#2 2021 ENGLISH PUBLISHER: DEME COMMUNICATIONS
MEET THE FLEET
Cable installation vessel ‘Living Stone’
FAB FOUR
Marianne Van Gerven
Second Mate Trainee ‘Innovation’
Captains Leo Janssen and Ber t Van Der Meulen reflect on a busy year on board of the ‘Living Stone’ and what makes this unique vessel so special.
Jurgen Noorland
Read more about the ‘Living Stone’ on page 24
Crane Operator
SNAPSHOT TEAM NIGERIA
Achieving one of the most remote dredging projects in DEME's history
Nereida Gomez Project Manager
Christophe Van den Berghe
Tackling one of the last remaining blackspots in Belgium
Fort Sint-Filips
Captain TSHD ‘Bonny River’
Backstage
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with the Dredging Operations Department
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THE HEROES ARE BACK
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EDITORIAL
Despite the last 12 challenging months we have been awarded some amazing projects, many of which are multi-year and will give us a significant occupation of our fleet, as well as a major contribution to our turnover.
One of our customers recently made the comment, ‘at least they can’t cancel spring’. And indeed that is so. After many months of living with the pandemic, tentative green shoots are at last starting to appear, particularly given the vaccine rollout programmes. At DEME we are seeing a few green shoots of our own. Despite the last 12 challenging months we have been awarded some amazing projects, many of which are multi-year and will give us a significant occupation of our fleet, as well as a major contribution to our turnover. We have also successfully completed several highly technical, complex projects, some of which are featured in this edition.
In our home market, we were awarded two contracts for the prestigious ‘Oosterweel link’, which will complete the Antwerp Ring Road. Part of our scope includes ‘the jewel in the crown’ of this critical infrastructure pro ject, the Scheldt tunnel. This is an immersed tunnel with a total length of 1,800 m. This contract, which represents five years of work, only serves to highlight our impressive track record building immersed tunnels. It follows on from the Coentunnel in the Netherlands and even right back to the sixties when we built the Kennedytunnel in Antwerp. This specialist field has been an important part of our repertoire from the early days. IMMERSED TUNNEL EXPERTISE
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This unique experience with immersed tunnels also enabled our consortium to win the unique Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link a few years ago – which is set to become the world’s longest immersed road and rail tunnel at 18 km. Connecting Denmark with Germany, this historic project will take nearly a decade to complete. Four years after the contract signature, the Danish Government issued the Notice to Proceed for the project, and con struction officially started in January 2021. You can see that we are really harvesting the fruits of our marine engineering and civil construction experience, which is very much valued by our joint venture partners. Our expertise and the synergies in our activ ities is also highlighted in the o ngoing meg aprojects in the Netherlands: the Rijnland Route, Blankenburg Connection and New Lock Terneuzen. MAKING HISTORY IN RENEWABLES
Other important projects include the SaintNazaire offshore wind farm where we will be
making history, drilling monopiles into exceptionally hard rocky soil rather than hammering them. Our engineering exper tise has enabled us to find this unique solu tion which will cut the underwater noise dramatically in line with our goals to pursue sustainable solutions. A remarkable project in our portfolio is Dogger Bank, where we have been awarded an EPCI contract for the inter-array cables at this enormous 3.6 GW wind farm. And indeed this again sees us make history – this is the largest inter-array project ever awarded in the industry! Undoubtedly, our amazing cable installation vessel ‘Living Stone’, with her unique features, is one of the main reasons we were awarded this vast project. In this edition of ONE DEME you can read an inter view with the Captains about their busy year. ‘Living Stone’ is working almost nonstop and we can see that our investment in this special vessel is paying off. In a recently completed project we highlight the Moray East offshore wind farm. At its peak 4,500 people worked on the 950 MW wind farm and DEME was managing 15 vessels at the offshore site. We overcame everything from the pandemic to a piracy threat, to constructing and delivering the largest jackets ever made. At a depth of nearly 55 m, this is also one of the deepest wind farms in the world. I can’t emphasise this point enough: we delivered this enormously challenging project for our client, despite the many difficulties, the challenging schedule, and extra costs incurred. AWARDED MAJOR REMEDIATION CONTRACTS
Our Environmental teams have also scored some big wins. We have been awarded a second major contract from ExxonMobil to remediate its former site in Bowling near Glasgow. This followed the successful com pletion of a four-year refinery remediation project in Tønsberg, Norway. A substantial 250,000-300,000 tonnes of soil washing and treatment is expected to take place at the Scottish site. All of the land will be remedi ated to ExxonMobil’s stringent standards, which have been agreed by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. I am very pleased to see that ExxonMobil has entrusted us again with such a complex project which underscores our pioneering remediation capabilities. Meanwhile, in a project which can even be viewed from our Headquarters, we are car rying out one of the largest rehabilitation projects ever to take place in Belgium,
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tackling the historically polluted Fort SintFilips in the Port of Antwerp. LOOKING FORWARD TO ARRIVAL OF CSD ‘SPARTACUS’
Very soon our giant CSD ‘Spartacus’ is set to enter our fleet and she will join the green flotilla of DEME vessels already busy at the Abu Qir port development project in Egypt, the largest dredging and land reclamation project in our history. I am looking forward to her arrival, it is not an exaggeration to say ‘Spartacus’ is a game changer. This special vessel played a major role in helping us to land the Abu Qir contract. Recently we again secured a contract in Egypt, this time for the Abu Qir container terminal. Both projects will occupy a significant portion of our fleet and substantially add to our turnover. IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE IN THE ARCTIC
Of course this follows on from the amazing performance our crews and project team achieved in the Arctic at the Sea Channel project, covered in this edition. We mobilised eight dredgers and we will do the same again this year. The Sea Channel project also saw us set a new standard in dredging in these sensitive environments. Our impressive environmental performance is the result of building up our knowledge and expertise over many years. DEME, unlike others, has not just jumped on the sustainability bandwagon, we have been addressing this issue for more than a decade in line with our ambitions to see the complete decarbonisation of society and ultimately, a better world for future generations. STRONG ORDERBOOK
I would like to conclude by thanking you all for your determination and flexibility during the pandemic. Let’s hope our joint efforts enable us to gradually see a return to some sense of normality after the summer. We can overcome this. Look how we have continued and kept the projects going, despite the many hurdles we have had to overcome. We have a strong orderbook, and there is plenty of tendering activity going on. Then we have these incredible super tools such as ‘Living Stone’ and ‘Spartacus’. We are ready and prepared for when things pick up. They will but when is still a little uncertain. With our One DEME, One Team spirit, we will get there – I am certain of that.
Luc Vandenbulcke CEO DEME Group
BACKSTAGE
Backstage with the Dredging Operations Department Determined to bring offices, project sites and vessels closer together The creation of the Activity Line Dredging Operations team in 2020 is already highlighting the benefits of an integrated approach at projects such as Saint-Nazaire in France and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey. We talk to the six key managers.
We are after all One DEME, One Team!
Led by Operations Manager Sven De Beenhouwer, who has been with the company since 1999, Dredging Operations has five department heads. Sven explains: “The new Operations Department within the Activity Line Dredging effectively substitutes the activities of the former COO Department and combines the activities of a few other departments. With work ranging from ten der activities to project execution activities, the skills and expertise of five departments have now been brought together under the Dredging Operations Department.”
up of the project. Sofie’s department takes care that the right vessel is deployed on the right project and seeks operational c ontinuity for every vessel in the fleet. The Fleet Department, headed up by Filip Clemeur, makes sure that all these vessels are in the best possible techni cal condition to ensure maximum efficiency. And last but not least, the QHSE Department, managed by Kris Gettemans, assists the tender teams, project teams and crews to make certain that the highest possible safety standards are being implemented and followed on all of our projects.
The Tender team, led by Johny Van Acker, assists the Area Directors with calculating the right price for our projects. The tender and project teams receive expert engineering input from the Engineering, Design and Technology department, headed by Marc Van Den Broeck. Then once the project is in hand the Project Office, led by Sofie Verheyde, will plan the vessels needed and will assist the pro ject teams with the mobilisation and setting
Sven emphasises: “The ‘ops’ (operations) team, each with their individual specialities, is now under one umbrella. We can’t perform projects without any one of them and each member of the team aims to support our projects to the maximum. We are after all One DEME, One Team!” The team highlights recent examples of where this integrated approach is already playing
a role in projects such as Saint-Nazaire in France and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey. SAINT-NAZAIRE SUCCESS
At Saint-Nazaire, where preparations are being carried out for the first commercial offshore wind farm ever built in France, the dredging team works together with DEME Offshore’s project team. Sven comments: “Ultimately engineering is at the centre of this project, which has a very hard, rocky seabed. Here we needed a lot of engineering input from Marc’s team. Normally, we would tackle this project with a cutter, but instead we also performed it with our brand new TSHD ‘Bonny River’, which was equipped with a rock crushing draghead.” Due to the extreme offshore environmental working conditions for the CSD ‘D’Artagnan’, ‘Bonny River’ was brought in to reduce the remaining scope of work for ‘D’Artagnan’ as much possible, he says. “Johny’s and Marc’s teams had already evaluated many execution scenarios. Once Filip’s team had prepared ‘Bonny River’ and ‘D’Artagnan’ for the best possible execution of the job, Sofie had to make sure ‘Bonny River’ was available between projects and ‘D’Artagnan’ was mobi lised as well, whilst keeping a close eye on the planning interfaces with DEME Offshore too. Meanwhile, Kris’s team was assisting the project team to make sure that we met the stringent offshore safety standards.” All five departments worked very well together, and in close collaboration with the project team, allowing this phase of the pro ject to be carried out ahead of schedule and leading to a good end result, Sven comments. Johny stresses that all the teams (Project team and the Operations teams from Dredging and Offshore) worked very closely together. “Everything went smoothly – the planning, engineering – and ultimately we made the client happy.” Marc adds that the strength of the new operations team is that it is not organ ised vertically but horizontally. “Perhaps previously we were on our ‘own island’, in our ‘own bubble’ to use the current phrase. Most importantly, we now have a better under standing of where the knowledge is, who we need to ask.” FAST TRACK AT AKKUYU
Cutter Suction Dredger ‘d’Artagnan’ and TSHD ‘Bonny River’ at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind project in France.
The team’s seamless integration and close cooperation with the project team is also highlighted at the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project in Turkey, which was also a fast track job, and one where extremely hard rock is present. “Once given the greenlight,
BACKSTAGE - 3
Sofie Verheyde, Deputy Operations Manager & Lead Project Office Ann De Vos, Administrative Support
Kenneth Engelen, Vessel Planning & Deputy Lead Project Office
Kenneth Bovyn, Tender Manager Ivan Driessens, Fleet Manager
Kris Gettemans, Head of QHSE-S
An important goal is to close the gap between the offices and sites and between the offices and the vessels.
teeth and cutterheads were coming in from all over the world,” Sofie says. “Yes, normally hard rock and fast track are not things that go together!” adds Marc. The project team and the crew of ‘D’Artagnan’ swiftly completed the project, which represented approximately 1 million m3. “There was an amazing effort by the teams on site!” Sven stresses. Filip comments that it is also vital to know the limitations of tools and equipment. “For example, the teams on site managed to execute the works in the hard rock present up to the limits of ‘D’Artagnan’ and without damaging the vessel.” They all laugh, saying they are always trying to ‘push equipment beyond its limits’, which makes a lot of work for Filip and his team. Filip agrees and grins, “yes, we are often being challenged to change the limits, it is ‘a grey area’.” Johny points out that competition is even more intense during the COVID period. “We have to come up with clever, smart solu tions, which often do indeed stretch the limits. We are then able to make a good price and beat the competition.” INTENSE COMPETITION TO LAND ABU QIR
They all point to the recent award of the largest dredging and land reclamation pro ject in DEME’s history – Abu Qir in Egypt.
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Cutter Suction Dredger ‘D’Artagnan’ performing dredging works for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant project in Turkey.
Marc says: “We were awarded this three-year project, which represents a substantial turn over. But it was a very close-run thing with the competition.” When they thought the ten der was going to be successful, the team had already started preparing so they could move very fast when the time came, emphasises Johny. “This is the new dynamic – to connect to the execution phase at a very early stage.” Sofie’s team immediately went to work plan ning the fleet spread and strategically posi tioning vessels so DEME could start dredging at the highest production rate as soon as possible. “Initially we positioned five hoppers.
‘Nile River’ came from Singapore, ‘Breughel’ and ‘Breydel’ were in the Med, ‘Congo River’ was finishing a project in Italy. And ‘Reynaert’ is being prepared in Greece. Eventually, there will be many more vessels to follow, including our new flagship CSD ‘Spartacus’, which will mobilise for this project directly after she is delivered. “This is also possible thanks to a transparent communication between the different departments. We were already looking into planning and the Engineering, Design and Technology department’s engineered solu tions, and the vessels’ technical readiness.
Filip was considering if it was necessary to bring dockings forward etc. We work together, with very short communication lines.” And Marc adds that whenever his engineers are calculating, they are always working on the assumption that equipment is 100 % available. “This makes Filip’s job very difficult and challenging. Repairs have to be performed swiftly, and also Kris has to make sure everything is safe.” TECHNICAL EXPERTISE 24/7
With 105 floating units to take care of (including 21 TSHDs, 11 CSDs, 3 BHDs
Sven De Beenhouwer, Operations Manager
Johny Van Acker, Lead of the Tender Department
Filip Clemeur, Head of Fleet
Tom Nees, Engineering, Design and Marc Van Den Broeck, Technology Manager Lead of Engineering, Design and Technology Department
Brenda Van de Voorde, QHSE Manager
and 8 split barges), Filip agrees that it is a very challenging job, particularly now given the impact of the pandemic. He has 75 tech nical superintendents who assist Captains and Chief Engineers. “But currently around 50 % of their work is done remotely, which is very tough. It is almost 24/7 for our experts.” Therefore, there has to be some real out of box thinking when it comes to maintenance and repairs, he says. “I would like to commend the professionalism of the crews. There is not always good internet aboard but after a short chat with our specialists, problems are swiftly sorted out. The crews are very well aware of their equipment and the maintenance procedures.” PROFESSIONALISM OF THE CREW
Sofie mentions the example of the ‘Lange Wapper’, which had almost finished its project in Buenaventura, Colombia but had a break down. However, the Captain was determined to continue and do the repair. Filip points to the crew of ‘Uilenspiegel’ who had also done a ‘marvellous maintenance and repair job’ on the way to the Arctic. They are all certainly impressed by the drive of the crews’ determi nation to continue to get the job done. Sven comments that the interaction between the five departments is already leading to good operational results, but he is absolutely determined to bring offices, project sites and vessels closer together. EXCELLENT TEAM
“An important goal is to close the gap between the office and sites and between the offices and the vessels. Planning, safety, engineering… we all need to get closer to the sites and crews, and we are working very hard and committed to achieving this. Of course, unfortunately COVID meant that all the planned vessel and project site visits had to be postponed or even cancelled. But this is crucial if we are to have more understanding of each other’s jobs.”
