to the local water sources – hence the need for decontamination and a clean-up.

CARBON-FLUORINE BONDS

Pieter Van der Mussele, Department Manager Environmental Technology

Jochem Bloemendaal, Advisor Soil & Environmentand

Stany Pensaert, Department Manager Research & Development

PFAS contain carbon-fluorine bonds, which are one of the strongest chemical bonds in organic chemistry. This means that they resist degradation when used and also in the environment.

FAB FOUR OFFICE MANAGER MORDRAGA, RUSSIA

Ekatarina Avdyunicheva Ekaterina Avdyunicheva joined Mordraga in St Petersburg in 2014 as an Administrative Assistant and then later in the same year she was also appointed Office Manager. Her varied administrative duties include everything from document control to travel arrangements, and her responsibilities are growing. “That’s what I like – great chances for self– development!”

Her colleagues are actually her ‘customers’, she laughs. “I make sure they are working in a comfortable environment, doing whatever they need. There can be a wide range of requests and I always try to make sure I respond promptly. I have a background in travel agencies and the hospitality industry so am used to multi-tasking and tight deadlines.”

From the start I had a strong feeling of the DEME spirit, which is based on the company’s success, prosperity and innovation.

What makes DEME special for you? “When I joined Mordraga six years ago this was really the beginning of an exciting and challenging experience for me. From the start I had a strong feeling of the DEME spirit, which is based on the company’s success, prosperity and innovation. And I always have very good support from the team. If I have any questions colleagues take the time to listen and help me.” Is there anyone / something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? “Actually, DEME generally, I really admire the amazing works done by DEME all over the world, from land reclamation to creating artificial islands etc. You can hardly imagine the work done by this team of professionals. And often the management of these amazing projects is all being handled remotely, for example our Arctic project here. What can

be achieved is pretty much a miracle. It makes me feel everything is possible and it is great that I am part of it.”

and so forth. So it is really nice that I have added a little bit of my vision into a DEME office.”

Which performance are you most proud of within the team you work in? “Actually I am proud to be the Office Manager for Mordraga, which represents a great deal of responsibility for me. I know everybody well and will always aim to provide a full response in line with their requests. I am really proud of the organisation and now we have additional project offices as well.

What do you still dream about? “Definitely that I want to go and work onsite at a project location – preferably Malaysia or Singapore (not the Arctic though haha). I really want to see how the process works from the front row and see where I can be useful to the team. Currently of course, we have several active projects in Russia and it is my priority to assist the directors and managers here, but perhaps there is a chance in the future. This is my dream and I keep dreaming!”

In 2019 I was given the responsibility to locate an additional office, which was quite difficult. Everything was addressed through me which involved a lot of negotiations with suppliers. Although this was all new to me, I think we achieved a very nice result! When I visit the new location everyone seems very happy and comfortable so hopefully I did a good job. And already in light of new projects in the pipeline I am now working on another additional office which will be twice as big, able to accommodate approximately 50 people. This is an even bigger challenge. My role includes everything from planning the layout, to partitions, to IT. Every day I am in touch with the developers about the interior design, colours

Do you have a tip for DEME? “I think that it is really great that our CEO uses digital media to make announcements such as the video about the impact of COVID. It was really helpful to see how DEME had adapted and the measures it was taking. This should really continue. We can then all understand what is happening, wherever we are in the world. Social media is getting more and more popular and we are all spending more time on our devices. So perhaps a tip would be that DEME could do a little bit more in this area to help our understanding and I think it helps us feel closer to the management team.”

FAB FOUR– 25

MEET THE FLEET

How does it feel to be the captain of the world’s most powerful cutter suction dredger? With everything about her being exceptional, our supersized new cutter suction dredger ‘Spartacus’, the world’s most powerful CSD ever built, is already making waves in the industry. Featuring dredge anchors weighing 90 tonnes, spuds of 330 tonnes and giant cutter teeth, as well as an installed capacity of 44,180 kW, this pioneering newbuild is expected to create her own market with her ability to cut through hard rock and to dredge deeper than ever before.

