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Coastal defense and
riverbank protection

Boskalis is a leading global player in the field of coastal defense and riverbank protection. We design, construct and maintain hard sea barriers, such as dikes, dams and flood barriers, and also soft sea defenses, such as beach and near-shore replenishment. In addition, we provide innovative solutions for forms of coastal protection based on the principles of building with nature such as the sand motors and the use of mangroves.

Ensuring safety and natural balance

Safety and a natural balance are the most important aspects of good coastal protection. Our vast experience and expertise enable us to assist you with the economic and environmental assessment of your coastal protection project. We have a proven track record and the drive to maintain a well-balanced ecosystem.


Our innovative and building with nature solutions

  • Sand motors use natural forces like tides, wind, currents and waves to spread sand along the coast from a central replenishment location.
  • The creation of a wave-reducing system. Examples are the combined approach of land reclamation and new mangrove forests to protect the North Java coastal area in Indonesia and a green wave reducing dike in The Netherlands. A willow forest, planted along the front of the dike, is expected to be able to absorb up to 80% of the waves’ force.

Our projects

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Port upgrade, Pointe Noire

The rehabilitation of the Port of Pointe-Noire focused on the renovation and upgrading of the main infrastructure of the port and its adaptation to developments in containerized traffic, offering a draught of -15 m. Furthermore, the work included the construction of a protective berm, an extension of the external breakwater, the rehabilitation and extension of quays, and dredging work.

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Land reclamation artificial island, Punta Pacifica

The shoreline of Panama has increasingly become densely populated and, as the economy has boomed over the past 10 years, there is strong demand for high-end products. The real-estate market has taken a revolutionary step with the completion of the the first artificial real-estate island in the Americas.

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Construction LNG port, Swinoujscie

The protective breakwater for Swinoujscie External Port comprises a 3 km long breakwater and groyne for a new outer harbor construction to facilitate a LNG tanker berth and other related activities in the Baltic Sea. The construction of the breakwater took 2 ½ years and was completed in December 2012. Boskalis International B.V. was the leader of a consortium consisting of Boskalis International B.V., Hochtief, Aarsleff and Doraco.

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Port expansion,
Maasvlakte 2

PUMA, the Project Organization for the Extension of the Maasvlakte, is a 50/50 joint venture between dredging and marine contractors Boskalis and Van Oord. The consortium has been contracted by the Rotterdam Port Authority to construct the first phase of the Maasvlakte 2 Project – the extension of the Port of Rotterdam – between 2008 and 2013. The new zone will encompass 2,000 hectares of new land, roughly the same size as the total surface area of Schiphol airport. Half of the area will become land for a future business park.

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Riverbed and slope protection, Gbaran Ubie

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has constructed a gas processing facility in the Niger Delta on the outside bank of a bend of the River Nun at Gbaran Ubie, north of Yenagoa. To facilitate the importation of the processing modules, a Materials Offloading Quay was constructed, including a ro-ro ramp, a passenger jetty and a fire water station.

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Reinforcing Dutch
coastline, Sandmotor

In December 2010 Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. was awarded a contract by the Dutch Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management to reinforce part of the coastline in the province of Zuid-Holland by creating a ‘sand engine’. The total value of the contract is EUR 50 million for the Van Oord- Boskalis consortium, in which Boskalis has a 50% stake.

Our brands

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Boskalis Dragamex

Our company providing dredging and marine services in Mexico.

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Boskalis Hirdes

Our hydraulic engineering company in Germany.

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Boskalis Nederland

Infrastructure projects on land and water in The Netherlands.

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Boskalis Terramare

Expertise for demanding marine construction projects in the Nordic region.

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Boskalis Westminster

Our dredging and marine contractor in the UK.

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Dredging

For dredging and infrastructure related queries contact our Dredging department.

More about Boskalis

Building with Nature

Boskalis proactively developed Building with Nature to gain insight into the impact of hydraulic engineering projects on ecosystems.

Company profile

All about Boskalis - an overview of the company’s background, global presence, our activities, clients, and experts, and our vision for the future.

Careers

If you are interested in finding out more about what it is like to work for us, take a look at our dedicated Careers website. Here you will find our current vacancies, information about our traineeships, and much more.