Marc agrees, adding that the Engineering, Design and Technology department is a very young team. “They have vast amounts of tech nical engineering knowledge and then the crew has the practical knowledge and experi ence. We want to bring the practical side and technical side together, so we can understand each other and speak ‘each other’s language’ – a true One DEME, One Team.”
Sven concludes: “We have an excellent team here, I am confident we will make it happen. The right people are in the right place!”
Who is who in the Dredging Operations team OPERATIONS MANAGER, SVEN DE BEENHOUWER
Sven joined Tideway (now DEME Offshore) in 1999 and spent four years on board the fallpipe vessels performing rock installation works. Then, Sven started to work onshore executing landfall projects. A decade later he went to Dredging International and worked all over the world. “I had a brief time installing foundations at the C-Power offshore wind farm Phase 2, so Belgium is rather new to me! But it is nice to be back home.” DEPUTY OPERATIONS MANAGER AND LEAD OF THE PROJECT OFFICE, SOFIE VERHEYDE
Sofie completed her engineering degree in 1999 and was directly ‘bitten by the DEME bug’ – the atmosphere, the drive. She started in the survey department, then went on to become a Superintendent, Works Manager, Project Manager… She also sailed for eight years all over the globe. Sofie worked extensively in the offshore sector but now she is in the Operations Department and again involved in dredging – “my old love”.
LEAD OF THE ENGINEERING, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, MARC VAN DEN BROECK
Marc began his DEME career in 1989. He was previously in academia and was an assistant professor at the University of Ghent, specialising in soil and rock mechanics. “So this science was, and is, always in my heart. Alain Bernard persuaded me to try DEME in 1989 originally and later in 1996 as lead of the Engineering Department and once I had a taste of what it was to be a contractor, I was lost!” DEPUTY OPERATIONS MANAGER AND LEAD OF THE TENDER DEPARTMENT, JOHNY VAN ACKER
Johny joined DEME 30 years ago, initially appointed to Hydro Soil Services. Tendering soil investigations and directional drilling were his main specialities. Then he moved on to Dredging International and participated in the larger tenders such as Jurong Island in Singapore. He became a Desk Manager in 2000 for Northern Europe and then Area Manager and was involved in
the tender for the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link project. “Ultimately I like tendering a lot, I love the drive to get a contract.” HEAD OF FLEET, FILIP CLEMEUR
Filip started off as a Technical Super intendent in 2002. A few years later he was appointed Technical Manager and left for Qatar, where DEME was establishing the Middle East Dredging Company. In 2015 he returned and now he is managing the entire dredging fleet. HEAD OF QHSE-S, KRIS GETTEMANS
Kris joined the company relatively recently. Originally he supported DEME QHSE as an external consultant in 2017 and he was asked if he would be interested to come on board. “I love the challenging and innovative atmosphere at DEME so I decided to join!”
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SNAPSHOT TEAM NIGERIA
Working in synergy to achieve one of the most remote dredging projects in DEME’s history
Given the current COVID situation, we were not able to take a nice picture of the team in Nigeria. Nevertheless, they certainly deserve the spotlight in ONE DEME for all their efforts and hard work. A big thank you to the whole team!
TSHD ‘Breughel’ performing dredging and reclamation works in the port of Onne in Nigeria.
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Everyone participated and reorganised their own team to help out.
TSHD ‘Marieke’ performing dredging works for the Bonny Bodo Road
Luke Inegbedion
As the teams (both on- and offshore) in Nigeria completed the extraordinarily difficult Bonny-Bodo Road Project, we talk to Luke Inegbedion, Director of Operations (Nigeria) and Mark Coenjaerts, General Manager (BCC – a JV company), about how this complex project was achieved at the height of the pandemic.
regarding our Project Manager (Filiep) and Works Manager (Pierre) who stayed on site from February until the end of the project in September. The crew of ‘Marieke’ endured long stays on board and no matter what happened, production rates didn’t drop either.”
Working for DEME for over 30 years, Luke says he has been involved in almost every pro ject – directly or indirectly. With around 200 people in his team, Luke explains the struc ture of DEME’s operations. In Nigeria a supporting team and execution team are established for each project, with the supporting team made up of mostly Nigerian nationals, and the execution team, a mixture of expats and Nigerians. He is particularly proud of the supporting team’s accomplishments. “Our supporting teams have a lot of history within DEME and r epresent embedded con tinuity – they understand every project and where to go if there are problems to be solved. They have been here as long as the company exists, and we rely on them to get the job done. You could say they are our life support.” A unique feature of doing business in Nigeria is the importance of the community, stresses Luke. “Getting the community on board is crucial to success, therefore the relationship between the project team and the community is always a priority.” A liaison officer, who is the crucial interface with the community, introduces DEME and explains the project brief, and often this is done in conjunction with the client.
DO YOU WANT TO PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON YOUR TEAM? Take a nice photo of your team and send it to communications@deme-group.com. Maybe we see you shine in the next edition of our ONE DEME newspaper!
SUCCESS DESPITE LOCKDOWN
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
In a very difficult project, taking place right in the midst of the pandemic, DEME success fully elevated a stretch of 6 km of wetlands between Bonny and Bodo, where a new road will be built. Although the Bonny-Bodo Road Project is one of the remotest projects ever performed by DEME, it was still vital to get the community on board and indeed teamwork was at the forefront of the project.
Luke comments that because Filiep stayed with the crew and Pierre was on site every day, this helped keep morale up. “There was always somebody from management on the vessel. This shows the commitment of leadership, they are leading by example, they are there with you. Whether staff on land or the crew – we are one big team.”
Covering a stretch of about 35 km in total through jungle terrain and covered largely in mangrove swamps, this project was success fully finalised despite the fact the teams were faced with the pandemic lockdowns. “Even without the pandemic, this project is in the middle of nowhere, with only water access, so logistics was always going to be a challenge. It has been in the government’s pipeline now for three decades and it is now realised!” Luke laughs. The new road links the mainland with Bonny Island for the first time and is very impor tant for both the regional community and the Nigerian economy as it facilitates land access to the country’s gas exporting terminal located on Bonny Island. The team started mobilising in January 2020 and the project was handed over to the client in September. “A lot of credit goes to my colleagues. For example, the Project Manager Filiep De Zutter was effectively trapped on site for about eight months and could not go home; there was nothing moving by sea or air.” It is only because of our people and their flexibility that we are able to adapt, Luke emphasises. “Our Works Manager Pierre Smit and our support team, and of course the crew of ‘Marieke’ all did a tremendous job in the tough and diffi cult circumstances. And a special mention
in Lagos and responsible for the Bonny Island hub and explains that his team also helped support the Bonny-Bodo project. “We are a small team, we work hand in hand and keep each other motivated. If there was a shortage of personnel or equipment we would swiftly go by speed boat to the Bodo team – everyone participated and reorganised their own team to help out. We worked in synergy.”
And Mark stresses the importance of under standing the culture and people. “Pierre knows the issues and understands what the challenges are, being recently part of the long-term execution team in Bonny. He also knows most of the work ers, which helps. We need people who know the The supporting environment here and the culture of the people.” team is really
And undoubtedly the agil ity of DEME was crucial. “On the ground everyone contributed too, they the backbone of had to be both ingenious Luke agrees: “We always DEME in Nigeria. try to bring people in who and flexible because the situation was constantly understand the culture Without them, changing due to COVID.” and respect it. I am grate we wouldn’t be In another example of the ful to the local staff, our where we are extreme challenges they superintendents. They had to overcome, Luke typically have 10-20 today. points to Lamin Dania, years’ experience behind the Base Manager at Port them. They know how to Harcourt. In a total lock adapt – the supporting down situation, with a team is really the back ban on interstate movement, Lamin had to bone of DEME in Nigeria. Without them, arrange the mobilisation of about 240 pcs we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Mark of reclamation pipes by road transport from says. Lagos to Port Harcourt through four states. Security was a priority and also special per Luke adds that the Nigerian team’s achieve mission was needed to move goods between ments and the crew of ‘Marieke’ are pretty states because of the enforcement of the lock awe inspiring. “When considering this pro down. The policy was also changing regularly ject all took place at the time of the pandemic, so the team were constantly adapting. in one of the most remote locations in the world, and yet, they still got the job done! UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURE This is the typical DEME spirit – we are AND PEOPLE flexible, we adapt. We mobilised two hoppers Mark Coenjaerts, who has been in and out even when there was a complete lockdown! of Nigeria over some years working on both We are really a team, like a family. We are each the execution and support team side, explains other’s people.” that having been born in Rwanda, he feels at home in Africa. “I think I have the African spirit in my blood.” Mark is currently based
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FAB FOUR SECOND MATE TRAINEE ‘INNOVATION’
Marianne Van Gerven Marianne Van Gerven, Second Mate trainee on the ‘Innovation’, is one of our newest recruits, joining DEME in March 2020 after two years working in the merchant shipping industry sailing on bulkers and container vessels. Marianne graduated from the Antwerp Maritime Academy and although seafarers are not in her family, Marianne has been sailing most of her life, embarking on several ocean crossings during family vacations.
The captains and crew members have all influenced me because they are so willing to share their knowledge and experiences, which I learn from each day.
WHO WILL BE NEXT? Each edition of our ONE DEME newspaper 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: communications@deme-group.com
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What makes DEME special for you? I directly started working in the renewables sector at DEME Offshore and this is some thing I have always wanted to do. I knew this sector is a core focus of the DEME Group and it is also close to my heart. I think it is very important that we should try and give something back to our planet because it gives us so much. During my Masters, I wrote my thesis about renewable energy, particularly focusing on shore power at the Port of Ghent. And now I am work ing on ‘Innovation’ where we are installing offshore wind farms, supplying homes and countries with clean, green energy. I also wanted to join a company where I can stay for my entire career (hopefully). DEME has a reputation for taking care of its people. This is something I have seen first-hand in the way it has handled the COVID pandemic and the incident on ‘Orion’. DEME really looks after your wellbeing – you are not just a number. The company makes sure you are happy on board. As well as this, as a woman it is great to be given the same opportunities as the guys. Perhaps I have to work harder to prove myself, but I’m always up for a challenge. I’d like to prove that we can achieve the same goals as our male colleagues. And above all, I love sailing and exploring new cultures, so I thought joining a company like DEME would enable me to combine my passions in one job!
Is there anyone/something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? Originally I came from merchant shipping so I am really grateful to all my colleagues aboard the ‘Orion’ and ‘Innovation’. They have given me the chance and opportunity to deploy my skills, especially the captains Helmut Igelmann, Michiel Visser an Jörg Eden. I have the opportunity to grow and develop my career, and their expert knowledge helps me to play a role in the projects. The captains and crew members have all influenced me because they are so willing to share their knowledge and experiences, which I learn from each day. I hope I will be with DEME for a long time. Which performance are you most proud of? It is difficult to name a specific project because I am relatively new but overall I would say I am proud of the way I have integrated into the teams of the ‘Orion’ and ‘Innovation’. My first vessel would have been ‘Orion’. We all know what happened to her; but within a few days I was assigned to another ship and everybody worked so closely together, from the project teams to the captains and crewing department. I was impressed with how every one dealt with this and worked together. And now I am aboard ‘Innovation’ and you again see the ‘One DEME, One Team’ spirit in every project we do. The motivation and efforts of our crew and staff ensures that all our projects are a success and that is some thing that we are, as a team, very proud of. Perhaps initially some people saw me as
a ‘young girl’ with no experience, but the crew have really welcomed me and we are an integrated team. I am really proud to be part of a team which can achieve challenging projects such as Saint-Nazaire – that is really special. It is an amazing project and we are true industry pioneers there. What do you still dream about? Professionally, I would like to stay in offshore renewables and I hope my career takes me to far-off places, as remote as possible. I want to connect with as many cultures as possible. Additionally, I want to work on challenging projects like Saint-Nazaire – things that have never been done before. Personally, it is not much different – I want to travel, explore different cultures and as a sailor I would really like to get to the Galapagos Islands and Spitsbergen. Do you have a tip for DEME? We live in a world where there is increasing competition from the likes of China and among the multinationals, but we have a nice company which takes care of its people and I hope it remains this way in the next 20 years. When I was sailing on the bulkers and container vessels on these long voyages, I saw the pressure everyone was under and the con tinual focus on cost cutting. And I hope DEME still provides exciting opportunities. If you are open minded, you never know which doors will open. There should always be the chance to work with nice colleagues and do cool, innovative projects!
FAB FOUR CRANE OPERATOR
Jurgen Noorland Jurgen Noorland has been working as a crane operator at DEME for 20 years, although when he originally joined this was still under the name ‘Geka Construction’. At a trade fair he met Paul Van den Berg, Technical Superintendent, who was able to convince him to become part of the DEME team.
WORKING AT DEME DEME is a global solutions provider in a challenging and rapidly changing world. We recognise that highly motivated people are key to our success. Despite these unprecedented and challenging times, we continue our search for talented individuals. Do you know anybody with the right One DEME, One Team spirit? Please direct them to our website were they can find all our job openings.
What makes DEME special for you? I especially like the fact that we are given a lot of freedom in carrying out our job. For example, we really get the space to think and present our own ideas. We can do our daily job our way and I really appreciate this. As a crane operator at DEME, every day is different, which makes it challenging and fun. When you are given the freedom to do things your own way, it only makes all this more fun and more rewarding. DEME is special to me because people here have the opportunity to develop themselves, to do your own thing. The fact that I can think about solutions myself in my job appeals to me enormously. Is there anyone/something that has influenced your career at DEME in a special way? Jurgen laughs: You make your own career!
