Van Oord in 2021: Healthy market recovery in dredging business unit

Van Oord saw a healthy market recovery in the Dredging business unit in 2021.

Van Oord

Revenue increased from EUR 598 million in 2020 to EUR 727 million in 2021. Fleet utilisation was nevertheless still low, the company said.

The market picked up in the second half of the year. The results were satisfactory and significantly better than last year.

A total of 84 projects were completed in 28 countries. 

Van Oord won a total of 40 tenders for projects in, for example, the United Kingdom, India, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Egypt, and Morocco.

In Poland work continued on the project to deepen and widen the 62-kilometre-long channel from Świnoujście to Szczecin. The materials dredged from the channel are being used to build two circular islands in the Szczecin lagoon that will serve as natural habitats.

In Romania, construction work began on the Eforie project. This phase of the project involves constructing breakwaters, groynes and beaches to protect the popular Black Sea resort of Eforie from erosion by waves.

Existing coastal defences are being redeveloped and replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives.

Van Oord will also enrich the local ecosystem by introducing biostructures on the seabed, and by restoring several hectares of seagrass – an important biotope for marine ecology.

The Dutch giant continued to work on the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link between Denmark and Germany.

When completed, Fehmarn Belt will be the world’s longest immersed road and rail tunnel.

The consortium in which Van Oord participates is responsible for dredging a tunnel trench in the seabed over a distance of 18 kilometres, and reusing the dredged material to create a recreational nature reserve.

Van Oord’s work on the Fehmarn Belt project is expected to continue unabated in the coming years.

Commissioned by the Port of Rotterdam, Van Oord is constructing a large new quay with our consortium partners as part of the Amalia Harbour expansion project.

The first 500 metres must be completed by the end of 2022, with the last section in 2024. The project also involves dredging the quays to a depth of more than 20 metres below sea level.