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Sluiskil Tunnel opened
News17
The city of Inkisi in the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to about 180,000 people who lack a reliable and sufficient supply of drinking water. They also need sanitation facilities, es-pecially at markets and other busy public plac-es. The present water supply system was built in 1957 and falls far short of what is required. The national water company, REGIDESO, is looking for a solution. Witteveen+Bos and SNV World have teamed up to find solutions to the present situation and to work out ways of ac-commodating the town’s ongoing growth. The work includes preparing full surveys, designs, tender documents and environmental and social impact assessments, and conducting a complete financial and economic analysis. The project is being financed by the Dutch govern-ment under the ORIO programme. + [email protected]
On Tuesday 19 May, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands officially opened the Sluiskil Tunnel, a bored tunnel where the N61 trunk road crosses the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. On the following Wednesday, interested members of the public were given an opportunity to walk through the tunnel. Some 8,000 people showed up, twice as many as expected by the organisers. The tunnel was opened to road traffic on Saturday 23 May.
The opening of the 1600-metre-long tunnel is also the end of an era for Witteveen+Bos. The company was involved in this project as a consultant to BV Kanaal- Kruising Sluiskil (BV KKS). We were called in for our expertise in bored tunnels, geotechnics, systems engineering, technical installations, and traffic
management systems. The applied integrated design method yielded a number of smart solutions and optimisations. We completed the tender specifications in early 2010. In the tender phase, we assessed the various designs and answered questions posed by contractors during a round of dialogues. In light of the project’s complexity, we continued to provide technical advice and support to the client after the contract had been awarded. We also supervised the performance of work and took care of project management. The tunnel was completed on time and within budget, thanks to close consultation and collaboration between the client and the contractor.
beeld: Mechtelt Jansen
Drinking water supply Congo
Witteveen+Bos and Royal HaskoningDHV are designing a new shipyard at Kuryk in Kazakhstan. The new facility on the Caspian Sea will be used to build, repair and maintain the ships necessary for the growing oil and gas exploration and produc-tion in the region. The contract was awarded by Italian energy group Eni and the Kazakh state enterprise KazMunayGas.The new shipyard is of key importance to the economy of Kazakhstan, and its construction will create substantial local employment opportunities. The yard has a planned shipbuilding capacity of 400 tonnes per month, and will maintain 70 ships each year. In February the first phase of the plan was completed, comprising the Front End Engineering Design, including a soil survey, a topographical study, and a survey of the seabed. These activities were performed from a project office where Witteveen+Bos and RoyalHaskoningDHV are working alongside client Eni.
New shipyard in Kazakhstan
Witteveen+Bos News June 2015
Together with Witteveen+Bos, the Papua Barat Sustainable Society Foundation (SDSP) took the initiative to draw up a master plan for West Papua, Indonesia. The objective is to bring about sustainable development driven partly by private initiatives and investments. For twenty years now, SDSP has been pursuing the sustainable development of the area inhabited by the Papuan people on the Bird’s Head peninsula of West Papua, Indonesia. The area con-tains large quantities of valuable resources that will be extracted in the not too distant future. The Foundation wants to make sure this economic activity also benefits the local population. According to SDSP there are lots of opportunities and possibili-ties, but an integral plan or an effective organisation for sustain-able development is lacking.
SDSP and Witteveen+Bos are jointly preparing a plan of action for implementing the master plan. However, the master plan’s execution requires support from government authorities (includ-ing bilateral financial aid) and from CSR-minded companies that are willing to make a proactive contribution to the sustainable development of West Papua. The plan examines economic opportunities in tandem with sustainable development for the population to ensure that locals share in the longer-term benefits of the exploitation of soil resources. It increases the likelihood that significant parts of the primeval forest and its biodiversity will be preserved.
Master plan for West PapuaInitiative of SDSP and Witteveen+Bos for sustainable economic development
As a member of the Tunnel Engineering Consultants (TEC) consortium, Witteveen+Bos is helping to develop an earthquake-resistant design for Mexico City’s new international airport. A Dutch-Mexican joint venture led by NACO (part of Royal HaskoningDHV) was awarded the contract for this project in early 2015. Consultancy firms TADCO and SACMAG are the Mexican partners in the joint venture. The project scope covers the design of the airside infrastructure, consisting of runways, taxiways, platforms, buildings and tunnels.