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No, I am very grateful to Paul for the oppor tunities he has given me. It is thanks to him that I got to know the company and that after 20 years I am still working here with full conviction. So I certainly owe a lot to him.
Personally, I’m just convinced that you What do you still dream about? still have to live up to it. You have to take Honestly? I can really say that I am a happy the opportunities you get man who has everything with both hands and he wants. I can’t dream of get the best out of them. much more, can I? Paul has given me the opportunity to start here, After 20 years, I still love it’s up to me to get the best DEME is this job. Although it is true out of it. that I still have the ambi special to me tion to grow into a buyer because people What achievements are of new materials. After all, here have the you most proud of in the this is where I could put team you work in? my experience as a crane opportunity I’m really proud of every operator to good use. to develop job. You never really themselves, to see foundation work, Do you have a tip it all happens under for DEME? do your own ground. But it’s on these In my opinion, they should thing. foundations that we con involve the people who tinue to build – you can are going to be doing the only be proud of that. job more quickly in a new project. That way, they can In the past, we’ve already realised such fantas suddenly incorporate the experience from tic projects that it’s difficult to choose from the field into the development of the project. them. Although I have to admit that I am Although I have to admit that they are already very proud of the Dunkirk and IJdok project trying to implement this in our project. in Amsterdam. These are two of the most beautiful projects I have worked on. For the rest… Keep up the good work!
FAB FOUR – 9
MEET THE FLEET
“That’s the ‘Dhamra’ magic!” Nicknamed ‘the father of the Dhamra’, Mario Van der Sluiszen has been sailing since he was eight years old, becoming an official dredger when he was just 16. His love for this special vessel is clear.
Mario’s dad and grandad were both dredgers and he laughs, saying his seafaring heritage is in no doubt as even his surname means locks in Dutch! “Dredging is in my blood. I left school and did welding jobs to get my certificates. I was welding on a bucket dredger and one of the chiefs mentioned that there was a crane barge that needed a skipper to row alongside. Then my boss saw me manoeuvring the vessel and was impressed and asked if I could sail a tug.” Mario had been sailing with his dad since being a small boy so was not at all daunted by becoming a skipper in his own right at 18. He then travelled all over the world for more than 23 years.
Water Injection Dredger ‘Dhamra’ on the River Elbe.
10 - MEET THE FLEET
Mario joined DEME 13 years ago. After returning to the Netherlands from his adventures abroad he contacted the ‘big four’. “I chose to come to DEME because it was clear
I was not a number.” Mario worked closely with Wally Catoor on Lincolnshire and some other projects. “Wally saw what I was capable of; that I could work independently to solve problems and had the specific skills needed.” His love affair with the WID ‘Dhamra’ began in Germany nine years ago. She had been transported from Asia to Germany to perform maintenance work on the River Elbe but there were some issues with the dredging equipment initially. “Luckily I had experience with ploughing in currents, of towing, anchor handling and I also had done some ship deliveries, worked in engine rooms, with electronics engines and hydraulics. Plus I could speak fluent German, which was one of the clauses of the contract.” “In the beginning there were quite a few problems and the noise and working environ ment was intensive. It helps to be born to it!”
Water Injection Dredger ‘Dhamra’ in action on the River Elbe.
It is important to have a fixed crew who understand the vessel. It is a different environment, partly because of the noise volumes and compact space. We are a small, flexible team and are very close to each other.
But Mario managed to sort the issues out pretty quickly, which was just as well, as the client also visited the vessel in the first few days. A SERIOUS DREDGER
“I feel at home and I see it as a challenge to make the best out of her. I like fixing problems.” Mario is keen to point out that ‘Dhamra’ is not a MultiCat – but a serious dredger. “She has everything a hopper has.” He gives the example of a project in Bordeaux where she achieved fabulous results compared to competitor vessels. “She put in a fantastic performance in a 5.2 nm strong current. In the winter, mud settles in the river up to 2.5 m. It was no problem for her to remove this thick mud.” Additionally, she flattened big tracks made by the other dredging companies. ‘Dhamra’ is ideal to work inside ports and along quays and she can do work which hop pers can’t manage, he stresses. “Because of the manoeuvrability of her fixed frame and jet power, she can get into all the corners and the blind areas for the hoppers, as well as flatten ing the tracks made.” PRECISION DREDGING
Mario describes ‘Dhamra’ as a multi functional vessel, capable of precision dredging to within just a few centimetres. “We can dredge locks, sand and hard soil, even in the edges of the slopes! Normally this would be done with excavators.”
Mario himself has made several improve ments to the vessel over the years. He is very proud of the side nozzles he adapted. “It is now much easier to reach blind corners on the aft. The nozzles used to be made from ceramic material but they would always break, there fore we made steel nozzles, which don’t suffer so much wear and tear.” It was also his idea to use one hydraulic pump and one generator to reduce fuel con sumption. “We have managed to change the hydraulic system to save energy on board. We have actually changed many things on board,” he grins. With a 14 m wide beam and lower fuel consumption, ‘Dhamra’ has a crew of five. Her crew is very special, he emphasises. “It is important to have a fixed crew who under stand the vessel. It is a different environment, partly because of the noise volumes and compact space. We are a small, flexible team and are very close to each other.”
’The father of the Dhamra’, Mario Van der Sluiszen in front of the Water Injection Dredger.
to maintain the high standards of DEME and our clients.” For Mario he has no problem when Headquarters or Project Managers call him regarding ‘Dhamra’. “I am always monitoring everything, as you feel responsible – it is not just when I am aboard. I do the job 100 % and never look at the hours. If there is an issue I will always try to help even when I am on holiday. It is our job and also my passion! “There is only one ‘Dhamra’! The hoppers are almost all the same. She is complicated yes, but unique. I would love us to build another one.” He gives another example of her versa tility. There were some high spots which were proving too high and difficult for the hoppers in Germany because they would lose a lot of manoeuvring time. “I asked if I could have a go. She sailed across a few times and they were gone. That’s the ‘Dhamra’ magic!”
CLOSE-KNIT CREW
It is not an easy job, the guys have to be able to adapt to a diverse range of tasks, says Mario. “With ‘Dhamra’ it is not just dredging and manoeuvring; there is maintenance on board, drills and check lists, DTPS sur veys, CAD reports, port state requirements, we organise spares and supplies, additionally you have audits, need to deal with the classification societies, dockings… You have to do everything; it is quite a responsibility
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12 – PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Moray East offshore wind farm
One of the most technically and logistically demanding projects in our history There can be few projects in DEME’s history that have been as technically and logistically demanding as the huge Moray East offshore wind farm, and certainly few that have faced such a time pressure and so many unprecedented challenges. These included mobilising during a pandemic, factory lockdowns, dealing with a piracy threat, a worldwide supply chain encompassing 12 countries, and some of the largest jackets ever made.
We talk to the team that have steered this extraordinary project. Located in the Outer Moray Firth, off the northeast coast of Scotland, this enormous offshore wind farm comprises 100 x 9.5 MW MVOW turbines and at its peak a staggering 4,500 people, (including a 120-strong project team), were involved worldwide and DEME was manag ing 15 vessels at the offshore site.
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DEME Offshore was awarded preferred bidder status in October 2017 and the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) contract was signed in November 2018 after intensive negotiations, which also involved top man agement. DEME’s scope originally included the 100 turbine foundations, three offshore substation platform foundations, as well as the Transport & Installation of the three substation platforms. However, in July 2020 we were also awarded a T&I subcontract for the installation of the inter-array cables when the previous contractor ran into issues. We took over with the ‘Living Stone’, which subsequently achieved fantastic productivity rates. CONSTRUCTION OF 103 GIANT JACKETS
One of the first considerations the team addressed was the sourcing and construction of 103 giant jackets, which are approximately 80 m tall and weigh 1,000 tonnes each. Given
the water depth at the location, which is far from the coast, there was simply no facility capable of manufacturing monopiles. Stijn Kenis, Moray East Project Director, explains: “At a depth of nearly 55 m, this is one of the deepest of all the offshore wind farms in the world.” To keep to the tight schedule and budget, the team made the decision to order the jackets from two manufacturers, one based in Belgium and one in the Middle East, so production could take place simultaneously. Rig Metals LLC (part of Lamprell) performed the fabrication of 45 jackets and three substa tion jackets in Dubai. While the remaining 55 jackets were awarded to Smulders, which constructed them at facilities in Belgium and Newcastle in the UK. Malcolm Rutter, Commercial Director for Moray East, points out that Rig also had two yards, so just for the jackets alone the team had to screen and over see four sites in four countries.
An important part of the contract award was a strong emphasis on local content. There was ‘intense lobbying’ and pressure on the DEME team by the British and Scottish governments to make sure there was as much local content as possible, Malcolm says. This resulted in working with the facility in the Outer Hebrides, which has subsequently gone bankrupt. They stress that in reality this meant that DEME supervisory teams had to actually train the workers to fabricate and paint the piles, which was not ideal of course, in terms of managing the schedule and budget. STRONG EMPHASIS ON LOCAL CONTENT
Overall DEME has contributed tens of mil lions of pounds to the Scottish economy and definitely the project was a big boost for local employment and to the ports of Invergordon and Nigg, Jan says.
These supersized foundations led to many more hurdles to overcome. Given the scale of the foundations, the Heavy Lift Vessels (HLV) transporting them to Scotland could not pass This is under the Suez Canal bridge because they were undoubtedly too high. This meant one of the most they had instead to travel technically around the whole African continent and deal with difficult the harsh conditions of the projects of my Cape of Good Hope.
whole career.
FROM A PANDEMIC TO PIRACY
This was a truly epic jour ney, stresses Jan Klaassen, Business Unit Director UK & Americas. “At the time tensions were high between the US and Iran but the HLV had no choice but to go via the Persian Gulf. We essentially had a policy of sailing as far away from the coast as possible and we kept close to the naval allies. Then there was also the threat from pirates off both the coast of Somalia and West Africa. Storms also meant the vessels had to take shel ter in Port Elizabeth in South Africa.” Malcolm adds that the team had to grapple with potential logistical problems on the other side of the world as well. “Once the jack ets were assembled at the Smulders facility in Newcastle they couldn’t transit the river because there is a high voltage power system 100 m above and there could be a danger of sparks igniting if they came too close.” The authorities however agreed to raise the power cables by 3-4 m, which gave enough clearance.
‘Apollo’ working at Moray East offshore wind farm.
countries. The piles were fabricated by two manufacturers: EEW in Rostock (Germany) and Flushing (the Netherlands) constructed 159 piles and BiFab, located in Methil and Arnish, Scotland, fabricated 150 piles.
The construction of the pin piles was another Herculean effort involving teams in several
The team stresses they did everything they could to support the client and keep to the ‘compressed’ schedule. Jan recalls that when cans for pin piles were coming from South Korea to Scotland the vessel suffered an engine failure in the Philippines. Again, DEME stepped in and sent its own team to investigate the problem and get the vessel going again. “I didn’t have grey hair before this project,” Jan grins.
And of course, everyone knows what happened to ‘Orion’ just weeks before the Moray East project got underway. “This has to be one of my darkest days. But it was incredible that within less than 24 hours we had compiled a completely new, dedicated team together and very soon thereafter we had sourced a replacement vessel, the ‘Scylla’,” he says. The team performed all the engineering assessments, revised method statements and customised the vessel, achieved the necessary approvals from the marine warranty surveyor, marine licensing authority and client for a start by July 1, 2020 – the original commence ment date. Stijn adds: “It was an amazing performance by the team and our client could not believe that we were able to manage this!” Jan emphasises: “This is undoubtedly one of the most technically difficult projects of my whole career, even amongst many challenging
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EPCI projects. Moray East is in a very remote which was the same for the wind turbines area and we successfully built and deliv and offshore substations, enabled them to ered some of the largest jackets ever made. optimise the use of newly developed, innova As well as this, we kept an enormous world tive tools and equipment and realise synergies; wide supply chain running and at the same the supersized jackets and the fact that they time we had the COVID crisis to contend installed three offshore substations in just with. To underline the point, when we two months are just a few of their personal kicked off in March 2020 and the pandemic highlights. On top of that, the Project Team really started to show its managed to coordinate thou teeth, we didn’t have a single sands of people in different jacket in Europe yet, and by time zones and locations end-December we had 103 – and all during a pandemic! jackets installed offshore And commercially, many Scotland, despite all the At DEME valuable lessons have also challenges.” been learnt for future pro there is a jects, Jan adds. IMPRESSIVE SAFETY RECORD
fantastic ‘can do’ attitude.
The safety record is also impressive. Stijn comments: “Safety is always our priority. And we had no major inci dents or accidents, which is quite an achieve ment considering we had – at the peak in the first quarter – 4,500 people working on this project and we have recorded over 15 million man hours so far.” In addition, this immense project was kept going following a plethora of extra COVID measures DEME put in place and all this of course, adds to the cost. But as always health and safety for everyone involved comes first.” SAVING THE CLIENT A WHOLE SEASON
He also highlights that all the elements of the EPCI were compressed so they could achieve the developer’s ambitious programme to achieve first power generation. “We kept on track by deploying an accelerated design and fabrication concept. I think this is the first time we have placed the steel orders for the fabrication based on an unfinished design. Ultimately, we saved our client a whole season on their Master Programme.” Technically, Moray East is very successful on many levels, they agree. The smart design,
A SPECIAL THANKS
Above all, they stress that a wonderful and dedicated team made this project possible. A special word of thanks goes to EPC m anager Jan Van de Velde, T&I manager Tobe Possemiers, Project Controls manager Xenios Tillez and Mark Swinnen… to mention just a few of the key people who made this project happen. Last but not least, a special word of appreciation goes out to the crews and staff on our offshore ves sels who were in very difficult circumstances caused by the pandemic, and the people who continued their duty whilst being blocked on their project sites (UAE/Scotland) due to the COVID restrictions, and could only travel home several months later.
Stijn Kenis, Moray East Project Director, has been working for DEME his entire career – 25 years to date. After working across the globe for Dredging International on a diverse range of dredging and civil marine projects, he has spent the last three years with DEME Offshore, and on the Moray East project. After studying to become a structural engineer, Malcolm Rutter, Commercial Director for Moray East, started his career onshore, working for petro chemical plant projects and the construction of high-rise buildings. He then went offshore to the oil & gas sector. Three years ago he joined DEME, when he laughs, “I went from black to green energy!”
