The Belgian dredging and hydraulic engineering group DEME NV has won a prominent position on the world market in a number of highly specialized and complex hydraulic disciplines. The company fosters a strong innovative approach and has indeed been a trend-setter and a pioneer in technical innovation throughout its history. The Group can look back on nearly 150 years of experience in its core dredging and land reclamation activities and hydraulic engineering. The company has executed major works of marine engineering infrastructure such as new ports, waterways, airports, artificial islands, residential and recreational areas, industrial areas, roads, bridges etc on all continents.
In support of DEME’s dredging activities, and to enable them to offer their clients global solutions for their port and waterway developments and large-scale land reclamation projects, the Group offers an impressive range of services in the environmental field, sea aggregate winning, complex marine construction such as foundation and installation of offshore wind farms, offshore heavy-lifting, general maritime services and is developing a whole range of new activities in the field of renewable energy and mining.
Thanks to its multidisciplinary capabilities, the synergies in many projects, and its integrated corporate structure, DEME has become a global solutions provider.
DEME has created a network of branch offices and agencies on all continents. Today, the company is active in over 90 different countries and has a permanent workforce of 4,200 dedicated people.
DEME companies can rely on a dredging fleet consisting of 90 main vessels backed by a broad range of auxiliary equipment. In 2011 at Group level a turnover amounting to 1.766 billion EUR was generated.
In Vietnam, Dredging International NV had successfully completed two projects. They are Dredging of the turning basin and the access channel to the new cement port in Hon Chong, Kien Giang province (1995 – 1996) and landfilling, leveling and associated works for stage 1 – Development of Dinh Vu Island in Haiphong (1998 – 1999). The company has also executed the dredging and improvement to Class 3, bank protection & rebuild local access road (frontage road) of National Waterway Corridor from km 113+500 to km 190+000 (IDA Credit No. 4306-VN) in Dong Thap since July 2011.
The joint venture Dredging International NV (an operating company of the DEME Group) - Construction Consultation JSC for Maritime Building has been awarded recently a contract to deepen and widen the Soai Rap Passage towards Hiep Phuoc Port, close to Hochiminh City.
The Soai Rap passage will be dredged over a length of 54km to a depth of 9.5 m in order to accommodate fully loaded 30,000DWT vessels calling berths in the Ports of Hiep Phuoc and Hochiminh City.
The strong Belgian-Vietnamese ties are proven by the joint support of the Vietnamese and Belgian governments. But Soai Rap is not only significant politically. This project will have very real social and economic benefits for the people. The gateway to the Hiep Phuoc Port will be greatly enlarged, and this will create a wave of positive effects. In Ho Chi Minh City itself, the logistics sector will be catalyzed, and create more employment and opportunities; the pressure that increasing trade has brought to the City Centre will be greatly relieved. But in the Long An and Tien Giang Provinces the impact will be more deeply felt: here, the actual port construction and exploitation will take place. This will literally change many lives, as previously undreamed opportunities become available to the people. And in this way, this very Soai Rap project will be an important step towards the transformation of the whole Mekong Delta.
As Vietnam’s ever-growing prosperity will create more and more challenging opportunities, Dredging International is already looking forward to our next contribution to this national story. Our engagement in Vietnam does not stop at the dredging: with our own aid foundation, DEME4Life, we support two projects in the Soai Rap area. For instance, the Thi Nghe Protection Centre for Disabled Orphans rehabilitates disabled orphans, as well as providing care for more than 200 local children with disabilities. DEME4Life is also supporting the Tien Giang Province Protection Center, notably in the field of poverty reduction.
DEME faces the future of world-wide development with confidence based on an innovative approach, with care for the environment and dedication to sustainable development. “Creating land for the future” is our contribution to a better living world for future generations.
PV
Vietnamese
