Van Oord has published its annual report for 2014, which was an exceptional year for the company, according to CEO Pieter Van Oord.
Van Oord said: “The year was special because for the first time in our history, our turnover broke the two billion euro barrier. It was also special because we achieved a breakthrough in the construction and financing of offshore wind farms.”
The company highlighted Eneco Luchterduinen and Gemini as responsible for its recent growth in the offshore wind sector. As an EPC contractor in these projects, Van Oord is responsible for the engineering and construction of all the elements of the wind park, except for the supply of the actual turbines. Also, Van Oord has taken over the construction of the wind park Westermeerwind in IJsselmeer Lake.
As a result of Van Oord’s growth in this rapidly developing market, the number of staff has also increased. Its offshore wind business unit has grown from a few dozen people in 2008 to more than two hundred people by the end of 2014.
“We expect staff numbers to continue to grow. Some of this growth can be attributed to the employees and vessels of Ballast Nedam Offshore, which we acquired at the end of 2014. As a consequence, we now have more specific engineering capacity in house. The addition of installation vessel Svanen to our fleet is also of strategic importance,” the company said.
Image: Van Oord