As our giant newbuild ‘Spartacus’ enters the commissioning phase, we meet her two captains – Geraud Maziol and Jan Cap – before they take on the biggest challenge of their career. Captain Cap came straight out of school and joined DEME in 1992 as a deckhand on the split barges. Three years later, he switched to backhoes and in 2003 he began working on the smaller cutters. Originally, he thought that his chosen career might swing towards computer technology, but he explains: “Since joining DEME I have always been offered a lot of chances within the company, which I took.” ‘Al Mahaar’, ‘Ambiorix’ and ‘D’Artagnan’ are just a few of the dredgers under his belt and now he is delighted to add ‘Spartacus’ to his CV. “I was very keen to work on ‘Spartacus’ but looking at the competition for the position, I wasn’t sure I would be promoted. I am so happy that DEME has the confidence in me that I can be at the helm of this special vessel and I am really grateful for this opportunity. As soon as I visited ‘Spartacus’ at Royal IHC, I couldn’t wait to be onboard.” Captain Maziol attended the French Maritime Academy, joining DEME in 2006 and in 2011, he became a Master. Much of his career has centred on ‘D’Artagnan’ (with the exception of six weeks on ‘Antigoon’) which he has been deployed on for 13 years. He is also delighted to be awarded a promotion to captain this unique vessel. ‘Spartacus’ also brings the two together again; they worked alongside each other on ‘D’Artagnan’ for five years on projects in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates when Captain Cap was the First Officer. Captain Cap says: “The advantage of the vessel suffering some delays because of COVID and the issues at IHC is that it really gave us the opportunity to sit down together and talk about our vision for the vessel. We have discovered that our views are nearly always the same – we know what each other is thinking.” PROUD OF THEIR CREW

The buzz around the ship is palpable. “You know this vessel is really special. We have a lot of visitors each day and the market is keeping a close eye on us. They all want to see what this vessel will do!” he stresses. And right from the beginning of the construction, in January 2019, it is clear they have a great team around them. Captain Maziol

says: “Some people don’t welcome change. But we can see everyone here is really keen to take on a new challenge. They have very good motivation and are willing to learn. We don’t need to push. They take the initiative.” “We are very proud of our crew, they do their absolute best. I agree with Geraud, we don’t have to repeat things; they are very professional and know what they have to do. That is what a captain wants to see,” adds Captain Cap. For both captains, the new ‘Spartacus’ represents several challenges – the sheer scale of the vessel, manoeuvring a 170-m CSD, a much larger crew, the addition of so much new technology, being able to use LNG as a fuel, the pumping power and ability to cut such hard materials at depths of an exceptional -45 m, to name just a few. THE HIGHEST SAFETY STANDARDS

IMPROVED CREW COMFORT

As well as its stringent safety policy, DEME has invested a lot into making ‘Spartacus’ as comfortable as possible for the crew by reducing noise and vibrations. For the first time onboard a DEME vessel, the accommodation unit will be mounted on an air spring vibration absorption platform. The captains expect that around 75 % of vibrations will be eradicated when the cutter is at work. “These vibrations can create problems for the crew, especially when they are trying to sleep and the cutter is busy for a long time working in hard rock. But this new system is a big improvement as the accommodation platform moves independently of the cutter, which is much better for life aboard.” Another improvement for the crew and the captains is the addition of a new post of a dedicated crew coordinator. They explain that managing such a large crew would be a significant challenge otherwise. Captain Maziol says: “With such a large contingent a captain can take on the job of a ‘hotel director’, allocating everyone to their cabins, checking passports, documentation etc., so for the first time we will have a dedicated crew coordinator, who will relieve us of these tasks.” UNRIVALLED PRODUCTION RATES