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Malcolm agrees, saying: “At DEME there is a fantastic ‘can do’ attitude. Moray East really showed this. And on this project there are many, many examples of people who go above and beyond.” Jan concludes: “This project shows how long the various processes of business development – tendering, contracting, design, fabrication and installation – can take. It is worth noting that I had my first discussions with the client about this project seven years ago!”
Smart solution for scour protection at Moray East A smart and cost-effective solution for the scour protection, involving an alternative design, was implemented at the Moray East offshore wind farm in order to optimise the use of the fallpipe vessels (FPVs).
MEET THE TEAM Jan Klaassen, Business Unit Director UK & Americas, who is now mainly focused on the emerging offshore wind markets in the Americas, has an electrical engineering background and even when he was at university he knew he was keen to work in the renewables industry. He joined DEME’s Offshore Wind Tendering Department in 2009 (Central Competence Centre). He later became Area Manager for the UK & Ireland for GeoSea and took on a business development role for China. Three years ago he was made responsible for offshore wind activities in the US and wider Americas.
During the pandemic, the project team remained on site in Dubai to ensure a steady flow of jackets could be delivered for the project.
After graduating with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Works Manager Jorgen Van Bael joined DEME in 2012. The SARB Islands in Abu Dhabi were his first project and then he became a dedicated Superintendent on ‘Marieke’. Jorgen then looked for a fresh challenge and sailed on the fallpipe vessels for around two years. Now he is based in the Breda office managing projects for the FPVs. He outlines the scour protection scope of the Moray East project. “The scope was not so big in terms of volumes. Originally, it represented slightly over a full load for one of our largest vessels ‘Flintstone’, so around 17,500 tonnes. We wanted to make the most efficient use of the vessels but it was a big challenge to try and keep the scour protection material within one load. Clearly it is not economical to make two trips for a few thousand tonnes.” FIVE LOCATIONS
Additionally, the scour protection had to be placed at five locations, three for the offshore substation platforms and two for the WTGs. Therefore, the scour protection team proposed an alternative design for the WTG locations. Rather than a triangular footprint, they reduced it to three circles around the feet of the turbine jacket piles. “Ultimately, there was a reduction in the size of the area, less tonnage and we could manage to perform it in one load – in the end 15,750 tonnes.”
The scope was also slightly different to what the team is used to, he explains because technically it was pre-laying work. First the jacket piles were installed. Then ‘caps’ were placed on the jacket piles to avoid the FPVs filling them up with rock. Following that, the scour protection was added. “After removal of the caps, our colleagues could then install the jackets themselves, turbine towers, etc.”, says Jorgen.
started by laying only 2,000 tonnes for the crossings and the rest of the scope was actually a variation order. There was quite some pressure. We had to complete as soon as possible to make sure the cables were properly protected. The project includes three export cables, the longest of which was 63 km.”
Another challenge was dealing with the spudcan imprints left by the jack-up vessel during the installation of the jacket piles. Some of the imprints were close enough to the edge of the team’s calculated design that they would have to partially fill them up, which would require more rock. Jorgen explains: “So based on the surveys of the imprints, we made a new calculation of the required volume and made sure we could still keep the scope within one vessel load. This was done by reducing the slopes at the edge of the design where it was possible, while still keeping a stable and safe scour protection design.”
Eventually the team performed two separate campaigns. They started in mid- November last year and wrapped up in January. “The trenching went much better than we had hoped for. Three vessel loads were carried out in the first campaign and just before Christmas we remobilised, so I had a busy Christmas Eve!” The last load on the ‘Rollingstone’ was for the rock placement at the OSPs.
Meanwhile, Cristina Vasilache, Project Manager Rock Placement, was busy working on the rock placement activities for the export cable, accounting for 82,000 tonnes. Cristina joined Tideway (now DEME Offshore) in the summer of 2013 and has a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Construction Management & Engineering from TU Eindhoven. ONGOING TRENCHING
Cristina comments: “The main challenge was that the trenching of the export cables was still ongoing so we didn’t knew the outcome of these operations. We
COOPERATION WITHIN DEME OFFSHORE
They both add that one thing that makes it easier to achieve these projects under the time pressure is the cooperation within DEME Offshore. “Whether its concerning the foundations, cables, scour protection, we are now ‘One DEME, One Team’. We think along together and this means we can think ahead and find better solutions for all the disciplines working on the project.” After the completion of the Moray East project, Cristina and Jorgen’s focus is on the upcoming projects. Cristina is busy with the preparations for the Hollandse Kust, together with her Belgian colleagues, while Jorgen is focusing on the cable crossings for Viking Link, the 760 km long HVDC interconnector between Britain and Denmark, which will involve multiple campaigns.
KITCHEN SECRETS
Gerd Van Der Voort, CSD ‘Amazone’
“I really like cooking on a vessel, it is completely different and you really get to know the team very well.”
Gerd Van Der Voort in the kitchen of CSD ‘Amazone’.
After leaving school, Gerd Van Der Voort worked in many different restaurants and although he was sure he wanted a career as a cook, he was equally sure he didn’t want to be land-based for the rest of his life. He explains: “My father was a captain, so you could say the sea was in my veins.”
“I really like cooking on a vessel, it is com pletely different and you really get to know the team very well.” Being a ship’s cook also involves more stock management and order management, Gerd adds, which he enjoys. “Ashore if you are out of stock, you call the sup plier and it arrives soon but on board you have to be very self-sufficient and be able to create dishes from what you have on the ship.”
he laughs. “Of course, fresh supplies would be limited because there is pretty much nothing there. Preparing the ship to go to Sabetta is definitely the biggest challenge I have ever faced.” Gerd had to make sure he had accounted for at least three months of supplies, with every freezer on board jam-packed. “We had approximately five tonnes of fish and meat. I had also considered the ‘worst case scenario’ – if we were to get stuck in the ice, so I made allowances for that too. It was a huge logistical effort to get everything on board.”
Gerd spent a few years working on container ships and then decided to apply to DEME. “I applied and some months later they called me out of the blue and said can you start on the jack-up ‘Vagant’.” But as it turned out Gerd’s first role at DEME I was very pleased in August 2008 was recently that one working on an accom captain, who had modation barge, which been on board for was supporting offshore wind farm projects. 42 days because He then joined the of the pandemic CSD ‘Rubens’, before restrictions, said working on ‘Pearl River’ in Dubai. Several he had not eaten hoppers later, Gerd has the same thing now been assigned to twice! the CSD ‘Amazone’ for the last two years. ARCTIC CHALLENGE
He says undoubtedly the most challenging project was a recent pro ject in the Arctic, where a liquefied natural gas facility is being developed. “This is such an exceptional project for me for several reasons. Firstly, we started off with three weeks sailing and then ended up in the middle of nowhere,”
He was very pleased to be able to help out some of the other DEME cooks working on the project, with a few extra loaves and meat. “It was a very nice feeling that I could help them. Sabetta is a tough envi ronment but I got an immense amount of personal satisfaction that it was successful.”
Even though the jour ney on the way back was hit by terrible storms, Gerd was not perturbed. “The first time you have to cook in a storm it is special, but you get used to it. I never get seasick and I just make sure I am cooking with saucepans that are only half full and that everything is sea-fastened around the stove.”
VARIETY THE ‘SPICE OF LIFE’
For Gerd, his ‘kitchen secret’ is the power of food to make people happy and to create a nice atmosphere on board. Variety is also definitely ‘the spice of life’ according to Gerd. “I was very pleased recently that one captain, who had been on board for 42 days because of the pandemic restrictions, said he had not eaten the same thing twice!” “I always try to take everyone’s preferences into account, and every day put a few favour ite things on the menu. I like to have as much variety as possible and cook different cuisines, considering everyone’s cultural background.” A TASTE OF HOME
A taste of home is also a vital ingredient. “I like to make dishes as close to those that the crew are familiar with, those that they eat at home. For example, if I am cooking for Asian or Russian crew members I will ask them about their favourites and attempt to create
them. Sometimes I get a ‘thank you’ and other times perhaps I don’t get it quite right. But I always try and I am open to new ideas and learning new techniques.” For me the challenge is to keep everyone as happy as possible with my food, he empha sises. “It is always nice to see the moment peo ple are off duty, chatting and relaxing whilst having a meal. They all look forward to those moments in the day. It is important to me that they have as much nice food as possible.” And one thing that certainly makes Gerd’s colleagues very happy is the regular Sunday ritual. “Every Sunday, no matter what, it is the unspoken law that we eat steak and French fries!”
KITCHEN SECRETS – 15
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Tackling one of the last remaining blackspots in Belgium
Fort Sint-Filips The DEC team is extremely proud to be participating in one of the biggest rehabilitation projects ever to take place in Belgium, as it tackles the historic pollution at Fort SintFilips in the Port of Antwerp by encapsulating the ruins of the fort. Dirk Ponnet, DEC General Manager, stresses: “We are delighted to clean up this site. Fort Sint-Filips is one of the last and largest blackspots in Belgium.”
After WWII, the old 19th century fort served as a dumping ground for millions of litres of oil and chemical waste, as well as an incineration plant. Starting his DEME career in 1995, Dirk has worked for Dredging International, Ecoterres, Scaldis and GRC, before joining DEC in 2004. He is particularly pleased to be work ing on this project because it is almost on the
doorstep, and can even be seen from DEME Headquarters, just on the other side of the River Scheldt. “It is great that the DEC team can make such a difference on their ‘home patch’,” he adds.
effectively there are five separate sites on one terrain. Many of the works are taking place simultaneously and they are all interwoven. A tremendous amount of planning and exper tise is necessary,” Steff points out.
SIGMA FLOOD PROTECTION PLAN
The scope is diverse. One of the main parts of the project is to construct a 2 km embank ment, in line with the Sigma plan to a height of 11 m TAW (Tweede Algemene Waterpassing [TAW]: the reference height for measu ring water levels in Belgium). Additionally, a 500 m long embankment is being con structed in the River Scheldt. Constructing this embankment in the river means that a terrain is created that is above and below the waterline twice a day due to the tidal range.
This project is also important to Belgium because the banks around the fort are part of the Sigma flood protection plan, therefore the height of the dykes will be increased and a new revetment area along the banks of the River Scheldt will be built. The Flemish Inland Waterways authority (De Vlaamse Waterweg) awarded the contract to the 50/50 joint venture (DEC and Jan De Nul/Envisan) in the spring of 2019 and work got underway in October of that year. With a civil engineering background, Steff Van Cauwenberg, Project Leader, joined DEC in 2013. He is also enormously proud to be working on such a complex and rewarding project in his own country. Personally, it also represented a big challenge for Steff because he oversees the budget and there was such fierce competition in the tendering process to submit a competitive price. FIVE SITES IN ONE PROJECT
Our expert teams are tackling the most polluted black spot in Belgium.
16 – PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Dirk and Steff outline this multidiscipli nary project. “This is a very complex project;
A large 22,000 m2 lagoon is also on the site, which is extremely contaminated. This is being covered with HDPE foil and bentonite liners. “The level of contamination meant that it was impossible to landfill this mate rial,” emphasises Steff. This is a very technical and difficult part of the project, he explains. “The sediment in the lagoon is too unstable to gain access to, you simply can’t walk over it, let alone have machinery there.” The team began by re-routing a pipe where water from a treatment plant flows into the lagoon from the nearby Total plant. With a capacity to pump 1,500 m3 an hour,
This is a very complex project with five separate sites on one terrain. Many of the works are taking place simultaneously and they are all interwoven.
The works at Fort Sint-Filips underline our vast expertise in complex remediation projects.
they introduced a pump installation which pumps the water via dredging pipes into the river. Once the lagoon is entirely covered and protected the water can again flow into it.
been used on site. The project team also had to demolish the fort’s roof and fill in all the chambers, so the roof couldn’t collapse in the future.
UNDERGROUND CEMENT-BENTONITE WALL
IMPORTANT PROJECT FOR BELGIUM
To cover the lagoon with the HDPE and bentonite liners they designed an ingenious method whereby two excavators use a winch system between them. The winch system is used to pull the HDPE foil over the lagoon from the sides and a welding machine is driven over the foil to seal the liners together. To prevent the machine from sinking into the sludge, a stiff HDPE plate is deployed and pulled underneath the foil at the same speed as the welding machine effectively creating ‘a moving floor’, Steff says.
Alongside the fort and lagoon, the team have had to carry out more traditional remediation works at several locations. All of the excavated contaminated soil is treated at DEC’s own facility in Kallo. After excavating, they refill the sites with clean soil and drill concrete piles to reinforce the slopes, avoiding any potential landslides. The whole site is finished off with pure topsoil and is due for completion by the end of the year.
Due to the remaining untreatable waste the 19th century fort itself has to be encased in an underground cement-bentonite wall, which is 650 m around and 32 m deep. For extra protection, the cement-bentonite wall has interlocking, 32 m deep HDPE foil liners inserted, as well as sheet piles for stabil ity. “Nothing can seep in or out,” Steff says. This wall will then connect to an imperme able natural clay layer on the bottom. A gas drainage layer and bentonite mats are placed on top and HDPE liners will then be welded to cover the fort. Overall, about 50,000 m² of HDPE and bentonite liners will have
Due to the level of contamination and the unstable nature of the structures, it wasn’t possible to save the fort buildings but the floorplan will still be visible, including three turrets and the outline of the fort’s courtyard. It will also be possible for walkers and cyclists to see the outline of an earlier 16th century fort at the site. Steff says that the project is so rewarding for the team. “This is not just a large, multi disciplinary job, it is a complex one. It is nice to do something really challenging and is certainly not something we do every day or even every year! And this is an important project for Antwerp and indeed, Belgium.”
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THE COFFEE BREAK
“What sustainability will really be about in the long run is to ensure business continuation and to stay competitive.” Jiska Verhulst, Sustainability Director
All too often companies view sustainability goals as a nice ‘wish list’ or perhaps even a few buzzwords to add to their press releases. But DEME takes a very different approach and has done for at least a decade. For us, sustainability has to live and breathe within the organisation. We have a well- established sustainability framework and strategy, which is leading to tangible results. And for DEME sustainability is about much more than reducing emissions, it touches every aspect of our business.
