Boskalis acquires EUR 75 million dredging contract in Germany
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has acquired a contract from Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt Cuxhaven to maintain part of the shipping fairway of the River Elbe in Germany spanning a distance of 110 kilometers, said in the company's press release. The contract was awarded for a period of three years and has a value of approximately EUR 75 million. The activities are to commence in May 2013.
The dredging activities are related to maintaining the shipping fairway of the River Elbe between the city of Wedel northward in the direction of Cuxhaven. The river is an important shipping connection between the North Sea and the Port of Hamburg, where Boskalis recently maintained the port's basins. During the three-year contract period a total of around 28 million cubic meters of sand and silt will be removed, transported and placed at designated areas along the river. For this project a medium to large-sized trailing suction hopper dredger along with smaller trailing suction hopper dredgers for the shallow areas will be deployed.
The Port of Hamburg is the third largest port in Europe after Rotterdam and Antwerp. In 2011 this important European logistics hub was the port of call for around 10,000 ocean-going vessels with freight volumes totaling 132.2 million tons.
Boskalis' strategy is aimed at benefitting from key macro-economic factors which drive worldwide demand in our markets: expansion of the global economy, increasing energy consumption, global population growth and the challenges presented by climate change. This project is driven by increasing global trade.
Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors. The company provides creative and innovative all-round solutions to infrastructural challenges in the maritime, coastal and delta regions of the world with the construction and maintenance of ports and waterways, land reclamation, coastal defense and riverbank protection. In addition, Boskalis offers a wide variety of marine services and contracting for the offshore energy sector including subsea, heavy transport, lifting and installation (through Boskalis Offshore and Dockwise) and towage and salvage (through SMIT).
It also has strategic partnerships in the Middle East (Archirodon) and in terminal services (Smit Lamnalco). With a versatile fleet of over 1,100 units Boskalis operates in around 75 countries across six continents. Including its share in partnerships, Boskalis has approximately 15,600 employees.
