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Shifting the sediment
01 Sep 2007
Maintenance dredging is an area where ports are increasingly seeking external input and Rotterdam has proved itself an expert in this regard – it has never undertaken this activity in house.
“We have never owned our own dredging equipment and we don’t intend to in the foreseeable future; we think it is better to use outside contractors in what is a very specialist area,” says Arie Noordijk, the port authority’s chief maintenance officer.
The port is currently tendering for a new threeyear contract, although additional charter contracts are also put out to tender every year. Mr Noordijk points out that there is not a great turnover in the companies actually undertaking the dredging.
Price invariably determines who carries out the work, with the last tender having resulted in a five year contract with the same supplier.
“In the Netherlands, there is no longer that much competition between dredging companies; there are fewer then five Dutch contractors left.
This compares badly with 20 years ago, when we had the choice of over 15 active contractors. Only very occasionally do foreign contractors bid for maintenance dredging contractors; they normally participate in capital dredging schemes. However, Mr Noordijk says that price is normally the deciding factor as service quality is generally good across the board.
