History

Over the past century Boskalis has grown from a local Dutch Sliedrecht-based dredging company into a global market leader in the field of dredging and inland infra, offshore energy, and towage and salvage. Some highlights include playing a major role in the Dutch Delta Works in 1953, going public in 1971 and receiving the designation ‘Royal’ in 1978, our involvement in ground-breaking international projects such as the Øresund tunnel and construction of Hong Kong international airport in the 1990s, and more recently, the expansion of our offshore activities with the acquisition of Dockwise and Fairmount Marine.

Recent developments

As of April 2018, Dockwise, VBMS and Fairmount continue to offer their services under the brand name Boskalis. This name change follows the decision by Boskalis to merge all of its activities under a single brand name in the course of 2018 to combine knowledge, strength and expertise in the provision of heavy marine transportation, offshore installation and onshore logistical management.

In August 2017 we added marine geophysical surveys, offshore geotechnical services and environmental surveys to our activities, with the acquisition of subsea survey specialist Gardline. This fulfils our strategic ambition to build a position in the offshore survey market to become a specialist provider of subsea geotechnical surveys with an exposure to the renewables market and the early cyclical oil and gas market.

2011 - 2021

2021 Boskalis acquires all shares of Rever Offshore’s subsea services business (‘Rever’). Rever, formally known as Bibby Offshore, offers a broad range of solutions in the area of subsea construction, inspection, repair and maintenance.

2019 Boskalis acquires a 62.5% majority stake in the Horizon Group (Horizon) from the United Arab Emirates. Horizon's main activities include marine geophysical surveys and geotechnical services.

2017 Boskalis acquires all shares of the Gardline Group (Gardline). The UK based company's main activities include marine geophysical surveys, offshore geotechnical services and environmental surveys.

2016 Boskalis acquires the dredging activities and assets of STRABAG Wasserbau, a market leader in the German dredging sector. In July offshore cable-laying company VBMS becomes a 100% subsidiary.

2014 Boskalis acquires Fairmount Marine, a world-class provider of long-distance ocean towage services.

2013 Boskalis expands its offshore activities, acquiring heavy marine transport specialist Dockwise.

2013 Boskalis acquires 50% share in VBMS, a leading player in the European market for offshore cable installation.

2001 - 2010

Boskalis further modernizes its fleet, equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

2010 Boskalis celebrates its centenary. The book about the history of the company, ‘Verdiept Verleden’ is published (in Dutch), researched and written by Utrecht University.

2010 Boskalis acquires Dutch maritime services provider SMIT Internationale and since then assists ships in distress anywhere in the world (through SMIT Salvage) as well as harbor towage services through the joint ventures Keppel Smit Towage (Asia), Saam Smit Towage (Americas), Kotug Smit Towage (Northwest Europe) and Smit Lamnalco (terminal services).

1991 - 2000

Boskalis is involved in major projects at home and abroad such as the Øresund Tunnel and Bahia Blanca port construction (Argentina), plus huge projects in the Middle East and Asia, the largest being the land reclamation project for Hong Kong’s international airport, plus various sizable land reclamation projects in Singapore.

Boskalis develops from a dredging company into a marine contractor that finds solutions for the most complex questions.

1971 - 1990

Oil and gas as well as large infrastructure projects drive Boskalis’ growth. These include activities related to the installation of oil platforms and pipelines. Boskalis invests in expanding its fleet.

1980s Boskalis weathers the economic recession by focusing on its core business, dredging. It renews its fleet and acquires the well-established Dutch dredging companies Breejenbout (1985) and Zanen Verstoep (1988).

1978 Boskalis receives the designation ‘Royal’.

1971 Boskalis goes public and acquires more companies.

1931 - 1970

1953 Boskalis plays a major role in the Delta Works project, one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, in the wake of the flood disaster in the Netherlands. Boskalis is awarded new global contracts also requiring complex coastal defense techniques.

1953 Boskalis takes the trailer suction hopper dredger James 47 into service, making Boskalis the first in Europe to introduce this type of dredging.

1950s Boskalis and Westminster Dredging Company collaborate on projects all over the world, including Australia, Canada and the Middle East.

1948 Boskalis takes the first diesel electric bucket dredger into service.

1930s Boskalis grows steadily and expands in particular in the United Kingdom where it establishes Westminster Dredging Company in London in 1933.



1910 - 1930

1914-1930 After the First World War, Boskalis participates in the Zuider Zee project, a historic milestone in the Dutch struggle against the sea.

1910 Boskalis is established by a group of families in Sliedrecht, the birthplace of the Dutch dredging industry. From the outset the dredging company has a large fleet.

Over 100 years Boskalis

Verdiept Verleden

A book about the history of Boskalis researched and written (in Dutch) by Utrecht University.

The history of Boskalis

Watch this video clip about Boskalis’ history, produced to celebrate our 100th anniversary.

More about Boskalis

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