CHANCES FOR DREDGE EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS IN THE GROWING GLOBAL DREDGING MARKET

摘要

Because of the enormous increase of global sea transport and the associated investment boost in the waterways and port infrastructures, a tremendous boom in worldwide dredging projects has been observed in recent years. Based on this the leading international dredge contractors have started a huge dredge fleet overhauling and renewal program, which is evident from the latest dredge new builds launched in the years 2005 and 2006.At the same time, a new trend in building of modern and state-of-the-art dredgers and dredging equipment has surfaced. With the support of international dredge design institutes and dredge equipment suppliers developing countries have been able to establish their own dredging fleet based on the latest developments available in the market.For a dredge designer and a dredge equipment supplier, this development opens new challenges and opportunities. By modifying its approach to the dredging business and carefully selecting areas of activity the company has been able to successfully adapt to this changing market. An important factor in this success has been the ability to integrate different nationalities, human characters and their cultures into the operational activities of the company.