Together with Randstad, we will set up a tour of the Tragel warehouse, provide a look behind the scenes of our company and give you the opportunity to apply for a job immediately. Our colleagues from the warehouses, workshops and HR will ensure a warm welcome!

Double interview with Sven Cras, Project Manager, and Rutger Standaert, Manager Vessel Construction.

Suited for the largest turbines and foundations

How does Jan De Nul Group manage to keep up with the lightning-fast evolution of wind turbines?

Sven Cras: "With a mix of vision, expertise, healthy finances and a portion of courage. For instance, we regularly seek input from our colleagues in commercial roles and closely monitor the market. Based on this input, we determine what the offshore wind farms of 11 tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will look like, and which vessels we will need to install them. Then you must make a reasoned choice, because you are actually investing in vessels for a market that is still under construction.”

Rutger Standaert: “It takes about three years to build an installation vessel. If you do not look ahead, your vessel will already be outdated by the time it is launched. But a well thought-out plan allows you to anticipate market trends. With Voltaire and Les Alizés, for instance, we are now reaping the benefits of design choices made in 2019.”

Sven: “We also gained time on our competitors. When Voltaire and Les Alizés were being built, we were not yet sure about specific projects, these only came later. It is often the other way around: first you win a project, then you start building.”

What is the greatest added value of Voltaire and Les Alizés?

Sven: “Together, they can handle the world’s largest turbines and foundations. This means we can offer customers an overall package, whereas with other players it is often one or the other. And that will remain so for quite a while yet. With both vessels, we are definitely on firm ground until well beyond 2030.

Also, the vessels are very complemen tary. The stable Voltaire is ideal for working upwards, while Les Alizés easily braves deeper waters and difficult subsoils because the vessel operates while floating. In short: this duo offers a solution for every region or project requirement.”

Sought and found: confidence in our own abilities

Meanwhile, the brand-new vessels are up and running. What will you remember from 2023?

Rutger: “We designed and built the Voltaire ourselves. That allowed us to closely involve the operational departments in the design process. Result: the vessel perfectly performs what it is supposed to do, meeting not only customer requirements but also ours. That is when a vessel can be considered ready for use. Now that the vessels are effectively up and running, we have further optimised our human capacity. Confidence is growing within our teams, which have become increasingly attuned to each other.”

Sven: “By making larger vessels available, you also open up new markets and opportuni ties. This has been a successful strategy since the early days of Jan De Nul Group. If you build a stronger cutter suction dredger, for instance, you can handle harder subsoils. The same for installation vessels: thanks to a heavier crane, you can work out new technologies. We spend great time and effort on such innovations.”

Double interview with Kris Dumont, Lead Engineer Project Development & Conceptual Design, and Stefan Moens, Project Director.

Can you briefly describe the dredging project in Jebel Dhanna?

Stefan Moens: “The coastal waters in Abu Dhabi are relatively shallow. But the ever larger ships need increasingly deeper waters to reach ports without difficulty. And so the two access channels to the Jebel Dhanna port needed deepening. The objective: providing a safe passage for Very Large Crude Carriers and Suezmax tankers carrying crude oil. According to ADNOC, a depth of 17 metres should guarantee that. Or to be more precise: the client asked us to redo the design.”

Is the design of dredging projects new to Jan De Nul Group?

Stefan: “In most projects, we review the submitted design with a critical eye and merely “endorse” the design. Doing a design project ourselves from A to Z is much less common. But when this question came up, Jan De Nul Group’s typical can-do mentality kicked in. What do we have to check? Who has this expertise? How much time do we need? And before you know it, you just start doing it, with a lot of enthusiasm and ambition.”

What in the end proved to be the biggest design challenge?

Kris Dumont: “From the start, a very tight timing was imposed on us. At first, we were given seven months, but that was soon reduced to five. In this time frame, we had to work out the design of the channel, estimate the sedimentation, conduct a navigation study to determine the operational windows, assess the environmental impact and check the existing infrastructure of buoys, amongst other things. That we got everything done properly within the deadline is due to a successful collaboration, both internally and externally.”

What did this internal and external cooperation entail?

Kris: “We have a lot of knowledge in-house, but rely on consultants and universities for certain studies. Our good relations with these parties and good coordination were crucial. Equally important: the internal cooperation between my team and Stefan’s team: we from the office, they on site. For instance, Stefan translated ADNOC’s feedback on our proposals to me and knew how to place it in the right context. Open communication allowed us to meet customer requirements.”

Which customer requirements stood out the most, and how did you deal with them?