Our biggest But above all, safety is their Currently, all the major number one challenge components have been priority is – as captains they want to installed and the captains safety. make sure that their crew are overseeing the commishas the ability to do their sioning phase and acceptjob in the safest way possiance tests. Together with ble. Captain Jan comments: the captains we are count“Our biggest priority is safety. We have a speing down to the first journey of this fantastic cial Taskforce examining potential hazardous new vessel. Captain Maziol says: “We are points and removing anything considered extremely eager to see her production rates risky. We are defining all the safety proceand pumping power. Things that were not dures and standards. From the moment we possible in the past – deeper dredging depths start, we will have a complete Safety Book. and the ability to dredge very hard spots – all suddenly become possible.” “With 72 crew – compared to around 40 on the other CSDs – safety is an even more Captain Cap adds: “I am really keen to see serious challenge. ‘Spartacus’ is a place where what she can accomplish – we are all expecta lot of heavy work is being done – it is almost ing such a lot. Just everything is extraordilike a factory.” nary – fully equipped dredge anchors of 90 tonnes, the size of the accommodation and crew, 330-tonne spuds, our own cutter workCaptain Maziol adds: “Yes I totally agree, shop, dual fuel engines … We can certainly we have to do everything we can to avoid incisee DEME is never afraid of new technology. dents. It is of course, not the case that the other I sincerely believe ‘Spartacus’ will be a game vessels are not safe, it is just that everything changer. is bigger, heavier and more complicated with this vessel, so all operations require extra care. For example, it is not possible to put the teeth And such a special vessel is fully deserving onto the cutterhead manually because of the of the wonderful crew she has onboard, they heavy weight.” stress. “We can’t wait to start and Captains Jan Cap and head out for When ‘Spartacus’ is working on projects Geraud Maziol are eager her first project worldwide, DEME will be setting the safety to head out for a first with our marstandard, they stress. “We will implement project and to see the vellous team.” the standard at any site we work on – it is the unrivalled production highest there is – so other contractors will rates and pumping power have to adhere to our standards.” of CSD ‘Spartacus’

We can certainly see DEME is never afraid of new technology. I sincerely believe ‘Spartacus’ will be a game changer.

TIMELAPSE SPARTACUS Watch the two-day installation of the giant souds on our cutter suction dredger ‘Spartacus’ here

CLICK HERE

MEET THE FLEET – 27

SAFETY FOCUS

The rewarding job of ensuring everyone gets home safely Vincent Nivarlet, QHSE Engineer at Ecoterres in Wallonia

Ecoterres is performing works, together with a joint venture partner, which will eventually lead to the reopening of a 6 km section of a canal between the Belgian border and the city of Condé in Northern France

“Everyone knows that at DEME the health and safety of our people is the number one priority. We take it very seriously, and this is true wherever you are, and wherever you work.” And yet, it’s only by setting clear standards as to what is expected and measuring the performance of all aspects relating to QHSE that we can ensure that everyone, employees and sub-contractors, get home safely. This is a fundamental principle at DEME and one that is communicated and conveyed via our Health & Safety engineers all over the company. Vincent Nivarlet is one such QHSE engineer at one of our subsidiaries, Ecoterres in Wallonia.

“I think I’m often perceived as being the annoying one,” says Vincent with a smile, “as it’s me who is tasked with explaining safety instructions and giving advice about a particular procedure or operation, and saying no! While it’s true I do stop people from doing certain things, I also encourage good behaviour – and this is most certainly appreciated, particularly as everyone now understands that I’m doing my job on their behalf. You see, there’s only one KPI for me, and that’s ensuring everyone gets home safely without having suffered any kind of injury.” “My biggest job is communication. To this end, I have a monthly safety and e nvironment meeting with the senior management, a necessary appointment when you understand what we do and what equipment we use. And I also pay regular visits to the sites where we are working so I can see what we are doing there, and examine the safety side of our business.” “It’s much easier to do my job at Ecoterres because we are part of DEME. The fact is the bosses here know that ‘their’ bosses will be asking them about their safety, so they make enough time for it. Furthermore, they ensure that I have good access to the blue-collar workers operating the machines and doing the physical labour at the different locations. Having worked in other places in the past I know that it’s not always easy for small companies to give the right attention to health and safety issues. We sometimes find this is the case with our subcontractors who

can be a little rock ‘n roll in their attitude to these things, but a quiet word on what’s expected of them, and they they soon see the sense of following of f ollowing our rules and our standards.”

and resolving problems – specific problems – on a day-to-day basis. There’s paperwork of course – the down-side of things – but I realise why it’s so important, as what gets measured, gets done.” “I’m particularly involved at the start of a project, in fact even before we actually begin putting people out in the field. All the stakeholders are asked to examine the hazards and the risks of a particular operation and decide who exactly is in charge, and what needs to be done for safety’s sake.”

