The dredger expressly mentions the strengthening of the regional office in the United Arab Emirates today in its presentation of the financial Results regarding last year. 300 people work at the additional office in Abu Dhabi.
The office is intended to ‘fulfil the growth ambitions’, the company writes. “The number of colleagues is expected to increase [daar] double in the coming years.”
Final move
In an explanation in the RTL Z broadcast, chairman Peter Berdowski says that a decision will be made before the end of this year regarding a possible permanent move from the Netherlands. If Boskalis does indeed leave, the company will join the ranks of Shell, DSM and Unilever. These multinationals also moved their headquarters from the Netherlands.
Berdowski indicates that he is particularly concerned regarding finding suitable personnel and legal certainty in the Netherlands. “We have already partly solved the first element, the availability of talent, through our branch in Abu Dhabi. There we can more easily find technical staff, who are increasingly difficult to find in the Netherlands.”
Legal certainty
The issue of legislation and legal position has not been resolved, says the CEO of Boskalis. “Due to numerous developments, we feel less comfortable in terms of legal certainty. We are concerned that we do not have the same opportunities as our international competitors,” he says in the RTL Z broadcast.
At the beginning of last year, Boskalis threatened to leave the Netherlands, as a result of a proposal for a law that would oblige large companies to conduct socially responsible business, also abroad.
Dutch companies would then become liable for abuses in other countries such as forced labor, environmental pollution and child labor, including at companies with which they do business.
“The most important thing is that we must be sure that we can also comply with the obligations we enter into abroad. That we do not end up in a situation where they can be blocked by a Dutch court. That a locally applicable agreement is governed by Dutch law might be crossed,” Berdowski now explains.
‘Infectious disease’
Finally, the Boskalis CEO believes that the relationship with politics leaves much to be desired. “In recent years we have seen that the House of Representatives has been less receptive to discussions with the business community,” he says.
“Contacts with cabinet members are usually good, but we notice that it is difficult to make contact with MPs. It is as if we carry a contagious disease and people would rather not come into contact with us,” says Berdowski. Peter Wennink, his counterpart at tech giant ASML, also expressed his dissatisfaction with Dutch politics yesterday.
Record year
Dredger and maritime service provider Boskalis booked one last year record profit of 601 million euros, compared to 241 million a year earlier. Turnover increased by 20 percent to 4.3 billion euros. That is also a record. “2023 was a particularly successful year for Boskalis, in which we broke many records,” said CEO Berdowski. According to him, all business units have contributed to the growth.
