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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 expansion, Gijón

The Spanish port of Gijón on the Bay of Biscay processes more than 12 million tonnes of bulk goods annually. With the expansion of global trade and increasing ship sizes, the terminal was lacking capacity to handle the traffic. The maximum draft for the ships of 18 meters is another obstacle to the development of the port. So the Port Authority of Gijón developed a plan for additional modern facilities in an area measuring 145 hectares to the north of the existing port. This includes a bulk terminal with a transfer capacity of more than 25 million tons and a storage area measuring 60 hectares for a maximum of 2 million tons of coal and iron ore a year.

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Port development, Sevilla

Seville is located 80 km land inwards and it is Spain’s only commercial river port. Access is along the Rio Guadalquivir. The current dimensions and depth of the port impose limitations on the breadth and draughts of the vessels that use it, putting the future of the port at risk. So the Port Authority developed a New Maritime Approach that provides for the deepening and widening of the approaches to the port.

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Port expansion, Fremantle

Fremantle Ports is the Western Australian Government trading enterprise responsible for strategic management of the Port of Fremantle. The Port of Fremantle provides modern deep-water facilities for handling container trade, break-bulk vessels, livestock exports and motor vehicle imports as well as accommodating cruise ships.

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Extension cruise
terminal, the Bahamas

In April 2009 Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. was awarded the contract for the extension of the cruise terminal in Nassau from the Ministry of Works and Transport of the Government of the Bahamas. The contract was worth approximately USD 44 million and the project was completed in the first six months of 2010.

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Dredging and reclamation, Port of Peterhead

The project consisted of capital dredging, reclamation, quay construction and breakwater extension works for Peterhead Smith Embankment Development, in order to develop the area in the north of the harbour at Smith Embankment to provide sheltered berths for vessels ranging from 20 to 160 m in length.

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Dredging and construction, Pluto LNG project

The Pluto LNG project is located about 190 km northwest of the coastal town Karratha, in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The project is a joint venture between Woodside Burrup Pty. Ltd., the operator, with a 90% interest, and Tokyo Gas (5%) and Kansai Electric (5%). The A$12 bn project will process gas from the Pluto and neighboring Xena gasfields.

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.