Using a range of technologies, Ecoterres specialises in treating and cleaning polluted soil, and it also cleans waterways and protects groundwater from pollution. Based in Gosselies and Farciennes, Ecoterres is ecologically innovative on three levels: it develops new environmental technological solutions; it designs its business by applying the principles of the circular economy and mainly using inland waterways.

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE WELL PREPARED

“We recently did a project for Total, the oil major. The job involved dismantling a series of pipes that ran from a factory to the river (and barges) on the other side of the E25 highway. A FLOW OF GOOD ADVICE FROM HEAD Every element of the operation was thought OFFICE through and prepared on a minute-by-minute “I regularly receive QHSE instructions and basis and every possible solution was worked guidelines from head office. Most of them out up front in case there was a problem. are directly applicable, but some – it’s true – In short, by anticipating and need to be adapted because discussing what could go of the scale of the business. wrong we were well prepared Ecoterres is still a small entity.” for any eventuality even I enjoy being though the job itself wasn’t “I make it very clear to everyat the service even going to last more than one in the company that of others and about 10 hours. Of course, I am there for them, and that everything went exactly to I want to be sure they have resolving plan with no stress and no everything they need to do problems incidents, incidents. This their work safely. In fact talk– specific highlights that without ing with the front-line workdoubt meticulous preparaproblems – ers is the part of the job that tion and planning makes for I like best. I insist that they on a day-toa better, and above all safer, are able to talk to me without day basis. job.” fear of being sanctioned, and I can ensure that the required actions are taken, as necessary, to keep them and the environment safe and secure. Part of my job is also ensuring that the material and equipment used by our teams is kept in good working order, and has been maintained according to DEME standards.” “There’s no typical day at Ecoterres, and I like that. I enjoy being at the service of others

ECOTERRES

SAFETY WEEK “The 5 videos for this year’s Safety Week were all supplied with French subtitles, which made it easier to engage and motivate our predominantly French-speaking workers. We looked at 5 high potential incidents over five successive days … and discussed how we could avoid these kinds of problems in the future. I usually have about 30 minutes for these interactive sessions, but there’s always pressure to get back to work. There is no doubt that these sessions help me gain the trust of the individuals concerned and improve communication in general,” says Vincent Nivarlet, QHSE Engineer.

THE ROAD TO BEING QHSE ENGINEER? Having originally studied agronomy with a specialisation in the environment and ISO standards, and passing Prevention Advisor exams – both levels 2 and 1 – Vincent Nivarlet started working as a safety and environment coordinator, before moving on to becoming QHSE Engineer at Ecoterres 2 ½ years ago.

THE DEME SUITCASE

“Firstly I would take my family but also my golf clubs and a lot of golf balls!” Dennis Couwyzer Chief Electrician The first person to unpack his DEME ‘suitcase’ in our new ONE DEME gazette is Chief Electrician Dennis Couwyzer. Working for the company for more than 20 years, Dennis laughs and describes himself as ‘one of the DEME old-timers’.

Dennis started his career in 1998 on the TSHD ‘Atlantico Due’. “It was my very first job after my studies, where the first few months were mainly about intensive on-thejob training.” In his early years with DEME, Dennis was mainly involved in filling in for the permanent electricians between their shifts. “At that time there was still an eight weeks on / four weeks off system, so I always covered the four weeks shore leave for the full-time electricians. I went from ship to ship until I finally had a permanent place on ‘Pearl River’.” He stayed with the ‘Pearl River’, which was mainly busy in Asia and later Africa, for more than a decade. “I was deployed on the ‘Pearl River’ for 11 years where there were several projects in Singapore, but also in the surrounding countries of Southeast Asia.” Later on, the vessel largely worked in the Mediterranean and Nigeria. He adds

that in the past he sometimes went on leave on the spot so he could explore each country he visited. NEWBUILD TEAM FOR ‘CONGO RIVER’

For Dennis, his favourite project came in 2010, when he joined the newbuild construction team of the ‘Congo River’. This is his standout project and also one of the greatest challenges of his career. “Everything had to be revamped for the one-man bridge operation. With two drag pipes this really required a lot of effort,” he explains. “I was involved in this project very early on, so as an electrician I was able to contribute a lot. Now we are already 10 years further on, so the ‘Congo River’ has become ‘my baby’ a little bit.” In 2018, Dennis worked on ‘Congo River’ again to install new dredge pump gearboxes. “This was a great project because everything still had to be redesigned.”