Witteveen+Bos is contributing a team of seis-mologists to the joint venture. The seismology
experts will join a larger ‘studies and tunnels’ team that also includes employees of Royal HaskoningDHV. Working with Witteveen+Bos seismologists was an obvious decision in view of the successful collaboration on TEC’s Sharq Crossing project in Quatar in 2014, where earthquake resistance was also an important aspect of the design process.
There are quite a few technical challenges to overcome in designing this prestigious airport, which will be among the largest in the world. Mexico City was originally built at the site of an ancient lake high in the mountains. Over the years, a very weak and thick package of sedi-ments has built up in the original lakebed. Parts of Mexico City subside by 20 to over 30 centi-
metres per year as a result of deep groundwa-ter extraction. In addition, the section of the city where the new airport will be built is frequently subject to flooding due to heavy rainfall.At the same time, the region is prone to power-ful earthquakes. The 1985 Mexico City earth-quake had a magnitude of 8.1 and resulted in over 10,000 deaths and extensive damage. The combination of very powerful earthquakes and special soil conditions, which in some cases can result in very large ground motion amplifications, requires careful specialist analysis. The challenge for the Witteveen+Bos seismology team is to deliver a design that can withstand earthquakes of such magnitude.
Earthquake-resistant airport design Mexico City
beeld: Foster + Partners
Witteveen+Bos News June 2015
Witteveen+Bos has achieved good results in 2014, realising both financial and personnel growth. All over the world we contributed to projects that help to tackle major challenges relating to liveability, health, safety and accessibility.
The plus symbol in our company name represents the added value we want to offer our clients by finding the best solutions. It also stands for ‘going the extra mile’ in other areas, for instance by contributing to innovation and education. Since 1992, Witteveen+Bos has been fully owned by its employees under a shareholding scheme. This participation system promotes the entre-preneurial spirit needed to deliver the aforementioned added value. The annual results for 2014 were adopted at the General Meeting of Shareholders held on 7 April 2015. Our revenue has grown to reach EUR 119.1 million (up from EUR 111.0 million in 2013). Net profit increased from EUR 14.1 million to EUR 15.3 million. The net profit margin amounted to 12.8 percent, and our workforce grew to 977 employees worldwide.
Karin Sluis and Henk Nieboer, who make up the Board of Directors of Witteveen+Bos, believe these good results are attributable to the added value we offer, to our ‘corporate DNA’. Karin Sluis comments: ‘We are of course happy with the company’s performance, but it is important to remain alert. In 2014, we adjusted our organisation structure by creating four business lines which bring people together on the basis of their pro-fessional expertise. This allows us to assemble the best project teams for the tasks at hand.’ Henk Nieboer adds:
‘We also adjusted our locations policy. We merged two of our Dutch offices and opened new offices in Singa-pore and Dubai.’ According to Karin, growth markets are emerging for engineering firms. ‘Particularly in Asia and Africa, population growth, ongoing urbanisation and the growing demand for water, food and energy are producing plenty of opportunities for our industry, especially in combination with rapid technological de-velopments and worldwide trends like climate change.’ Henk Nieboer: ‘We are proud of our success abroad, but I want to make it clear that the Netherlands is and will remain our home base. Here, too, we are working hard on many exciting projects and acquiring a great deal of new knowledge and experience. In the years ahead, there will be much work for our industry in all parts of the world. We intend to pursue further growth to maximise the contribution made by Witteveen+Bos, as reflected in the fact that we recently welcomed the 1000th employee to our company.’
‘We want to make the maximum possible contribution to sustainable development and Corporate Social Re-sponsibility, both in our projects and in our other activi-ties,’ Henk Nieboer continues. ‘Embedding sustainable design principles and using integrated design methods remains a key priority. We can achieve the greatest im-pact through our projects. Participating in programmes like Building with Nature and applying the principles of the United Nations Global Compact contributes to achieving our aims.’
