Key figures 2023

Higher, more powerful, more efficient. Offshore wind turbines underwent an enormous increase in scale in recent years. Today, the largest turbines already measure over 270 metres, with rotating blades covering an area of ten football fields. Who installs these mastodons? Our vessels Voltaire and Les Alizés.

In the West-African state of Benin, the Atlantic Ocean is guzzling up more and more land, threatening not only homes and ports, but also causing floods and soil erosion. Between 2018 and 2021, we therefore built a nature-inspired breakwater. Three years later, we returned to analyse the results of this construction.

From the Pantheon over the Taj Mahal to the Capitol. The dome is an architectural masterpiece that stands the test of time and attracts attention time and again. It is the same in Knokke-Heist. On the renovated Albert square, a transparent glass dome steals the show, re-establishing this place as the beating heart of the Belgian coastal town.

“When you deepen those two channels for us, can you also check whether they are deep enough?” It is a rather unusual question for our marine services. Usually, the design is handed over and it is up to Jan De Nul Group to execute it. However, if you want to reassure your client, you must dare to step outside your comfort zone. So for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), we showed our added value at the drawing and engineering table.

Europe, including Belgium, is fully committed to the transition to a sustainable and modern electricity grid. High voltage grid operator Elia has therefore decided to build an artificial energy island off the Belgian coast: the Princess Elisabeth Island. This hub will bring electricity from Belgium’s wind farms to the mainland, and the island will serve as a hub for connections to foreign high-voltage grids. Jan De Nul Group is helping to build this innovative project.

PFAS, there has been a lot to worry about in recent years. The problem? Due to their strong carbon-fluorine bond, the substances are hardly biodegradable and long-term exposure to them can be harmful to humans and nature. Our environmental subsidiary Envisan has been researching the treatment of PFAS in soil and water for years. With results. In June 2023, we commissioned our third and largest PFAS soil washing plant in our circular hub near Ghent.

The media building for VRT, the new prison in Antwerp, the A201 interchange, the Defence headquarters and the F-35 infrastructure: all are under (re)construction. But what else do these government projects have in common? The answer: private contractors are taking on more and more tasks, from design to maintenance (and sometimes even operation). And it is precisely in such contracts that Jan De Nul’s experience and expertise come in quite handy.

In the United Kingdom, nature is not afraid to show its strength. Our cable installation fleet experienced this first-hand last year. Both between the Scottish mainland and the island of Hoy and between Ireland and Wales, we installed interconnectors to connect electricity grids in 2023. And the outcome proves: they can take quite a beating.

The Port of Gdynia is a dynamic Polish port, located near Gdansk. Thanks to major investments, the port is staying ahead of its time. With a view to future generations, the port of Gdynia contracted Jan De Nul Group. The goal? Carrying out major infrastructure works to maintain and increase the port’s competitive edge. To do so, we took four important hurdles.