Did you know for example, that our very successful Diver 2020 campaign resulted in 600 new ideas, and nearly 120 of these were related to sustainability? Did you realise in 2020 we performed 128 Green Initiatives and had a very successful Environmental Campaign with 198 projects and offices in 37 countries using the toolboxes more than 400 times? Our dual fuel vessels are renowned in the industry but did you know that DEME is already taking the next step and exploring
18 – THE COFFEE BREAK
the possibilities of future fuels such as meth anol and green hydrogen? And did you know that last year we were actively engaged in nine initiatives related to environmental engineer ing and nature-based solutions in our project designs? These are just a few of many e xamples of our initiatives and they highlight how we are steadily making progress and working towards our sustainability goals. Jiska Verhulst, Sustainability Director, out lines DEME’s approach and why it is necessary to keep moving forward. “Of course we want to contribute to working towards a better world. But what sustainability will really be about in the long run is to ensure (future) business continuation and to stay competitive – not only by working cost efficiently and delivering high quality services on time – but also by structurally building in sustainability as a competitive edge in our tenders and projects.”
Several driving factors are coming into play, she says. “We see more and more of our customers placing a higher priority on sustainability, whether this is related to business ethics, the CO2 footprint, human rights or the impact of marine life during our operations… Additionally, employees – especially young people – are wanting to see their employers tackle this issue. They want to work for companies that care about people and the planet. There is also pressure from the financial institutions and the credit insur ance companies to clearly demonstrate how companies are making progress on their most important sustainability topics. And indeed, international legal frameworks are putting more pressure on investors, shareholders and business analysts to take non-financial information (also known as Environmental, Social and Governance data) into account when it comes to investment decisions.”
We extended our long-term partnership with Mercy Ships, funding a second hospital ship.
FOCUSED APPROACH
Sustainability is not a new topic for DEME, Jiska points out. The company has been work ing on this for quite some time. Previously it has been addressed under various safety and environmental impact initiatives but now everything has been brought together under one ‘sustainability umbrella’. “We have inten sified our focus. DEME has a more coherent approach, which is better for our employees, stakeholders and the outside world.”
SUSTAINABILITY AMBASSADORS & PROGRAMME LEADS
Overall, the Sustainability Department’s role is to identify where DEME can have the most impact regarding these sustainability topics, Jiska explains. “We track progress in order to keep us moving forward and bring everything together in a clear storyline that helps the communication and interaction with our stakeholders.”
However, the department is very small, she adds, so five Sustainability Ambassadors – in every Activity Line – and seven This new approach is highlighted by the Programme Leads were appointed in 2020 Sustainability Programmes to support them. “The introduced in 2020, which Sustainability Ambassadors help to further implement have an overall view on our sustainability strategy in In the end what’s happening in their two ways: “Firstly, we want Activity Line when it comes we want to clearly demonstrate our to sustainability. They are everyone to sustainable business portfo the first points of contact be part of lio: these are business activ for the Activity Lines and ities that substantially and they help us make sure the sustainability explicitly contribute to the programmes are relevant at DEME! United Nations Sustainable to them.” Additionally, the Development Goals (SDGs). seven Programme Leads in These are known as the the supporting services head EXPLORE programmes. up a specific sustainability Secondly, we want to highlight the most programme. “In the end we want everyone to important sustainability topics that we be part of sustainability at DEME!” should work on in order to be able to perform sustainably in our daily operations and we And after a very busy year, what’s next? Jiska want to show how we manage these and make says: “We have done a lot of work and now progress, Jiska emphasises. These are known have a good structure and governance in place. as the EXCEL programmes.” In the coming years we need to build on our programmes, set (additional) targets and DEME’s most important sustainability make further progress.” topics include energy efficiency, mitigating any potential adverse impact on the environ CONTINUE TO TAKE THE LEAD ment, building partnerships with research And in terms of future ambitions, Jiska institutions and universities to enhance comments: “We should keep taking the lead sustainable innovation, the reuse of materials, on sustainability and eventually this will guaranteeing the health and wellbeing of our become a competitive advantage and a posi employees, diversity and creating an inclusive tive contributor to the Group. It will take time, workspace, minimum standards on business but I believe it will give us a competitive edge. ethics and human rights, and engagement You can already see that the business environ and participation with local communities. ment is changing, more clients are going to This reflects DEME’s view that sustainability expect us to be a front runner here.” is much more far reaching than concentrat ing on only reducing greenhouse gas emis sions (GHG). INTRODUCTION OF SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMMES
Hundreds of employees worldwide participated in beach cleaning initiatives on the annual World Cleanup Day.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION! Here are a few examples of tangible results we have achieved in 2020. These results reflect the hard work of many colleagues in the business units and supporting services across the organisation. - We continue to implement a multi-year and multi-million fleet investment programme in order to further increase energy efficiency, to directly and significantly reduce air emissions, and to be able to make the switch to the use of future hydrogen-based fuels in the long run. - In April, DEME (de Vries & van de Wiel) and partners set up the Emission-free Infrastructure Network (‘Emissieloos Netwerk Infra’) to accelerate the energy transition in the infrastructure sector. The aim of this network is to enable construction with zero-emission equipment as early as 2026. - We focused on further improving our energy data monitoring via the establishment of a reliable and robust framework for data collection. We also developed Energy and GHG emissions dashboards for all our business units - DEME’s Environmental Campaign focused on the smart use of natural resources and on the prevention of emissions to water. This information campaign was very successful with 198 projects and offices in 37 countries using the toolboxes (posters, videos,…) more than 400 times! Moreover, this campaign won the silver medal in the European Commission’s ‘European Business Awards for the Environment’ in the category ‘Management’. - We performed a very successful Green Initiatives Campaign, resulting in a total number of 128 Green Initiatives in 2020, bringing the total number of Green Initiatives up to 240. - We were actively engaged in nine initiatives concerning environmental engineering and nature-based solutions in our project designs.
- More than 1,100 employees participated in the Diver 2020 campaign, resulting in 600 new promising ideas (of which 119 were on sustainability) and 200 achieved initiatives (of which 22 related to sustainability). - We established 14 partnerships with research institutions and universities, including a long-term relationship with ESITC Caen (France). We supported 22 master’s theses and PhDs, including two Baekeland mandates. - We ensured the inclusion of new crew colleagues in our Basics4starters training. - We participated in the project ‘areyouwaterproof.be’ which aims to attract more women into the maritime world. In this project DEME and other maritime employers have joined forces with educational institutions to raise more awareness about working in a maritime high-tech environment and to direct young women and men to the appropriate education and training programmes. - We noted a 97 % success rate of our mandatory e-learning course on business ethics for our office-based staff. For our crew we started using classroom toolboxes and since COVID-19, we also developed a new digital system for the crew members in quarantine. - We extended our long-term partnership with Mercy Ships. We contributed to the addition of a second hospital ship, which is entering the final construction phase. - Hundreds of employees worldwide participated in beach cleaning initiatives on the annual World Cleanup Day. - We participated in several local social initiatives, including ‘Shave for a cure’ in Papua New Guinea in the fight against breast cancer, and a tree planting action in Rio de Janeiro by our team in Brazil. - We also worked on our third Sustainability Report, which will be published in the next few weeks.
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There is nothing like being the first ones to do something… let’s be the leaders!
FAB FOUR PROJECT MANAGER
Nereida Gomez After graduating from the Panama International Maritime Academy where she specialised in mechanical engineering, Nereida Gomez joined the navy world. Of 268 cadets at the Academy, Nereida was one of only two women that graduated. Additionally, she also spent time sailing on tankers and scientific research vessels.
Her first official contact with DEME was when she was approached to join Dredging International. “I was interviewed on a Tuesday and the following afternoon I was in my DEME boots and overall!” This was in August 2011. But actually Nereida had already been impressed by DEME when she had a work placement at the Panama Canal while she was studying. “I saw the vessels working along the Canal and was fascinated by the dredgers, particularly ‘D’Artagnan’, so I was even more thrilled to get a call asking if I’d be interested in jumping on board.” Just back in Panama after 13 weeks performing five projects on ‘Lange Wapper’, we catch up with Nereida before she joins the team at Headquarters! What makes DEME special for you? From the first day I joined DEME I knew it would be the beginning of an amazing adven ture with challenges (I thought I knew what dredging was), constant changes (especially when working abroad) and diverse cultural experiences. But what I did not know then is how fast those experiences would enrich me as a person and a professional – not only with knowledge but also in so many other aspects of my life. DEME is a company that opens the doors for you to learn, to try, to experience and to grow
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constantly, giving the opportunities for every step to count, listening to your interests and considering that to be of value – to be applied currently and in the future. The way DEME moves along with the tech nological changes, addressing today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, being innovative and inventive to be at least one step ahead of what is coming next, is something that makes me very proud: there is nothing like being the first ones to do something… let’s be the leaders! Is there anyone/something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? This is a complicated question: during my career at DEME there are many people and situations that in one way or another have influenced the direction I have taken. But since the objective of this question is quite clear and I think I can indicate something, I would like to mention that working with the crew and my staff colleagues during the pandemic has been perhaps one of the biggest challenges, but a very special one. We all looked on the positive side, continued to operate in a con stant and optimal way, without allowing the COVID-19 restrictions be an obstacle that could not be overcome. Meanwhile we were giving the customer the expected service, achieving the best results and guaranteeing the continuity of operations.
The commitment and motivation of our crew in all those weeks of hard work was excep tional. For me being on board and working side by side with them will be one of the best memories of these times. Every day, for almost 13 weeks, the objective was clear, the site was ready, and the performance was 100 %. I must be honest; it was one of the best expe riences and of course, I will miss the steak on Sundays! Which performance are you most proud of? Our work in the Panama Canal. For me, being Panamanian, this work was essential for the change of our country and its eco nomic and strategic growth in the global maritime market. The work was not easy as we had many variables to consider, such as the traffic, type of material, a tight sched ule and several of our dredgers working simultaneously together to achieve the objective. The challenge of dredging basalt is perhaps one of the most complicated when it comes to dredging hard material, but DEME once again managed to implement new technolo gies that allowed the CSD ‘D’Artagnan’ (with the addition of special cutterheads) and the TSHD ‘Lange Wapper’ (and the magnificent crush head) to complete the dredging and clean-up of that material when many believed it was not possible. We directly noticed the impact of this success ful project here – immediately there were new shiprepair companies, ships’ agencies, a boost to trade, it has made a huge economic differ ence and I am proud to have played a role in this historic project.
What do you still dream about? Since the beginning of my career I have been focused on dredging, so it is time for a change – I am open to new horizons to new experiences, and to get more involved in our other activity lines. On a personal level, I still dream of becoming a lawyer, having two different careers is something that runs in my family, and writing a book and the day when I can sail my own boat… but for that there is still a long way to go :-). Do you have a tip for DEME? In this world of fast-paced business and technological changes, DEME is more than successful future-proofing the different activities the company offers and will offer, embracing opportunities and implementing changes in a strategic way. The biggest shift for business is towards online and digital technology, so DEME should keep on implementing technologies that improve operations and facilitate better com munication between teams. That provides seamless flexibility for the company and the employees to work when and from wherever they are. Keep on engaging your employees and providing work stability, a multicultural environment, investing in them for a futureproof business and consistent workforce that contributes positively with innovative ideas that makes the company what it is today: a leader in the field!
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Thorough preparations and flexibility key to success in the Arctic
Being properly prepared and flexibility were the key ingredients to ensure the success of the remarkable Sea Channel project in the Arctic. Once again, the One DEME, One Team, approach has been proven, stresses Area Director Dirk Poppe. “Even in these COVID times, we have managed to set a new standard in respect to working in the Arctic environment.”
Right from the start, the DEME team spirit was evident. Dirk points to the extraordinary achievement of the tendering team and our Russian colleagues. “We were confirmed to have the lowest bid for this huge project in January 2020, and then the contract negoti ations took place during quarantine between February and April 24th when the contract was signed, with everybody wearing masks!” Teams allowed everyone to keep commu nicating but of course meetings couldn’t happen face to face. “Our Russian team did a fantastic job. Everything had to be translated and they managed to anticipate the questions we would be asked during these lengthy negotiations. And although it is possible to do negotiation via Teams, it is very difficult when it is not possible to read body language, which is vitally important when trying to reach a compromise for example.” NEGOTIATIONS IN QUARANTINE
Despite the fact DEME had also worked for the same client, the Hydrographic Department of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation in 2019, the new project was also under another contract law, which meant it had to be totally renegotiated from scratch.
Although she looks frozen in time, the vessel has been hard at work on the project for several months.
Former General Manager Jean-Pierre Desmanet even sent his family back home to Belgium and stayed three months in isola tion in Russia to land the deal and Technical
Director Alexander Ivanyuk also put in a tremendous effort, Dirk emphasises. “The negotiations were a true team effort for sure.” This three-year contract encompasses dredging a 50 km channel, 573 m wide and a bottom surface of almost 30,000.000 m². For Russia, this is a vitally important project for its economy, enabling the country to export LNG worldwide all year round, with many of the icebreaking LNG carriers going to Zeebrugge and southeast Asia. MILITARY OPERATION TO PREPARE THE FLEET
With the project signed, there was almost a military operation to get the vessels ready for the Arctic. At the same time this was s urrounded by a lot of uncertainty about food supplies, spare parts, and whether crew changes would be possible. “All supporting departments, the project team and crew were extremely flexible because as it turned out, most of them couldn’t get off the ships.” Of the few that did manage to travel, they flew to Norway, drove to Murmansk and then spent two weeks in quarantine before flying on to Sabetta. Eventually DEME successfully mobilised eight large TSHDs, ‘Uilenspiegel’, ‘Congo River’, ‘Breughel’, ‘Breydel’, ‘Meuse River’ and ‘Artevelde’, plus two chartered vessels. All in all 20 vessels were involved.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT – 21
Dirk highlights the efforts of the mobilisation and technical team. “‘Congo River’ came from India, other vessels from the Mediterranean and then ‘Meuse River’ was on her maiden trip. And thanks to the excellent preparations by the Technical Department, we didn’t have any of the usual teething problems. She per formed a full campaign and was one of vessels with the highest production levels.” Project Managers Dirk Draulans and Bart Cierkens were the main points of contact between the site, Headquarters and the client and made sure everything went smoothly. And then Project Managers Yves Brynckman and Annelies Rubben remained on site for the full duration, starting in July and return ing in November.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, there was a delay of around a week but this was out of DEME’s control. UXO clearance had not been done on time and a dumping permit hadn’t been arranged. But as Dirk points out, DEME had initially expected to dredge 27 million m3 and in just 11 weeks the team dredged a staggering total of 32 million m3 and the project was completed to the full satisfaction of the client. EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT
Dirk ends by issuing his own ‘Thank you note’ to the entire team. The Sea Channel success was only possible because of very thorough preparations and the experience built up in 2014-15 and 2019, he says. However, this achievement is even more exceptional given that it was performed in full pandemic times.