Good results over 2014Financial and personnel growth go hand in hand with sustainable development
For several years Witteveen+Bos has been supporting a gelatine-producing company in India in treating its wastewater. Several production processes cause two wastewater flows that require treatment. The first flow is treated separately because of its very high salinity and to facilitate the reuse of water from the other flow. The second is pre-treated in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reac-tor (UASB), followed by aerobic post-treat-ment for further purification and nitrogen removal. The treated wastewater is upgraded for use in the production process by sand filtration and membrane filtration. The UASB was overloaded in January 2015, when sev-eral events caused a complete loss of activity and insufficient performance. Witteveen+Bos provided daily consulting in March and April, and successfully restarted the UASB. An op-erations manual was produced at the same time, listing responses to off-spec conditions in the treatment process and wastewater composition values. Witteveen+Bos will also develop alternatives to increase the treat-ment capacity and to optimise performance. The excess sludge costs and UASB treat-ment capacity are both matters of concern in light of future production expansions.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding on integrated water resources management concluded between the Netherlands and Myanmar, an initiative was set up to beau-tify the Irrawaddy River near the old town of Bagan, famous for its many temples. The improvements are focused on water man-agement, landscaping, and facilitating river shipping. A consortium consisting of Witte-veen+Bos, Grontmij and local partner MEI has recently been awarded the contract to perform an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for this river beautifica-tion project. The aim of the project is not only to support local stakeholders in assessing impacts and alternatives, but also to initiate a dialogue with the design team in order to ac-tually improve the design where appropriate, based on environmental and social consid-erations. The ‘ecosystem services’ concept is being applied within the framework of the ESIA. The project is of strategic importance to the project partners, as it is expected that the Dutch government will make substantial investments in exporting Dutch delta tech-nology to countries with a river delta like My-anmar and Bangladesh. Witteveen+Bos and Grontmij previously worked together on other projects, including the coastal protection of Jakarta and the development of a climate adaptation strategy for Ho Chi Min City.
RIVER BEAUTIFICATION IN MYANMAR
WITTEVEEN+BOS HIRES 1000TH EMPLOYEE
Witteveen+Bos welcomed its 1000th employee in the third week of May. Since our establishment in 1946, our workforce expanded mainly through organic growth. ‘We are very proud to have made it to this milestone after 69 years’, says Karin Sluis, Managing Director of Witteveen+Bos. ‘For 2015, our objective is to grow our work-force organically by a net 5 percent, and we’re making excellent progress.’ The milestone was celebrated with cake at every Witteveen+Bos office worldwide.
INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN INDIA
MAXIMISE REUSE OF PRODUCED WATER
How to design a state-of-the-art Water Treatment Recovery Plant enabling maxim-ised reuse of produced water at minimum costs? Witteveen+Bos took this challenge by signing a contract for the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) with NCOC from Kazakhstan in April 2015. As part of a programme on water savings and reuse, NCOC aims to maximise the reuse of the wastewater produced in their main onshore production location near Atyrau. The new Water Treatment Recovery Plant is contrib-uting to this water reuse requirement. Ob-jective of this new facility is treating stripped sour water and brine from an existing Water Treatment Plant. A large number of state-of-the-art treatment processes is foreseen to achieve this requirement. The resulting technical water can be used in the deminer-alised water production. The processes will be housed in a football-pitch sized building, heated also by waste heat recovered from the feed stream. A significant part of the Witteveen+Bos office in Atyrau and Deven-ter is now housing a large multidisciplinary team of engineers from the Netherlands and Kazakhstan. Aim is to complete the FEED in the late summer of this year. The FEED will be developed in 3D and includes several multidisciplinary studies. With this project Witteveen+Bos is deploying another water reuse design in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Witteveen+Bos News June 2015
In March 2015 the Dutch and Indo-nesian governments launched a public-private partnership aimed at strengthening Java’s north coast by combating the rapid erosion that affects the area. This coastal resto-ration project is one of the leading initiatives in the ‘Building with Nature’ programme set up by Ecoshape and its partners. Witteveen+Bos is a par-ticipant in the ‘Building with Nature’ programme and is also contributing to the project in Java.
In the past few decades, large parts of the mangrove forests on the north coast of Java have been cut down to make way for fish ponds. This has led to exten-sive erosion because the coast is no longer properly protected by vegetation.
