Peter Berdowski News

Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has, through its subsidiary SMIT Salvage, reached an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to remove the oil from the decaying FSO Safer moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast in a push to avoid environmental disaster. This project is a part of the UN-coordinated operation to remove and transfer more than one million barrels of oil from the decaying tanker into a safe modern tanker and the responsible disposal of the Safer.

Dutch dredging and marine services firm Boskalis on Thursday slightly raised its 2022 profit outlook after a half-year earnings beat, as the West seeks to replace Russian gas with other energy sources.The group, which offers marine services and contracting for the oil and gas sector and offshore wind industry, reported core profit (EBITDA) of 292 million euros ($297 million) in the first six months of the year, against analysts' average estimate of 279 million euros. Russia's…

Shipping was on the move again late on Monday in Egypt's Suez Canal after tugs refloated a giant container ship which had been blocking the channel for almost a week, causing a huge build-up of vessels around the waterway.With the 400-meter-long (430-yard) Ever Given dislodged, 113 ships were expected to transit the canal in both directions by early Tuesday morning, Suez Canal Authority (SCA) chairman Osama Rabie told reporters.He said a backlog of 422 ships could be cleared in 3 -1/2 days.The Ever Given had become jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal…

News about the partial refloating of the giant container ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal is good, but completing the operation would not be a "piece of cake", Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski told Dutch public radio on Monday.Boskalis is the parent company of Smit Salvage, which has assisted in efforts to dislodge the ship.A new tug would arrive and water would be injected under the ship's bow to help free it, but if those efforts did not work containers might have to be removed, Berdowski said.

A massive container ship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal for nearly a week has been partially refloated, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said on Monday, raising hopes the busy waterway will soon be reopened for a huge backlog of ships.The 400-meter (430-yard) long Ever Given became jammed diagonally across a southern section of the canal in high winds early last Tuesday, halting shipping traffic on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.After further dredging and excavation over the weekend…

Efforts to dislodge a giant container ship blocking the Suez Canal have allowed its stern and rudder to move, but it remains unclear when the vessel will be refloated, the head of the canal authority said on Saturday.The 400 metre (430 yard) long Ever Given became wedged diagonally across a southern section of the canal amid high winds early on Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways.A combination of dredging material from around the ship and pulling and pushing the vessel with tugboats made minor progress in dislodging the ship on Saturday, two SCA sources said.

The Dutch emergency response team hired to free the vast ship blocking the Suez canal has pulled off some dramatic recoveries, including lifting Russia’s Kursk nuclear submarine from the Barents Sea floor, but says this is one of the trickiest.Weighing 200,000 tonnes without cargo, the Ever Given is the heaviest vessel that Smit Salvage, a subsidiary of the Dutch marine services company Boskalis contracted in the rescue, has faced in its nearly 180-year history.With real-time emergency response crews across the globe…

A containership blocking the Suez Canal like a "beached whale" may take weeks to free, the salvage company said, as officials stopped all ships entering the channel on Thursday in a new setback for global trade.The 400-meter Ever Given, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, is blocking transit in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for oil and grain and other trade linking Asia and Europe.The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said eight tugs were working to move the vessel…

The Suez Canal temporarily suspended traffic on Thursday as efforts to dislodge a 400 m (430 yard) long container vessel that has blocked the waterway continued for a third day, with eight tugs working to straighten the ship.The Ever Given vessel, almost as long as the Empire State Building is high, ran aground diagonally across the single-lane stretch of the southern canal on Tuesday morning after losing the ability to steer amid high winds and a dust storm.It is now blocking transit in both directions through one of the world's busiest shipping channels for goods…

Dutch marine and dredging giant Boskalis has won a contract for the land development design and construction of the Manila International Airport (MIA) in the Philippines, in what the company said Tuesday was its largest contract ever.The contract was awarded by San Miguel Aerocity Inc (SMAI), a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), one of the largest companies in the Philippines. SMAI is the concession holder of MIA, which is a greenfield development aimed at serving the growing air traffic demands in the Greater Capital Region of Manila and will complement the air traffic operations at the existing and congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Dutch marine services provider Boskalis said on Thursday it expected its 2020 core profit to match last year's result, offering a more optimistic outlook than market forecasts citing well-filled order books.The dredging giant, which counts energy companies among its major clients, reported half-year earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) at 204.1 million euros ($242 million), above 156 million euro expected in the company-provided consensus.Better-than-expected earnings and outlook drove Boskalis shares 11% higher, making it a top performer among Amsterdam-listed

Dubai's Drydocks World shipyard has started construction of the offshore wind installation vessel for the Dutch company Boskalis.Drydocks World held a steel-cutting ceremony on Monday to mark the start of production on a conversion project for Boskalis B.V.The shipyard will convert the drillship YAN into an offshore installation vessel named Bokalift 2. The Bokalift 2 is designed to carry out a variety of offshore operations including the transport and installation of wind turbine…

Dutch dredging and heavylift company Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has received the Provisional Letter of Acceptance for the Design and Construction contract for the Pasay Reclamation Development Project in Manila Bay, Philippines in cooperation with CHEC from China.The award was made by the publicly listed company SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI), one of the largest property developers in Southeast Asia. The development will create a new commercial and residential area in a densely populated part of Manila. The project has an estimated value of approximately USD 720 million (EUR 650 million) of which Boskalis’ share amounts to approximately EUR 325 million.Peter Berdowski, Boskalis CEO said: “We are delighted with the award of this substantial contract from SMPHI.