FITNESS COMPETITION BOOSTS MORALE
To keep health and fitness levels up and to boost morale Yves and Annelies actually organised a rowing, cycling and running competition on board of the vessels. The team finally ran a grand total of 1,600 km, cycled 1,300 km and rowed 110 km! “The project team and crew have such creativity. It is not easy to keep themselves going without seeing land for months. I have big respect for those guys.”
“To realise optimum production levels and dredge 32 million m3 over 77 days – more than 415,000 m3 a day! I always talk in foot ball terms, that is one soccer field of 83 metres high every day! It is simply extraordinary.”
TSHD ‘Artevelde’, surrounded by a white rainbow, also know as a fog bow because it’s produced by tiny water droplets of fog.
Dirk Demonie, Chief Engineer 'Artevelde', talks about life aboard in the Arctic On January 18, Dirk Demonie, Chief Engineer TSHD ‘Artevelde’ celebrated his 30th anniversary with the company, although he is quick to point out that the real celebrations might have to wait until he gets back on dry land. Dirk originally joined the DEME fleet on ‘Vlaanderen XX’ as an electrician and then moved on to Dredging International as a first engineer some years later, before becoming involved in the newbuilding of ‘Lange Wapper’ in 1999. Later on he also worked on the construction of ‘Pallieter’ in a combined engineering and electrician role. Then ‘Uilenspiegel’ was next, followed by ‘Marieke’ when she was a newbuilding project. He was appointed Chief Engineer and sailed on ‘Marieke’ for 11 years and since March 2017, he has the same role on ‘Artevelde’.
These stunning photographs certainly send a shiver down your spine.
The project team and crew have such creativity. It is not easy to keep themselves going without seeing land for months. I have big respect for those guys.
Dirk is one of the team that has recently come back from the Sea Channel in the Arctic, although this remote location was no stranger to him – he had also worked on the Sabetta LNG project with ‘Marieke’ in the summer of 2015. He takes this extraordinary project in his stride. “It was a nice job. In the beginning we were a little concerned about getting fresh supplies and fuel because we weren’t sure when we could bunker. Of course, it is not typical to work on a project for four to five months without a crew change, but this is what we faced because of the COVID situation, which made it very difficult.” There were also problems with visas so Dirk’s colleague could not provide relief. “The Sea Channel itself cannot really be compared to a channel either. It is so huge that you don’t even see land for 10 weeks or so. “You always expect to be able to do crew changes every six weeks, but given all the lockdowns it became a major problem. We all did extra weeks. For me personally,
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For the last five years I have been aboard at Christmas and New Year and this is the first time I don’t regret it! We are all safe in our ship bubble!
it was 15. I sailed from Antwerp and back with the ship to Zeebrugge. An extended stay aboard is manageable if you know as soon as possible that your trip is going to be lengthened. Then you can adapt and accept it. And pretty much from the beginning we had an idea this would be the case.” He adds that at least the ‘Artevelde’ crew avoided the icy conditions and the major storms because they had to mobilise early for a project in the UK. As a Chief Engineer, Dirk’s focus was on the spare parts’ supplies but he is pretty unflappable, adding ‘sometimes you just have to improvise’. “I have to make sure that the ship is mechanically running all of the time.” He points to the great camaraderie between all the vessels working there. “Luckily all the vessels helped each other, we would sometimes call each other and ask the technical superintendents what spares they had and it all went very smoothly.” He adds that the 14-strong ‘Artevelde’ crew did however, have to manage an extra challenge though because the vessel had just switched from the AMOS stock management system to Maximo. “We were the only one in the Arctic with the system.
It was totally different when we got on board and it took us all a lot of time and effort to optimise Maximo.” Despite COVID and the remote location, he points out that actually all the vessels performed really well and did a lot more than the pre-estimated dredging volumes. “I just do my job and remain positive what ever happens. I always try to look on the bright side of life, solve the problems and get on with it! (in true DEME fashion).” And he smiles that there is one small benefit from the pandemic: “For the last five years I have been aboard at Christmas and New Year and this is the first time I don’t regret it! We are all safe in our ship bubble!”
Environmental management in the Arctic Environmental management and creating environmental awareness were top priorities for the project team overseeing the challenging Sea Channel project in the Arctic Ob Bay. Marc Huygens, Environmental Manager, Tender Department Activity Lines Dredging & Offshore, comments: “It is not every day that you are working in the Arctic environment and we respect its rich and sensitive ecosystem. Therefore, we paid even more attention to environmental management.” The standard Russian compliance framework regarding waste management and water quality was taken as the base line. “But we wanted to go well beyond that level.” It was important to consider the turbidity impact of the dredging activities, and the impact this has on the water quality of the Ob Bay and its estuarine flora and fauna. SPECIALLY DESIGNED ENVIRONMENTAL BUOYS
To achieve this, the team deployed five in-house designed, environmental buoys, mounted with water quality sensors,
which are recording turbidity levels, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen levels and Chl-A in real time and online. These environmental readings are combined with the wave and current measurements. About five metres high, and connected to the seabed with strong anchors, these SPAR-type buoys are well able to cope with the harsh conditions of the open sea conditions in the Ob Bay. “They were actually online for about 99 % of the time, which means that all collected field data is readable on the vessels and at HQ, where specialists can analyse the data.” And crucially, the results showed that our dredging and disposal activities had no influence on the natural turbidity pattern. The SPAR buoys themselves represent a true, integrated team effort, with the Environmental Engineers’ Department and Survey Department collaborating with an external IT specialist. DEME has deployed these buoys before at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project but since then they have been redesigned for the harsh Arctic conditions because they couldn’t run on solar panels alone. Marc adds that it is effectively like being at open sea because the estuary
is so wide and subject to strong currents and waves. THE ‘ENVIRONMENTAL CAPTAIN’
Another crucial quality part of the DEME Environmental Management Plan was the assignment of the so-called ‘Environmental Captain’. Initially, DEME set up its own Environmental Risk Assessment to identify and implement proper monitoring and mitigation measures concerning waste management, marine mammal observation, oil spill contingency, turbidity etc. To check the correct deployment and execution of all these environmental management measures by the operational team on site, the Environmental Captain made an independent expert assessment – pointing out the high international quality standards reached in our dedicated approach. And given this was all happening during the pandemic, it was a considerable challenge to get the expert safely and well on site and back home.
direct reduction of its GHG emissions, DEME chose to use the more expensive marine gas oil (MGO), rather than heavy fuel. This fuel not only has a low sulphur content, it also has fewer and smaller particulate matters. Consequently, black carbon (fine particles absorbing heat on the melting ice mass) is highly controlled by using MGO.
It is possible to work in the Arctic responsibly and sustainably if we do things carefully.
As well as this, the international standards concerning mammal observation were highlighted during toolbox meetings. There were more than 30 observations including seals, snowy owls, beluga whales and even a polar bear. A strict protocol on oil spill contingency was also in place, with very specialised dry brake coupling systems used when the vessels were bunkering. These are not dissimilar to Formula 1 fuelling couplings and guarantee that there will be no leaks when pumping from the bunkering vessel. As a
NO IMPACT ON THE ESTUARY
Marc stresses that as an Environmental Manager he is very proud of the Arctic project. “We created a lot of environmental awareness in the team. It is always the project team on site that has to put the effort in and they were very much on board. By creating this awareness of the ecosystem they are working in, this can really go a long way to solving many of the environmental challenges that may arise.
I am also very proud of the robust tools we now have. The environmental buoys allowed us to have a view of what is happening in the ecosystem online and in real time. Within 2-3 hours our specialists could have a thorough analysis of exactly what is taking place. And finally, the measurements taken prove that our work has a minor or no impact at all on the natural dynamics of the unique Ob Bay estuary and we can show this to the outside world – it is possible to work in the Arctic responsibly and sustainably if we do things carefully.”
There were more than 30 observations including seals, snowy owls, beluga whales and even a polar bear.
All supporting departments, the project team and crew were extremely flexible because as it turned out, most of them couldn’t get off the ships.
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MEET THE FLEET
Cable installation vessel ‘Living Stone’ Captains Leo Janssen and Bert Van Der Meulen reflect on a busy year on board of the ‘Living Stone’ and what makes this unique vessel so special.
A captain for 28 years, Bert’s career has included a six-year stint on merchant vessels and nearly two decades working on the dredgers and rock dumping vessels of Van Oord. Bert was actually deployed on ‘Innovation’ by HGO but by the time he had decided to continue working elsewhere as a freelancer he had been offered a position at Tideway (now DEME Offshore) to become Captain of ‘Omalius’ in 2015. Before joining ‘Living Stone’, he also sailed on ‘Rollingstone’. Leo, who was on board of the ‘Living Stone’ at the time of the interview, was glad to see the second helicopter of the day bringing the new crew smoothly touch down. Currently, ‘Living Stone’ is carrying out repairs to cables at Hornsea One offshore wind farm, which is 120 km off the Yorkshire coast in the UK. While attending nautical school, Leo served as an AB for the Spliethoff Group in Amsterdam during the holidays. After grad uating, he then joined Spliethoff officially as a Maritime Officer in 1995. He sailed aboard the multipurpose fleet but really enjoyed the Heavy Lift Vessels. “As Second Mate I got involved in everything from seafastening to operating the cranes and we really had to work as a team.” In 2000 he met some of his old school mates who were already working for Tideway. “At that time I wanted to have more certainty regarding being ashore and decided to make the switch to the rock dumpers. I was a Second Mate then and particularly liked the DP element.” Leo became a Captain in 2009 and has spent 12 years on ‘Rollingstone’, five years with the ‘Seahorse’ and also a few months on ‘Flintstone’. Leo’s introduction to ‘Living Stone’ was rather unusual, he admits. “When I was asked to become the Captain of ‘Living Stone’ in 2017 she was under construction in Bilbao. My first task was actually to make a plan to take the vessel from the Spanish shipyard, which was on the brink of bankruptcy. We made arrangements with the management to bring the vessel to another location a few miles away and despite the fake news that surrounded this in the Spanish press, it was a very successful operation. The yard saw that we took the situation very seriously.” Meanwhile, the cable-laying installation was being built in Vlissingen, therefore ‘Living Stone’ had to be towed from Bilbao to Vlissingen so she could have the cabling equipment installed, together with the helideck. And after the completion of the installation she embarked on the final leg of her journey, and was towed to Rotterdam to get her famous DEME green livery. SO WHAT MAKES ‘LIVING STONE’ SUCH A SPECIAL VESSEL FOR THESE EXPERIENCED CAPTAINS?
Bert says for him it is the sheer number of people aboard and this is coupled with the pioneering cable-laying technology. “We can have up to 100 crew, compared to say 45 on the
24 – MEET THE FLEET
rock dumpers. As captains we have to create a team together with the other head of depart ments on board to make sure everything runs like clockwork. However, this is quite a chal lenge, there are many different nationalities and we also have a lot of subcontractors and agency workers. This can make it difficult to bring the team together. But due to a highly motivated fixed crew we manage to work as a good team together.” Leo agrees, commenting: “As captains we work very hard to achieve ‘One DEME, One Team’. But I think we have created a nice team – of course there are the different groups – we have the mates, the galley team, cable layers and cable jointers from the client. But the jointers also get involved and help us with other activities aboard. Everyone coop erates very well.” They both clearly relish the cable-laying tech nology and personally enjoying the challenge of learning more and more about the intrica cies of this sector.
MANOEUVRING IN A NARROW FJORD
They are both looking forward to a very chal lenging project coming up whereby they have to install the offshore section of the DolWin6 high-voltage direct-current cable, which runs from offshore wind farms in Germany through the Wadden Sea. ‘Living Stone’s’ two turntables mean she can seamlessly install cable bundles and in this case she will install the 2 × 40 km sections simultaneously. However, the real challenge from the captains’ point of view is that they first have to pick up the cable from the Nexans manufacturing facility in Halden, Norway, which is located in a fjord with a very narrow entrance. Buoys will even have to be removed to enable ‘Living Stone’ to pass. The vessel has a 32 m beam but with appendages this increases to 37 m. Both captains will be sharpening their skills on simulators before the project. “These types of projects make it very interesting for a cap tain,” they add. They also have to load the cables for the second campaign of Moray East in Hartlepool, which is another small port, so again another challenging project. 254 DP DAYS IN 2020
For Bert his goal is to safely lay the cables faster than ever before. “We are breaking records, it is a big challenge and some finetuning is needed with the DP system but we are making progress.” Leo adds: “Yes, this unique vessel is ultimately built for infield cables so I would really love to beat the previous records, like we did at the SeaMade offshore wind farm and also perform more cable-laying in parallel.”
Leo looks back on the busy year they have had in 2020. “I calculated that we had 254 DP days! This is very impressive given that these projects have all taken place in COVID
The SeaMade offshore wind project in Belgium has been Bert’s standout project so far. “For SeaMade we had to do several cables in a very short timeframe. But we all came together and it worked well.” This was despite the team having to grapple with wind force 12 for a few days! “It was quite a challenge but fortunately everything went smoothly.” SAFETY AND WEATHER CONDITIONS THE MAIN FOCUS
Safety and weather conditions are always their main focus points, they stress. Bert com ments: “That is one thing that is perhaps dif ferent from other vessels, we have to plan far ahead concerning the weather window and we have to change the heading a lot. There are so many steps in cabling operations with the various pull-ins and of course we are attached to a cable so cannot go anywhere.”
Captain Bert Van Der Meulen
“Yes, we definitely have to think more ahead, a joint can take three days for example,” says Leo. Leo’s standout project is the Modular Offshore Grid (MOG) in Belgium, which is a ‘power hub’ connecting several offshore wind farms, including SeaMade. “This was a very large export cable of 85 km, which we had to pick up from the manufacturer in Greece and we also had to lay two cables adja cent to each other.” Leo also enjoyed working on the Moray East offshore wind farm, which involved many cables being installed within a very tight schedule.