Kris: “For our client, it was particularly important that both Suezmax and Very Large Crude Carrier ships could safely reach the port of Jebel Dhanna and Ruwais. This requirement had an important impact on the design, such as the width of the channel for instance. There were also strict administra tive requirements. The documents that we submitted were subjected to strict review criteria. Each document thus went through a review process, including a solid dose of feedback. At the beginning of the project, the client was especially very sceptical. Little by little, however, we gained their trust and, in the end, ADNOC showed their appreciation for our approach and timely delivery – much to our satisfaction.”

In short: doubt turned into trust.

Stefan: “Indeed. Today, we are reaping the benefits of our determination and flexibility: other projects for this client are now up and running. For instance, we are building an artificial island amidst the oil fields – one of our biggest projects ever. But we also won a cable project: Lightning. For this project, we will be responsible for the design, installation, burying and protection of two cable clusters totalling almost 1,000 km. These will connect two islands in the Arabian Gulf with onshore converter stations. And perhaps the biggest vote of confidence: ADNOC itself is now asking us to participate in their tenders.”

Where does the project in Jebel Dhanna currently stand?

Stefan: “We started dredging works on 1 September 2023 and already delivered the first channel ahead of schedule. In February 2024, we will complete the second channel, thus completing the project three months before the pre-set deadline. Then it is usually over for us. But in that respect too, Jebel Dhanna is a special project: we guarantee that both channels will remain at depth for at least a year.”

Kris: “To handle sedimentation, we dredged the channel a little deeper. We now have so much experience with sedimentation models that we were able to keep additional dredging works to a minimum. We want to unburden the client as much as possible, both before and after the dredging works. Naturally, we will take that knowledge and experience with us to future projects.”

Double interview with Kristien De Vries, PPP Manager and Thomas Tassignon, Project Leader Civil Works

Wanted: helicopter view

What is the difference between public-private partnerships (PPPs) and conventional contracts?

Thomas Tassignon: “In a conventional contract, you simply execute what the client designs and follow a set of imposed specifica tions. In PPP projects, the contractor designs itself, according to pre-established high-level requirements. An example: cars must be able to get from point A to B via a bridge over road X. Or: the building must house 400 prisoners. You then set to work with these objectives in mind.

Also, at the design stage, you already strongly consider the maintenance of your construction which you usually must do for yourself. If, as a contractor, you also provide the financing, your periodic fee is even linked to that maintenance. You only get paid if your building or infrastructure is available and meets the quality requirements.”

Kristien De Vries: “The actual operation can also be part of the contractor’s assignments. Think of security, cleaning or landscaping services. In short, in a conventional project, Build (B) is the only focus. In PPP projects, Design (D) is added, and in many cases so are Finance (F), Maintain (M) and Operate (O).

Why are PPP projects on the rise in recent years?

Kristien: “Unburdening. For instance, prison managers want to focus on the correct execution of sentences and on preparing detainees for their return to society. Other matters are not part of their core business. Complex construction projects, for instance, they prefer to leave to others. And, if possible, by way of one contract covering the entire life cycle of a project.”

Thomas: “In that sense, it is also about risk allocation. In PPP projects, a private consortium takes the lead and the risks lie with the parties that can best manage those risks. There is a lot to be said for that. Furthermore, the client can expect a timely delivery and assured quality.”

Jan De Nul Group serves a unique cocktail

Why is Jan De Nul Group the ideal partner for PPP projects?

Kristien: The combined expertise of our various departments is a huge asset. I am talking here about both our technical departments – from remediation to ecosystems – and non-technical departments – from finance to legal. For each PPP project, we put together a multidisciplinary team. People from all over the organisation are involved.”

Thomas: “We started our first DBFM infra structure project back in 2011 and our first DBFM buildings project in 2014. So you can say that by now we have acquired plenty of experience. Add to that our solid financial strength and the critical mindset of an engineering company, and you get a unique cocktail.

How does that critical mindset translate into practice?

Thomas: “We do not shy away from questioning things. For instance, in a project, how can we work even more sustainably using certain materials or technologies? We are at our best when we can actively steer a project. We will certainly rise to any challenge.”

Do these PPP projects also involve risks?

Kristien: Definitely. I am thinking mainly of the cost of competing for winning a project. As the scope is so extensive, we work on it with quite a few people. Also, a contract is only finally awarded as soon as all the necessary permits have been obtained. Apart from the preliminary process, every project phase – design, construc tion, pre-financing, maintenance, operation – comes with its own risks.”

Thomas: “The integrated approach to PPP projects requires broader competences from our people. But there is also an advantage in that. This makes each PPP project a unique learning experience for our employees. The accumulated expertise comes in handy again for the next project. This is how we stay on top of all challenges and trends.”