Local communities have been forced to abandon roads, schools, homes and fish ponds and have it taken over by the sea. Many residents have lost their source of income. Near the town of Demak alone, the affected area covers approx. 1,000 hectares. ‘Building traditional dikes is not a financially feasible option at these sites,’ explains Eveline Buter, engineer at Witteveen+Bos. ‘Instead we construct small dams that break the waves and are permeable to silt flows. If the area behind the dam is left undisturbed, the silt gradually accumulates so that the mangrove forests can grow back and coastal protection is restored.’ Man-grove-friendly fish ponds will be created to foster sustainable aquaculture, so that the mangrove forests no longer have to be cut down. In this way, the economy
can benefit optimally from the natural en-vironment. ‘For this project we combined our technical expertise with local knowl-edge and local networks,’ says Eveline Buter. ‘No matter how wonderful your design, you also need to convince local residents to support it. In our plans we try to make sure that the local population can continue to earn a living.’ The pilot site at Demak covers twenty kilometres of coastline. The aim is for the project to be rolled along other sections of Java’s north coast. The long-term goal is to inspire coastal management authorities through-out the world to embed the ‘Building with Nature’ approach into their policies and landscape planning activities.
Coastal restoration in Java Demonstrating ‘Building with Nature’ approach
Frank Kaalberg was named ‘Structural De-sign Engineer of the Year’ at the Structural Engineering Conference held in the Dutch town Soesterberg on 1 June 2015. The jury praised him for his expert contribution to projects like the North/South Metro Line in Amsterdam, the Sluiskil Tunnel in Terneu-zen, both in the Netherlands, and the Oost-erweel Link in Antwerp, Belgium. Accord-ing to the jury, Frank Kaalberg’s innovative approach and ground-breaking designs make him a deserved winner of the title.
Frank Kaalberg shares the title with co-winner Maurice Hermens of RoyalHaskoningDHV. They will use the honorary title for one year, serving as a role model for other structural de-sign engineers. The Structural Design Engineer of the Year also acts as an ambassador for his profession, demonstrating how contemporary and sustainable designs can be created. ‘It is a great honour to be recognised by my peers in this way,’ says Frank Kaalberg. ‘I hope that I can serve as a role model for my colleagues.’
Frank Kaalberg joined Witteveen+Bos in 1993 as a structural engineer, and currently serves as Tunnel Design Manager and manager of the Underground Infrastructure Product-Market Combination.
Structural Design Engineer of 2015
REMEDIATION OF SHIP-YARD IN MONTENEGRO
Bijela Shipyard is one of the largest ship-yards on the Adriatic Sea. Over the years, the ship maintenance work has resulted in soil contamination and large quantities of contaminated waste materials. The gov-ernment of Montenegro wants to privatise the shipyard. This requires a thorough clean-up of the site. A consortium consist-ing of Witteveen+Bos and Tauw is provid-ing technical support to the Montenegrin government in preparing the remediation design and the tender documents for the remediation works. The main task concerns the remediation of several large blasting grit repositories. The grit was used to sand-blast ship hulls and is contaminated with paint residues. Various scenarios will be elaborated for the blasting grit, ranging from export to certified processing companies in the EU, to immobilisation and reuse as a construction material within Montenegro. A remediation plan will then be drawn up for the preferred variant. The project is part of a World Bank-financed remedia-tion programme for a total of five sites in Montenegro.
Witteveen+Bos News June 2015
Witteveen+Bos is experiencing a period of strong interna-tional growth these past few years. This kind of develop-ment puts considerable pressure on an organisation. Our organisational structure was therefore adjusted last year to stay tuned with the company’s international growth. Independent international Product-Market Combinations (PMCs) were established and the new position of Regional Manager was created. Four of these managers are now in charge of the regions ‘Africa and the Middle East’, ‘CIS Countries’, ‘Europe and the Americas’, and ‘South East Asia and Australia’.
Fred de Bruijn, manager of the Drinking Water PMC, recently took on the role of Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East. It is a challenging position: ‘A Regional Manager provides inspiration, takes the initiative, and directs the work of others. Taking the Witteveen+Bos identity as a starting point, we exam-ine the best opportunities to contribute our skills and develop our presence in the different regions. I focus on creating oppor-tunities by establishing links between our projects and leads in the region. For instance, I might notice that there are leads for projects in the Seychelles in two different parts of the organi-sation. I regard it as my role to ensure coordination, so that the employees concerned know what’s going on. When one team finds a local partner, then the other team might also benefit or make good use of the information that becomes available. I specifically look for that connection.’