Captain Leo Janssen
times.” And this level of activity meant that we could keep the crew on board, they stress. Both Bert and Leo are optimistic for pros pects this year and they are happy to keep challenging themselves and expanding their knowledge of the cable-laying sector. Leo comments: “Sometimes I miss the rock dumpers but there is still a lot to learn about cable laying and I really enjoy working with a big team.” Bert agrees, adding: “I am very happy to stay on ‘Living Stone’, we have a really nice crew. And I want to continue to optimise and improve our cable-laying capabilities.”
There are so many steps in cabling operations with the various pull-ins and of course we are attached to a cable so cannot go anywhere.
'Living Stone' features two cable turntables below deck.
25
FAB FOUR CAPTAIN TSHD ‘BONNY RIVER’
Christophe Van den Berghe Captain Christophe Van den Berghe began his career at Dredging International more than 20 years ago when he started off as a Deckhand. His first position in command of a vessel was in July 2009, when he became Captain of ‘Artevelde’, which was at that time a newbuild. Since then, he has always been deployed on many of our ‘One Man Bridge’ TSHDs. And then two years ago, a new adventure began on our pioneering trailer ‘Bonny River’, which he believes to be a real game changer – ‘the most versatile TSHD in the world!’ in Christophe’s own words.
What makes DEME special for you? Straight after my studies at the Antwerp Maritime College, I joined DEME so it has been my first professional employer and I hope it will be my last. As a student I had worked in a family-run restaurant near my childhood home for many years. I view DEME as h aving those same family values I enjoyed there. I am dedicated to just one company doing my best and following the core values. I believe in the long-term aim of delivering a high-end product, based on customer satisfaction, work atmosphere and an efficient organisation then, and this is the same now.
guys at our technical departments and in the new BOOS-T environment – Erik Van Nieuwenhuijzen, Geoffrey Kennis, Jonas Van Drom, Tom Nees, Bruno Galvao, Wouter Eyckmans, Dennis Ongena, Koen Van den Maegdenbergh and many more. Together with our smart crews on board, we achieve much more than our vessels were initially intended for. We should not underestimate the importance of having a great crew – Pieter, Wim, Omar, Benny, Matthijs, Laurentz, Niels, Christoph, Ivan, Mario, Max, Jef, Tom, Michiel, Arthur, Kristof and many others have all played a role in my development. Their knowledge and support is fantastic. They are team players and very proactive guys who really make the difference on board and I want to thank them for that.
I actually view DEME as a family firm, being a company with an exemplary commitment to the wellbeing of its crew and staff. It is par ticularly comforting, especially in these times, knowing you’re not seen as an ‘I-number’, to use an example from our new Maintenance programme Maximo – a consumable or spare part – but instead a real asset. DEME invests in people and creates a strong solidarity amongst employees and a commitment towards the company.
Another major influence is the DEME phi losophy of encouraging ‘out of the box’ ideas. These small ideas make you wake up! Perhaps out of hundreds of ideas, one comes to fruition. This is what drives me – my passion. For exam ple, look at the fantastic ideas that come out of the Diver campaigns.
Is there anyone/something that has influenced your career at DEME in any special way? We have so many ‘fab fours’ in the company who have influenced me. I am very pleased to have been able to work with likeminded
Which performance are you most proud of within the team you work in? Personally the continuous search for improve ments in the efficiency and safety of the vessels I’ve worked on. I am assigned to a vessel to find
a way to coordinate a safe and efficient work flow, resulting in higher production overall, which has a direct effect on the project cost. To state an old Dutch proverb: ‘Zonder zand, geen vreten’ – ‘No sand, no food’.
seabed conditions, there were no areas where we couldn’t dredge. The MPDH is a real team achievement with many departments involved to get the draghead designed, built and installed.
I applaud the commitment of our manage ment to support this by implementing the Diver programme of 2017, which resulted in a new ‘spirit’ in our production department, highlighted by BOOS-T. The old DEME adage, ‘there is no substitute for experience’ remains relevant. Knowledge should be shared and the high degree of automation and technical leadership on our vessels should be used to our advantage.
What do you still dream about? So many things, as my kids are growing up in these strange times, I wish life would come back to normal, seeing family and friends with my wife and without the constant burden of COVID-19 looming over you.
Being part of this continuous search for a better approach to new projects for trailers is rewarding. In this context I would like to highlight the new, in-house designed Multipurpose Draghead (MPDH) installed on ‘Bonny River’, which is proving to be a great tool to achieve significantly better production levels and it really opens new markets with its interchangeability, ability to cut deeper and jet combinations. More efficient rock dredging and other dif ficult soils are now possible. For example, ‘Bonny River’ put in a great performance at Saint-Nazaire. Despite the difficult
Together with our smart crews on board, we achieve much more than our vessels were initially intended for. We should not underestimate the importance of having a great crew.
The crew of ‘Bonny River’ during the naming ceremony in November 2020.
26 – FAB FOUR
Of course, this has also created moments of stress and sometimes difficult circumstances on board. Nevertheless, the idea of the ‘COVID-free ship bubble’ was a relief actu ally – it allowed the seafarers to have a normal workplace. But the end of the tunnel is visible, we can dream of that… Concerning work-related dreams, in the long run I hope to participate in the newbuild investments, especially the TSHDs – from the initial idea on the drawing board to the final delivery. After 20 years of working and living on board our trailers I have a pretty good idea of what works well and what doesn’t. Do you have a tip for DEME? Staying ahead should always be the main goal, never sit back, and be top of the class, regardless of cheap competitors with lower standards and no sustainability goals… we can always make the difference if we focus on our expertise. I especially believe in ‘investing’ extra means and effort to create added value in a lean environment. If we keep investing it is better for the environment, we get more production and a better result. In summary – using the right tools in the right way. Consider ‘Bonny River’ – the first DP2 dredger in the world! ‘Orion’ and ‘Spartacus’, these are all pioneers. There are always things we can improve. I think this is why I’ve never had a dull day of work on board in the past 20 years and hope I won’t in the next 20!
SAFETY FOCUS
200 inspiring ideas received in first Safety Success Stories Campaign Recently, the QHSE Department launched a new safety campaign strategy, and rather than focusing on near misses, lost time incidents and high potential incidents, it instead focused on the positive and what went well – your Safety Success Stories. ‘Working at Height’ was chosen as the focus of the new campaign because this is a high risk task, which is present in all four Activity Lines, as well as in our daily lives at home.
The QHSE Department was delighted that so many teams participated in the campaign, with around 200 Safety Success Stories received from vessels, project sites and offices worldwide. These inspirational stories showed that brilliant ideas don’t have to cost the earth. They were highlighted at the Safety Moment Day in December when the best ideas were awarded. There were so many suggestions that the QHSE team is still working their way through them but they stress that all submis sions will be reviewed and the team will send their personal feedback to the teams. ALIGNING WORKING AT HEIGHT PROCEDURES
Sina Cordes, QHSE-S Team Coordinator, explains: “There is sometimes quite a differ ence between our Activity Lines, therefore we want to have a ‘One DEME approach’ to Working at Height and align all the p rocedures. Ultimately, we want to have clear definitions, workable and practical procedures.” Marc Weynen, QHSE Officer, adds: “Yes, we aimed to get rid of all the different rules and make sure we are all aligned – One DEME,
One rule!” He adds that it can be the case that regulations are interpreted quite differently regarding Working at Height and also that DEME’s own standards go well beyond the demands of the regulations. The QHSE Department was also very keen that the Working at Height campaign should include a broad range of topics from scaffolding, personal fall protection, mobile elevated working platforms, man baskets, rope access and lad ders to dropped objects.
innovative, unique ideas but also at the ones where people can learn the most. However, a few really stood out for thinking outside of the box.” Annelies Du Bois, QHSE Engineer agrees, adding: “I was really looking for smart, simple and cost-effective solutions. Ideas can still be innovative but cost relatively little. They also have to be easy to implement and recreate on other projects.”
We looked at the most innovative, unique ideas but also at the ones where people can learn the most.
SMART, SIMPLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE
Once all the stories were collected, the four Process Owners then reviewed them and chose their top three favourites. Hanne Goudry, QHSE Engineer says that the team actually came to a general consensus about the best ideas. “I think we looked at the most
All the Process Owners have now updated the documen tation related to Working at Height, so everyone is on the same page. Sina stresses that rather than issuing reams of documentation, there has been a big emphasis on making all the new com munication material more accessible – bright posters that can easily be used on vessels and project sites for example.
Although not available at the time of the interview, the team points out that their two other colleagues should be mentioned for all their hard work on the campaign – John Verharen, QHSE Engineer and Robert Nuyts, QHSE Engineer. And the team would also like to thank the
GHANA PROJECT
SECURES THE SAFETY SUCCESS STORY AWARD Joachim Lebbe is the proud winner of DEME’s first ever Safety Success Story Award for his simple but smart invention – the ‘cutter repair chair’ – which was deployed at the Tema Port expansion project in Ghana. Delighted and very surprised to have won the trophy, Joachim begins by stressing that the cutter repair chair is a result of a close team collaboration, particularly with the welding foreman Jestin Davis Thekkumpuram, and a group brainstorming session about how cutterheads can be repaired in a safer and more comfortable way. “This invention is a good example of collaboration between several departments and from sharing our experiences. The QHSE team on site, Headquarters, the Cutter Dredger Captains and other sites all provided input.”
Joachim Lebbe, winner of the Safety Success Story Award’.
‘System & Tools’ colleagues who put a lot of effort into developing the campaign page and the platform where the Safety Success Stories was uploaded in Apprise – Michaël Delvaulx and Antonio Covas. SO WHICH IDEAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED THE TEAM?
To avoid working on steep slopes, the project teams at the Jurong Island Westward and TTP1 projects in Singapore used drones, eliminating the hazards. Rigging containers is always a risky activity but several teams shared their successes. The favourite Success Stories were from the DIMCO workshop in the Netherlands and the Dekheila port Berth 96 seabed clearance project, Egypt. Both sites used a system using the bottom twist locks of the container and combined this with a lifting beam.
brainstorming session. Of course the cutterhead is a conical shape, so it is difficult to make a platform that can access all of the positions. We needed to find a system whereby the welders can climb onto the cutter and weld in all the different positions. Plus, the chair must be able to connect and disconnect easily.”
QHSE received nearly 50 stories about providing collective protection like fixed work platforms and railings. Two stories particularly stood out, one from the Tema Dredging and Reclamation project, Ghana – the overall winner of the Safety Success Story 2020 award (see insert) – and one from the Abu Dhabi team, regarding the EMW laydown area, which involves a system to cover truck loading beds.
Joachim, who was Deputy Project Manager at Tema, explains: “The cutters were being so intensively used that this was causing a gigantic stress on the workshop with the guys having to repair the adaptors all the time. We were doubling the workforce, flying people in, introducing a day and night shift… And with this pressure, I was worried it would have an impact on safety levels.”
The result was the cutter repair chair, which has been made as light as possible, and deploys a dismantling railing. The chair is welded onto the cutter teeth and crucially, has a locking system whereby the teeth are inserted into the adaptors and locking pins. This avoids the previous method when a platform is being welded and cut off again when moved to a new position.
Several offices highlighted how they had used their Licence to Stop authority. The BDC Ostend office have now made sure their win dow cleaners are in full PPE.
He points out that cutterheads can be 2.5 high and welders sometimes have to stand on top of them. Joachim started to mull over an idea to make ‘a chair/platform’ that was safer, more ergonomic and comfortable when making repairs and performing welding works on the cutter.
“The invention is definitely more comfortable for people to work on and there were no incidents in the workshop. I also think this was a very positive experience for the welding team because they are also part creators of the invention and they saw that people are listening to their ideas.”
“Jestin and myself thought that there must be a better way. We brought the issue up and everyone joined in with the
The cutter repair chair has subsequently been used on other projects such as the Akkuyu power plant project in Turkey.
DEME’s scope at Tema port involved dredging 2 million m3 of rock and this was performed by our CSD ‘D’Artagnan’ and TSHD ‘Breughel’. Due to incorrect soil data provided, the rock in the port turned out to be much harder than expected and this was taking a heavy toll on the cutters.
The cutterhead is a conical shape, so it is difficult to make a platform that can access all of the positions.
For work preparation and Safety by Design, top stories came from the Koole Terminals’ jetty project in the Netherlands, whereby an adjustable work platform which is above the water has been designed. The Borssele and Triton Knoll offshore wind project teams outlined their use of VR to evaluate the access to structures and to identify possible hazards. Our FPV ‘Rollingstone’ crew shared a story about working by the rules, using certified subcontractors, toolboxes and no-go areas to access and replace cables at height. de Vries & van de Wiel was also selected for its story concerning how the team con nected rigging at height in a safe and efficient way. This comprised a detailed work plan, risk assessment, instructions, a lift plan and checklist.
SAFETY FOCUS – 27
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Showcasing DEME’s diverse capabilities at the Blankenburg Connection The Blankenburg Connection in the Netherlands highlights how our Activity Lines – in this case Dredging and Infra – seamlessly work alongside each other to achieve these large-scale and vital infrastructure projects.
28 – PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
The Blankenburg Connection will increase the accessibility of Rotterdam.
Essentially we are deploying all kinds of proven techniques but we are using them to the extreme. Erlend Van Maele and Robbert de Groot in front of self-propelled split hopper ‘Sloeber’.
MISSED THE PRESS RELEASE? DEME will be involved in the construction of the longest immersed road and rail tunnel in the world.
CLICK HERE
DETAILS OF THE NEW HIGHWAY A24 The A24 ‘Blankenburg Connection’ connects the A20 and the A15 and improves access to the Rotterdam region. The scope includes the construction of a highway with 2×3 lanes, a land tunnel, immersed tunnel, a deepened connection to the A20 road and a high connection to the A15. Additionally, the A20 will be widened. Rijkswaterstaat (part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) awarded the EUR 1 billion, public-private partnership project to the BAAK Consortium, which comprises DEME Concessions, Ballast Nedam Concessies and Macquarie Capital. The project was awarded on a design, build, finance and maintenance basis and will run for a period of 20 years.