ENJOYS PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY

Despite describing himself as a ‘veteran’, Dennis is definitely open to new challenges. For him, new dredgers such as ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Bonny River’ also represent an interesting opportunity, particularly because of the pioneering new technology onboard. “With the new ships joining the fleet, the associated technology continues to evolve. For example, upgrades of the electrical systems such as control and automation are needed. This requires more than basic knowledge, which means that all kinds of manuals have to be consulted again.”

communication takes place via email and digital work is needed as much as possible.” An example of this is the switch to the IBM Maximo system. “I wanted to actively participate in the start-up of this new reporting system. It is a critical, comprehensive platform for the fleet. We went live with the system just a few weeks before the pandemic started and lockdowns around the world were initiated.” Asked what he would take to an uninhabited island, Dennis says: “Firstly I would take my family but also my golf clubs and a lot of golf balls!”

Not only has the technology of the vessels evolved, but the digital era is also revolutionising the fleet, he says. “We used to have only a fax machine and one built-in mobile phone on board. This made daily communication with the head office more difficult,” says Dennis. “Nowadays, most

NEXT TO PACK HIS SUITCASE: Taco Jaquet Dennis would like to pass on his virtual suitcase to Taco Jaquet, Captain of TSHD ‘Minerva’. “During our career, we have regularly crossed paths on different ships and in different functions. On ‘Congo River’ we have often worked alongside each other on long shifts and have always worked very well together. Taco has also been working at DEME for more than 20 years and is therefore also one of those ‘veterans’. Becoming a captain was the logical step in his career!”

Dennis C ouwyzer

THE DEME SUITCASE – 29

Greetings from

Ni c ol e Ma gya r Chief Mate TSHD ‘Nile River’

Chief Mate Nicole Magyar was literally a water baby, with a 44-ft yacht being her first home. She spent her childhood years cruising around Australia and laughs that she got her boat licence before she even bought a car.

After completing her studies at the Australian Maritime College, and competing in many sailing races at state and national level, as an 18-year-old she joined her first vessel, the TSHD ‘Lange Wapper’ in Dubai. She was the only female and the only Australian onboard. “It was tough sometimes but I embraced the challenge and it motivated me to do well. And being the only woman, there is always the challenge to prove yourself and to try and work harder than the guys,” Nicole emphasises. MANOEUVRING MAGIC

Since 2008, Nicole has sailed on a wide range of the DEME dredging fleet from the ‘Lange Wapper’ to the CSD ‘Amazone’. She particularly enjoys manoeuvring the vessels. “I just love being able to manoeuvre a 130-180 m vessel into a tight spot. The places where we can position a ship is pretty impressive. I also really enjoy the variety of work on DEME vessels and like doing my own repairs. In the past, I was on a gas tanker just going up and down, which was pretty monotonous.”

I just love being able to manoeuvre a 130-180 m vessel into a tight spot.

As well as this, Nicole finds the one man bridge operated vessels an interesting development. “It was daunting not to have a pipe operator initially, but I think it is a great system. Although I find the intensity of the repairs and maintenance increases without the extra crew.” TWO YEARS AT FAVOURITE PROJECT TTP1

Although Nicole has travelled all over the world, her stand out project and by far the most challenging is the TTP1 in Singapore, where she was deployed on ‘Brabo’ for two years until February. “This has to be the most impressive project in the dredging world that I have been involved in. It was massive, I don’t believe I was there at the peak and there were still 80 vessels working on the project!” TTP1 has also enabled her to develop her own skills, she adds. “Singapore was so intense. This has really allowed me to build up my experience and ability, handle pressure and become more capable.” And after a stay at home during the coronavirus months, Nicole joined ‘Nile River’ for a project in Vietnam. Nicole is just one exam short of her Master’s ticket, which is her next challenge, and she hopes to have this achieved by the end of the year despite the COVID impact. “I feel like I fell on my feet all those years ago when I had the choice between dredging and merchant vessels because everyday I face a variety of new challenges and experiences.”

This is way too dangerous!

Let's ask the captain of the Lange Wapper for help. His boat's over there!

There's the Big Whopper! I mean, the Lange Wapper!

