Predicting economic trends is difficult, all the more so in times of economic slow-down. At a recent meeting of the Central Dredging Association (CEDA), leading CEOs representing project owners, regulators, dredging companies and equipment manufacturers were asked to present their views on “the outlook for the dredging industry in the coming years given recent economic developments” and “the impact of economic downturn on project investment decisions”. For the dredging industry the answer lies in focusing on the long-term drivers of dredging – population growth, energy needs, expanding global trade, tourism, ecology and climate change –
and recognising that these drivers remain valid regardless of the short-term economic dip.
A sluggish economy does, of course, affect the industry, but the ingenuity, flexibility and innovative spirit that characterises the dredging and maritime construction companies comes to the fore and becomes even more evident in these times. Dredging is a pragmatic, hands-on business geared to problem-solving, an industry that involves investigation and experimentation to determine what works and what doesn’t and why. To accomplish this requires long-term investments from the dredging companies in new technologies. And this is the essential strength of the major international dredging companies. They are accustom to conducting exhaustive studies to find the best design, the best piece of equipment, the best method of providing quality work suited to the specific client. They are used to assessing the risks and benefits of particular methods, with the goal of ensuring the best possible outcome for their clients, economically, socially and environmentally.
In this context, the commitment to investments, to finding original and optimal applications serves the dredging industry, and their clients, well. Research and development departments are essential to the success of the international dredging contractors. Their studies result in investments in new vessels, ground-breaking technologies and state-of-the-art software systems for site investigations, excavation, land reclamation and monitoring. Also crucial to the future is the industry’s belief in investing in people – young professionals with expertise in engineering, management, finances and law as well as officers and crewmembers onboard dredging vessels. The articles in this issue of Terra reflect this ability to “think outside of the box”– they include a pioneering method of processing contaminated dredged material in France, an unusual technique for building a more secure breakwater in Georgia, an innovative safety programme that exceeds government regulations, and a counter-intuitive system of estimating soil properties, research presented by a younger member of the industry, who was, incidentally, the recipient of the IADC Young Author’s Paper Award.
Over the last decades, the international dredging contractors have accumulated in-depth knowledge based on their many global land reclamation and environmental remediation projects. The challenges they encountered during these projects have shaped the major dredging contractors into companies that demand of themselves constant renewal. No matter what is on the drawing board to start with, the dredging companies are ready to partner with their clients and rethink the situation as new, sometime unexpected, circumstances arise. Dredging companies work with their clients to build consensus, track progress and plan for contingencies, and to find cost-efficient innovations. Therefore, to answer the question posed at CEDA: Especially in these times of economic uncertainty, the long-term vision and the entrepreneurial ingenuity and flexibility of the dredging industry is ready and able to help clients find the best solutions to their infrastructure needs.
Koos van Oord
President, IADC