Robbert De Groot, Operations Manager, who has a civil engineering background, has been working for the company since November 2017 and in the BAAK Consortium. Before that he worked for TBI Infra for 20 years. In that period we worked together with CFE/ DIMCO on projects such as the bored tunnel Pannerdensch Kanaal and Spoorzone Delft. As Execution Director at BAAK he is respon sible for the realisation for the critical part of the project – the immersed Maasdeltatunnel, as well as all the dry and wet soil movements. “Technically this is a fascinating project, excit ing but with a lot of challenges.” Erlend Van Maele, Project Manager, who also has a civil engineering background, joined DEME in 2013 and before that he was largely involved in the execution of infra and road building in a works leader or project manager role. Currently, he heads up the Benelux Department of the dry earth movement section. He grins: “So perhaps you could say that this is not genuine dredging – there are a few of us!” Erlend was also involved in the tendering process for the Blankenburg Connection, which started in 2016. His wide-ranging responsibilities at BAAK, where he heads up the dry earthmoving team, include the sand delivery for the preloading and temporary infrastructure for the con struction sites, as well as the excavation of the building pits (both dry and underwater exca vation) and preparations for the foundations and concrete works. The team also performs the dredging works for the tunnels and all the landscaping. Some 400 people have been involved at the peak of the project so far in the office team and currently around 250 on the site but these numbers will grow during 2021. Last year was a very busy year for the team. In the North they started with the A20 widening, which is going from 2×2 lanes to 2×3 lanes. They also started to adjust the existing viaducts on the A20. Between the A20 and the Maasdeltatunnel they have also been working on the Hollandtunnel, the so-called land tunnel, and they are busy with foundation works, encompassing the sheet piling and anchoring systems. After that, Erlend and his team start with the excavation of the building pits.
NEW LOGISTICS ROUTE ACHIEVED ON SCHEDULE
A very important part of the project success fully completed in 2020 was the finalisation of the crossing of the ‘Hoekse Lijn’ rail track, which runs between the Hook of Holland and Rotterdam. This means the construction traffic doesn’t have to travel through smaller villages such as Maassluis. Completing this new logistics route as soon as possible was a crucial part of winning the tender. Achieved on schedule, the route took 18 months to realise. Regarding the Maasdeltatunnel the enor mous task of drilling 7,500 vertical anchors started in August 2019 and was finalised in April 2020. This followed the installation of the combi-walls in 2019, which was mostly done by our Infra team. Deploying 11 drilling machines, these huge 65 m long anchors are drilled 40 m below the surface. After the anchors, the dry excavation began and the installation of the concrete struts between the combi-walls, which are 10 m below the surface. POURING CONCRETE FOR 100 HOURS
This year the Herculean effort to construct the underwater reinforced concrete slabs began for the building pits, the deepest of which is about 30 m below water level. The scale is mind-boggling; one compartment of the building pit is 100 m × 35 m wide and has to be filled with 10,000 m3 of underwater concrete, which takes about 100 hours 24 hours a day! The Maasdeltatunnel comprises 11 compartments. This excavation work will take place for most of 2021 and the building pits will then be pumped out. But before the team can pour the underwater concrete they have to lengthen 7,500 grout anchors and install 1,100 prefab rebar cages within the strict design limits, which is really a challenge. The project team have already constructed a dedicated quay to bring in supplies via the waterways and on top of that, they are going to build a concrete batching plant, which is expected to be operational in 2021. All the aggregates will also be delivered by DEME Building Materials (DBM) and because they can be delivered via the water this reduces transport trough Maassluis and consequently has a lower environmental impact.
IMMERSED TUNNEL EXPERTISE
Robbert adds: “Immersed tunnels and tunnel elements are very much our specialisation. That is the great thing about DEME – that we can do it all. We have the knowledge of concrete works and immersed tunnel elements, dredging channels, dry earthmoving works, supply ing sand and gravel (from DBM) – all kinds of expertise from across our Activity Lines.” Reviewing the project so far, Erlend com ments: “The biggest challenge in the first year was the delivery of the sand. We had to make sure the team from civils can start on time and there is a big emphasis on reusing as much material as possible.” Erlend is appreciative that the management had confidence in him to lead the dry earth movement team. “When I started there were two people and now there are 20 in this unit. It was really a big challenge to build the team and get the work on track in time to start the execution.” Environmental works are also under Erlend’s responsibility. All the contaminated soil (approximately 60,000 m3) has now been excavated and it will be covered with clean soil and landscaped. His team has delivered around 1.5 million m3 of sand and will exca vate approximately 2 million m3. ONE TEAM
Robbert summarises why the project makes him so proud. “Essentially we are deploying all kinds of proven techniques but we are using them to the extreme. For example, the construction of the underwaterconcrete 30 m under waterlevel is a very exciting design. I like the techniques and the execution side; it makes your heart beat faster. Then there is the challenge of making one huge, integrated team from DIMCO, DI and Ballast Nedam plus the subcontractors. But if you want to realise such an ambitious project you need to create one united team for sure! Realising this challenging project on time in a safe way, with all the different partners, is giving me a lot of satisfaction.
29
THE DEME SUITCASE
“Hong Kong Disneyland is my favourite project over the years!” Taco Jaquet, Captain TSHD ‘Artevelde’ The DEME suitcase travels around the world, packed with stories! In this edition of our ONE DEME newspaper Taco Jaquet, Captain of TSHD ‘Artevelde’, unpacks his suitcase.
Captain Taco Jaquet is a true ‘hopper veteran’ and recently celebrated his 25th anniversary at the company. He joined DEME straight after graduation and just after his 18th birthday, and since that time his entire career has centred on the hopper fleet. Captain Jaquet says his career has largely followed the traditional route to becoming a Captain. “I started off as an AB on our TSHD ‘Antigoon’, which was brandnew then!” he laughs. He was appointed to the position of Pipe Operator on the ‘Atlantico Due’, which has subsequently gone to her final resting place after years of service. Then as Second Mate he served on all the wellknown DEME favourites ‘Lange Wapper’, ‘Uilenspiegel’ and ‘Nile River’. Captain Jaquet was promoted to become one of the First Mates when he joined the crew of the ‘Congo River’ in 2011 and that was where he worked alongside Chief Electrician Dennis Couwyzer, who passed the suitcase to Taco in the previous ONE DEME newspaper. After seven years as First Mate, he then got
the opportunity to become a relief captain for several weeks. And in 2018 he was very proud to be awarded the ultimate promotion and was named the Captain of ‘Minerva’. “‘Congo River’ and ‘Minerva’ – the ‘intelligent, next generation vessels’ – had much more tech nology on board and they were the next steps in my career. ‘Congo River’ has the one-man bridge operation and then ‘Minerva’ was the first vessel in our fleet to be powered by LNG.” CREATING NEW LAND AT HONG KONG DISNEYLAND
Captain Jaquet has no hesitation about his favourite project over the years – Hong Kong Disneyland in Penny’s Bay – where he was stationed for three years on ‘Lange Wapper’. “This was a greenfield project and all the big four were there. I think there must have been 20 to 30 TSHDs! The comradeship and co operation were amazing and we were literally creating new land! Additionally, I was offi cially named Second Mate of ‘Lange Wapper’ and this all took place during the millennium celebrations in 2000, so I can never forget the fireworks over the Bay!”
For the last two years Captain Jaquet has been working on the maintenance of the Canal Martín García, which runs between Uruguay and Argentina. The Canal can be subject to a lot of sedimentation, so ‘Minerva’ has been busy maintaining the required depth. “‘Minerva’ has put in a great performance and I had a fantastic crew, a real mix – Bulgarian, French, Argentinian, Uruguayans – all differ ent cultures, but we worked very well together.” Captain Jaquet now moved on to his next career challenge and adventure, joining TSHD 'A rtevelde' and headed off to the south of France. Although ‘Artevelde’ is a new ship for him, he does know some of the crew. So what would Captain Jaquet take to a desert island? “My family, my little girl June, who is five.” “And can I take anything else?” he asks. “Yes of course.” “In that case my Harley-Davidson!”
Ta c oet J a qu 30 – THE DEME SUITCASE
NEXT TO PACK HIS SUITCASE: Ruben Hulstaert Captain Jaquet suggests Ruben Hulstaert, Marine Coordinator, who he worked with when they were both First Mates on ‘Congo River’. “I really admire Ruben, who has decided to pursue his career ashore. And it is great that we can still learn from each other, I passed my knowledge on to him when we worked together on ‘Congo River’ and now if I have questions about maritime regulations etc. I call him and he helps me.”
Greetings from
Da ria Pia tk owsk a
Project Engineer at theŚwinoujście-Szczecin-project in Poland
After graduating from a technical university in Poland, Daria Piątkowska, Project Engineer, chose to explore her opportunities and get some work experience outside of her home country. During her studies she went to the Engineering Faculty of Mons for one year in a student exchange programme and she then decided to stay in Belgium, which eventually led her on to apply to DEME more than 10 years ago.
Daria smiles: “I am not from the maritime world so everything was new and interesting to me!” Originally, Daria worked in the Tender Department and was mainly involved in the Polish market. Her activities were later extended to the Nordic and Baltic countries, France, the UK and Germany. “I really enjoyed the fact that each tender is different. There is that drive to win them and of course, sometimes disappointment. But I feel really proud of our projects and what we achieve all over the world. Additionally, I appreciate the efforts DEME is making to become more sustainable, which is something important to me.” After eight years in the Tender Department Daria now has the opportunity to see the execution side of DEME’s business and this coincided with a chance to go back to Poland. Daria is working on the Świnoujście – Szczecin fairway project and is fascinated to see the progress taking place. She has been involved right from the beginning. “The tender was announced at the very end of December 2017. We submitted the offer in May 2018 and then four months of clarifications and negotiations followed before the contract was signed on 28 September.” Daria points out that Polish tendering procedures can be very formal and it is easy to get kicked out on a tiny detail or non-conform There is always a lot ity. So winning such a prestigious project was really something. of work to be done, The fairway provides access from the Baltic Sea, starting at the city of Świnoujście up to the Port of Szczecin, which is 62 km further inland. The wide-ranging scope of work involves capital dredging of more than 20 million m³ and creating two artificial islands in the Szczecin Lagoon from the dredged material.
but I try to grab each opportunity to go and see what is currently being done outside the office.
A DIVERSE AND BUSY DEPARTMENT
“This design & build project is a big challenge and for me, it was a great opportunity to work in Poland and see DEME’s activities from a more practical side.” Daria is a member of the project controls department which offers a whole host of support activities including planning, reporting, documentation, quality assurance, ORM and cost engineering. “It is a very diverse and busy department. We do anything that can help operations and other departments progress. “I am mainly responsible for reporting, but still involved as well in document con trol (including much of the translation as the language of the contract is Polish) and communication with the employer, engineers and other stakeholders. In my role, two weeks are never the same.” Currently, Daria is coordinating and following up on the soil testing taking place on the two new islands. “There is always a lot of work to be done, but I try to grab each opportunity to go and see what is currently being done outside the office. We are also busy identifying and removing UXOs, reinforcing the slopes and quay walls along the channel, altering the routing of cables and a lot of other smaller jobs. It is remarkable that the project is making such good progress during the COVID-19 period – a really impressive achievement.” Daria is very much enjoying operations on site at first hand after being involved in the tender phase. “I like the dynamics on site.” But there is one thing she misses from her time at Headquarters – and that’s riding her bicycle to work every day. “To avoid the Antwerp traffic I would cycle 30 km a day, which kept me fit.” And she laughs, stressing that it wasn’t an electric bike!
GREETINGS FROM – 31
The DEME Heroes are back! Spring is in the air and with it a new energy! There is no better time to see the return of our inspirational DEME Heroes programme!
We’re looking throughout the company for 12 Hero Ambassadors – 6 cyclists and 6 runners. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, male or female, the most important thing is that you are motivated to make a healthy lifestyle switch! Perhaps you want to get in shape again, lose some weight or participate in a running or cycling challenge with your colleagues… we just want to see your commitment! The 12 chosen Heroes will be guided by professionals to enable them to accomplish their goals. The main goal for the runners will be the ‘Antwerp 10 Miles’ (10/10/2021) and the ‘Tour of Flanders’ for the cyclists (18/09/2021). FOR WHO?
For everybody! We’re not necessarily targeting the most sportive amongst you. On the contrary, if you have been lacking a healthy lifestyle over the past years (for whatever reason), but you’re interested to grab this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get you up and ‘running’ again, then this is your chance! All DEME employees with a permanent employment contract are eligible for participation. HOW WILL YOU BE PREPARED?
The DEME Heroes will receive a full physical screening and are given personal guidance by Energy Lab Coaches. This includes a physical performance test, a body composition DEXA-scan, a personalised training scheme and several months of physical coaching.
WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM A DEME HERO?
The heroes get a wonderful opportunity to make a lifestyle switch with full support of DEME. The complete screening, testing and coaching is supported by DEME, as well as the participation costs for the running and cycling event. Therefore, we expect the following from a DEME Hero: - ENGAGEMENT and COMMITMENT: investing time and energy in this project, with the full support of your family and colleagues. - FULL PRESENCE in Belgium on the test day (which will be planned individually and not in group due to COVID), the running event (10/10/2021) or cycling event (18/09/2021) and the general t rainings every two months (except if you stay on board or abroad for DEME on the day of a training). - Being a hero means also to carry out the Energy@DEME message (taking care of ourselves, being healthy, energetic, giving our best, a positive mindset and enjoying our working time) and to motivate your colleagues to join the Energy@DEME programme. - Candidates will have to invest financially in a good bike or running shoes and in a heart rate monitor. OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE OF THE HERO PROGRAMME
Grab your chance now for this unique opportunity. Go to the challenge page, click on the ‘I’m in’-button and complete the application form (all collected health and personal data is strictly confidential). Applications will close on Friday 19 March 2021!
But even if becoming a Hero is not for you, DEME still has several fitness opportunities coming up at our ‘Energy Days’. Additionally, if you want to find out more about your condition level, you can go to the website of Energylab and make an appointment at your convenience to schedule a test (running or cycling). Although you do have to pay for the test, there is a special ‘DEME discount’ provided.
CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE
HOW CAN YOU APPLY?
One hero cheering for the other, that's the spirit!
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