A Royal Boskalis Westminster heavy transport vessel has been recovered and the crew freed after being hijacked on Sunday about 80 miles offshore Equatorial Guinea.The 225m-long Blue Marlin semisubmersible heavy transport vessel had recently unloaded a cargo in Equatorial Guinea and had set sail for Malta. But, on Sunday afternoon, the ship was unlawfully boarded from a zodiac rigid hulled inflatable boat by several armed pirates, Boskalis confirmed today. Upon alerting the local…

Boskalis will terminate loss-making transport activities at its offshore energy division, the Dutch marine and engineering company said on Thursday after posting lower than expected first-half earnings.A resulting one-off charge of 397 million euros ($451.6 million) pushed Boskalis to a net loss of 361.4 million euros, compared with a profit of 75.1 million euros in the first half of 2017. The consensus forecast in a company-compiled poll of analysts was for a profit of 60 million euros.The company aims to position the business at more lucrative areas of the transport and installation market…

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. said it has received a Letter of Award from the Housing & Development Board of Singapore for the development of a polder at the north western tip of Pulau Tekong. The contract value for the joint venture with Penta Ocean Construction Company is approximately EUR 800 million of which Boskalis' share is approximately EUR 400 million. Boskalis and its partner will be responsible for building the required dike closures and reinforcement of the existing dike to create a 10 kilometers long dike, the drainage of the reclamation area and extensive dry earthmoving activities to create Singapore's first polder.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. announced that its CEO Peter Berdowski today acquired 50,000 Boskalis shares.   The shares were purchased by Berdowski with his own funds through a bank.

Dutch offshore engineer Boskalis said it was cutting 650 jobs worldwide and culling 24 vessels in response to what it called drastic changes in the company's outlook caused by low energy and commodity prices. The job cuts, including 150 Dutch employees, would be made over the next two years from a workforce of about 8,000, the company said on Friday. The company will take 10 vessels out of service at its dredging division and 14 at its offshore energy division because poor market conditions were likely to persist.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. and KOTUG International B.V. have reached a formal agreement to merge their European harbor towage operations following on a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in late 2014. The combined operations will be transferred to a 50/50 joint venture bringing together the European harbor towage activities of KOTUG and Boskalis subsidiary SMIT, operating under the new name KOTUG SMIT Towage. The scope of the joint venture will encompass the harbor towage operations of SMIT in Belgium…

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) and KOTUG International B.V. (KOTUG) have reached agreement on the merger of their European harbour towage operations. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in late 2014 has now been formalized following a thorough process. The combined operations will be transferred to a 50/50 joint venture bringing together the European harbour towage activities of SMIT, a Boskalis subsidiary, and KOTUG. The operations will continue under the name KOTUG SMIT Towage. Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, "This joint venture is an important next step in the implementation of our harbour towage strategy aimed at concentrating and expanding our harbour towage services in regional partnerships.

Marine construction company Boskalis expects a drop in net profit this year as depressed commodity prices hit demand for oil-related infrastructure, it said on Wednesday. Its shares fell 10 percent to 32.42 euros in early trading. "Volumes and prices are under pressure, which is also translating into our order book," Chief Executive Peter Berdowski said in a statement. Boskalis's order book fell to 2.49 billion euros ($2.7 billion) at the end of 2015 from 3.29 billion in December 2014. "In addition, we are taking a critical look at reducing the cost of the global office network," it said.

The first ocean cleanup system ever tested at sea will soon be deployed for trials 23 kilometers (12 NM) off the Dutch coast. The goal of the test is to see how the floating barrier design is able to cope in extreme weather at sea during a 12-month period. The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, unveiled its North Sea prototype today in the presence of The Netherlands government, as well as the main sponsor Boskalis, who will transport and install the prototype this week. “It has been inspiring to work with The Ocean Cleanup team to optimize the engineering of the barrier,” said Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) achieved a very busy first half year with historically high profit and realized a net profit of EUR 306.5 million in the first half of 2015, a rise of 21% (H1 2014: EUR 253.0 million). Revenue in the first half of the year rose 1.6% to EUR 1.57 billion (H1 2014: EUR 1.55 billion). Adjusted for (de)consolidation and currency translation effects, revenue was stable. EBITDA in the first half of the year amounted to EUR 500.1 million (H1 2014: EUR 466.4 million) and the operating profit (EBIT) was EUR 359.3 million (H1 2014: EUR 338.3 million). Results in all three segments were good in addition to which there were a number of (positive) exceptional items. Dredging & Inland Infra had an exceptionally busy first half from an operational point of view.