Koos van Oord, chairman of the board of Van Oord said, 'We’ve already accomplished impressive feats of marine engineering abroad that show just what we Dutch are capable of, for example the Palm Islands in Dubai. As a Rotterdam based company, we’re proud to be able to use our knowledge and skills to help the Port of Rotterdam grow.'

Peter Berdowski, Boskalis CEO added, 'We are pleased and proud as a Dutch company to be involved in this major project in our own country. The Second Maasvlakte confirms the position of The Netherlands as a leading nation in maritime construction.'

More recently, the Dutch Department of Public Works and Water Management has awarded a joint venture of Van Oord Nederland and Boskalis a contract to carry out maintenance dredging in the Nieuwe Maas and Waterweg rivers. The total value of the contract is €28.5m, and the contract has been awarded for a three year period. Work has already commenced.

In order to ensure access to the Port of Rotterdam by large ocean going vessels, the port’s access channels must be maintained. Approximately 12m  m3 of silt will be removed. Van Oord will deploy trailing suction hopper dredgers on the project.