A LI TTLE LATER, THE CAPTAIN TAKES O UR FRIENDS BA CK TO THE WIND FARM…

So there's a plastic whale beneath us? Neptune's beard!

My first whale is made of a type of plastic stronger than metal, steel, or cardboard… I mean, concrete!

Jeremy comes to the rescue! 300

300. THE PLASTIC HUNTERS

is ywhere! aste unter’, y,

In the middle of a wind farm?!

THE PLASTIC HUNTERS

The cartoon character “Jeremy” might not be so famous in the English-speaking world, but just mention the word “Jommeke” to a Belgian of almost any age and they know exactly who you are talking about. Jommeke, a clever, honest and Jom300_plstcjgrs_int_NL_E.indd 19 brave 11-year old boy, is a character created by Jef Nys in 1955. The stories are about his and his friends’ adventures around the world. But what has that got to do with DEME?

In 2019, DEME decided it needed to tackle a pressing environmental problem, namely the plastic waste to be found in rivers around the globe. It’s a problem that’s getting worse, as every year approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste is added to rivers and oceans. That’s the equivalent of a new truckload of plastic rubbish being dumped every minute of the day – for a whole year.

meke

THE STORY OF THE PLASTIC HUNTERS On land, at sea and in the air. When a new adventure is about to begin, Jeremy / Jommeke is confronted with plastic waste wherever he goes. He asks Professor Braynard / Gobelijn to invent something that removes the plastic soup from the rivers and the seas. While the professor is working on the plastic hunter, a new plastic whale that transforms plastic waste into eco-friendly energy, Jeremy / Jommeke and his friends collect plastic litter to use as fuel. But not everybody has good intentions … a couple of misfits have other plans for Professor Braynard’s phenomenal invention!

Now plastic doesn’t just make a mess of our shores, it also hurts marine animals that mistake smaller bits for food and become entangled in larger pieces and die. In short, ingestion of plastic particles can prevent them from digesting their food and introduce toxic chemical pollutants into their bodies. This then has an impact on humans, as we then eat plastic through the food chain. Sadly, this plastic waste problem exists all over the world … including on our own doorstep. THE PLASTIC HUNTERS

To tackle the problem of river pollution, DEME answered the call and submitted an innovative proposal to collect waste near the Temse-Bornem Scheldt bridges in Belgium. It is an opportunity to test the company’s detection and collection of waste technology.

The practical result is a fixed installation that passively collects floating and suspended debris in the water and a mobile system that actively seeks out larger pieces of waste. The unmanned mobile installation detects floating waste using artificial intelligence following information gleaned from smart cameras installed on the Temse bridge. The “Marine Litter Hunter” – the name of the boat – then intercepts waste and pushes it to a collection pontoon, where a crane transfers it to a waiting container. The “Marine Litter Hunter” is fully CO2-neutral and moors autonomously at the docking station to charge. It was actually during the launch of the project that the idea to work with Jommeke rose to the surface. Temse is a city that has a long connection with the cartoon business, and it seemed only natural that one of the country’s most famous adventurers, Jommeke, should see if he could do something about the problem, while also raising awareness among the younger generation. And so a new album – the 300th in the series – called “The Plastic Hunters” was conceived. Jommeke, who has a habit of solving every problem he encounters, comes up with

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The “Marine Litter Hunter” is fully CO2neutral and moors autonomously at the docking station to charge.

a plan with the help of his friend Professor Braynard (or Professor Gobelijn in the Dutch edition). The partnership between DEME and Jommeke was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the problem to younger (and older) audiences, and show that we need to do something urgently if we are to avoid generating an even bigger mountain of waste. DEME is also examining ways of recycling the collected plastic waste and using it as a natural resource in the future, thereby contributing to the circular economy.

JEREMY COMES TO THE RESCUE! – 31

Jef Nys ÂŠ Standaard Uitgeverij 2020.

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Colour the drawing, take a photo and place it on Facebook or Instagram. Be sure to use the hashtag #OneDEMEOneTeam and tag DEME Group. The best photos will receive a prize! Questions can be send to: communication.deme@deme-group.com

We do hope you have enjoyed reading the first edition of our new ONE DEME Gazette! If you would like to contribute to the next one, and have any nice ideas for topics or people you would like to see featured in the newspaper please let us know: communication.deme@deme-group.com

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