Dredging has turned its focus from flood reduction to the creation and deepening of waterways and the creation of new land.
An aerial view of the coast of Dubai exposes the sheer magnitude of the Palm Islands and 'The World', which have been created mostly by sand dredged from the seabed. As impressive examples of human ingenuity and technological innovation, these artificial islands set in the Arabian Gulf — reflect Dubai's ambitious bid to stake its claim as the new playground of the international jet set.
They also bear witness to the contribution and expertise of the Dutch land reclamation and dredging specialist Van Oord. The company, which has impressive projects to its credit across the world, has played an important part in realising these prime real estate developments.
Van Oord, though, is not the only Dutch company that has created a niche for itself in this region. The other internationally renowned names that are active in the UAE include dredging specialists such as Royal Boskalis Westminster NV, IHC Holland, a global name in the design, fabrication and supply of equipment and services for the dredging industry, and Royal Haskoning, a consulting engineering firm that offers a wide range of quality assured maritime services, including dredging design.
These companies are part of the Netherlands' maritime industry that has gained a leading position in the international community. Their unique advantage in the area of dredging, though, can be attributed to several factors, the most important of which is the location of the country — which, as its name suggests, is below sea level. Recurring high water levels in the country's numerous lakes and rivers, and the presence of the North Sea around it has caused numerous challenges such as the regular flooding of the countryside.
Groundbreaking projects
"Our fight against water has gone on for many centuries and, in addition to building dikes and draining water from the lower areas, one of the weapons used was dredging. Over the years, dredging has turned its focus from flood reduction and the 'guiding' of water, to the creation and deepening of waterways and ports and the reclamation and creation of 'new land'," says Jan Schaart, Area Manager, Van Oord, a family-owned company with a history of more than 100 years in marine works, including dredging.
According to Roel Berends, Group Director Corporate Relations, Royal Boskalis Westminster NV, the Dutch have gained important experience, technical know-how, and a considerable level of skill in dredging, especially since it plays a crucial role in the construction of structures such as ports and dikes in their challenging terrain. "We have also invested huge resources in the pursuit of achieving technical expertise in the field. We have research institutes, including a technical university in Delft, which specialises in dredging. The dredging industry is also well organised," he says.
Armed with the expertise and experience that they have gained on home ground, the Netherlands has also been exporting dredging services and equipment to other countries. This move has helped the industry, especially since the scope of dredging has widened.
According to Schaart, while dredging used to be focused on marine activities, such as port construction and maintenance, there is an increasing need for the creation of new land by means of reclamation using dredged sand. "Such new land may be required in support of the ongoing urbanisation of coastal areas, for instance, to accommodate housing developments. It could also be a part of developments associated with the tourism sector. In addition, we provide dredging services to the energy sector where dredging is mainly related to burial and protection of pipelines under the seabed," he says.
Reclamation projects
Schaart says that over the past two decades there has been a shift in the concentration of dredging activities from Hong Kong in the early 1990s when their new airport Chep Lap Kok was built, to Singapore where about 2,000 large-scale reclamation projects started. Van Oord participated in both. "However, the focus is now on the Middle East, including countries such as the UAE. We are also active in other parts of the region. For instance, we are currently (along with others) involved in dredging works related to the further expansion of the port of Sohar in Oman and in a large-scale reclamation project in Bahrain in support of ongoing urbanisation and housing development," he says.
In the UAE, the initial activities of Van Oord were in Ras Al Khaimah in the 1970s. In fact, the roots of one of the largest producers of crushed and broken rock in the region are linked with one of the companies that now forms part of Van Oord.
"We have also been active in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah in the past. Currently, the focus of our activities is in Dubai. In 2001, we were awarded the dredging and reclamation contract to build the Palm Jumeirah. This was followed in 2003 by contracts for Logo Islands, The World and the Deira Corniche. In addition, we are engaged in projects in Dubai Maritime City, Mina Seyahi and other developments along the coastline of Dubai.
Most recently, in November 2005, we were awarded the contract for the Palm Deira. All these developments in Dubai are executed for Nakheel. We initially started with only dredging and reclamation for the Palm Jumeirah, however, this has since been expanded to include marine rock transport, rock placement for breakwaters and revetments, quay wall construction and other associated activities," says Schaart.
In 2003, Nakheel awarded dredging and reclamation work for The World project to Van Oord. The construction of the islands has been combined with rock installation work in order to create a breakwater surrounding the development, which will protect the islands from erosion by waves and currents.
Royal Boskalis Westminster NV gets 25 per cent of its turnover from its operations in the Middle East, says Berends. "We are also present in the Middle East through our subsidiaries Archirodon and Lamnalco.
Boskalis is broadly positioned across the region in places such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. We also have decades of experience of working in different countries across the world. We have 400 vessels in our fleet, which include trailing suction hopper dredges, bucket dredgers, cutter suction dredges, backhoes, stone dumping vehicles, sand dredgers, among others," says Berends.
According to Berends, the projects that Boskalis has been involved in the UAE and GCC, include the Palm Island (I), and land reclamation in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
International consulting engineers Royal Haskoning has maintained a continuous presence in the UAE since 2000. "This was when we got involved in designing the breakwater for the Palm Jumeirah project. After this, we were invited again by Nakheel to design the breakwater for Palm Jebel Ali. We designed the Jebel Ali Quay four and five container terminal extension for DPW, and together with Nakheel were actively involved in developing the concept for The World," says Martijn van den Berk, Manager Engineering, Royal Haskoning Maritime Division.
The company established its Jebel Ali branch office in Dubai in October 2003. "Since then, Royal Haskoning has worked on several major (maritime) projects in the UAE," says Van den Berk.
VUYK Engineering Rotterdam BV, which undertakes work for the large Dutch and Belgian dredge contractors, has also designed several ships operating in the Middle East. "Some of these ships have been working on the Palm islands in Dubai. Some equipment has also been converted at yards in the Gulf area," says Gert de Vries, the company's Deputy Director, Project Manager - dredging equipment.
While Dutch companies are increasing their profile in the region, more members of the Dutch dredging sector also have a host of exciting opportunities opening up for them. Schaart from Van Oord says that they see the UAE as an important market, not just for them but also for other dredging companies. "The ongoing and planned developments in the UAE and the rest of the region are of a scale and magnitude not seen before. For our industry as a whole, this will continue to result in a lot of new challenging opportunities," he says.
One such project for which all major players have submitted a tender is the design and construction of the new Khalifa Port at Taweelah, Abu Dhabi. "The 'design and build' contract for this project is full of challenges and everyone is anxious to know who will be awarded this job. There are also other interesting future projects in the region, including reclamation and port developments in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman," says Schaart.