‘Right now, I believe it is very important for our new office in Dubai to really get up and running. We decided to set up that office as part of our overall business strategy: good business potential in the Middle East, and excellent working conditions and manpower basis in Dubai. So now let us all make sure that our Dubai office can expand on projects that are currently starting up.’
‘As manager of the Drinking Water PMC, I can say we are proud to be ‘exploring’ the African continent for Witteveen+Bos, and in doing so, participate in the development of regions and countries, particularly where water supply infrastructure is concerned. Forming alliances is an important aspect of our activities in Africa. The Drinking Water PMC started in Africa in close collaborations between contractors and us as a con-sulting firm. Our activities with Dutch NGO Simavi also offer good examples of what an alliance can achieve. We previously co-operated with Simavi in Indonesia, and we are currently working on several projects in Africa. We are conducting some
wonderful projects, including water facilities to a number of medical clinics in Tanzania and the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) project in Ghana, which is aimed at promoting hygiene and providing clean water and good sanitation facilities to five Ghanaian municipalities. Our collaboration with Simavi is effec-tive because we have complementary strengths: we possess technical know-how and project management skills, and Simavi has the connections with communities through local NGOs, which is absolutely necessary to get projects off the ground and improve sustainability. I can safely say there is a special bond between Witteveen+Bos and Simavi.’
‘Operating in alliances is typical for our projects in Africa. In port development we work with Maritime & Transport Business Solutions on ports in Nigeria and Tanzania, and in fields ranging from WASH, port development and master planning we work with NIRAS in countries like Mozambique, Angola and South Sudan. Creating partnerships is part of our DNA.’
‘I am a civil engineer, specialised in drinking water. Interna-tional projects have always attracted my interest, for adventure and for social professional purpose. During my studies I spent a couple of months in Sudan. After I had gained my degree I lived abroad for a number of years, in Bangladesh among other places. I then joined Witteveen+Bos and after a few years I was appointed as manager of our office in Jakarta. So I suppose you could say my career is two-pronged, with a solid background in civil engineering and a keen interest in international projects. This is currently reflected in the dual role I have in our organi-sation. I enjoy working in the international arena, while at this moment I am based in the Netherlands. A Regional Manager serves as a liaison between the activities in the region and the overall workforce of Witteveen+Bos. When I was the head of our office in Jakarta, I felt that an ‘ambassador’ at the head office in Deventer is essential for effective linkage. At the time, I felt that this situation could be optimised further. As Regional Manager for Africa and the Middle East, I can now represent the interests of the regional offices and fulfil that role of ambassador.’
Connecting international opportunitiesFred de Bruijn on his new role
NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL OPENED
On Friday 24 April, the new fully automated terminal of APM Terminals (APMT) in the Maasvlakte 2 industrial zone was officially opened by His Majesty King Willem-Alexan-der of the Netherlands. The King kicked off the opening show by giving an instruction by walkie-talkie. The new container terminal will be a leader in sustainability performance, safety standards and productivity. In January 2011, Witteveen+Bos was commissioned to prepare the civil engineering design and the tender documents for the terminal, and to provide support during the tender proce-dure. Subsequently, Witteveen+Bos was also asked to manage and supervise the construction works in the first phase. The terminal was taken into operation in De-cember 2014. Witteveen+Bos project leader Ben-Jaap Pielage was present at the opening ceremony. ‘When we were designing the terminal, the Maasvlakte 2 port area was still under construction. And now just look at all these completed and operational facilities. We are very proud to be part of this amazing project, and we look forward to a long and close collaboration with APMT.’ The new facility is the world’s most technologically advanced and sustainable container terminal. When fully developed, the terminal will have a total capacity of at least 4.5 million TEU. The facility is being developed in phases. The first operational phase includes a plot of 86 hectares, 1 kilometre of deep sea docks, and 500 metres of docks for inland vessels. The terminal can handle all transport modalities, including the latest generation of container ships such as the Maersk Triple E class.
TERMINAL FOR AGGREGATE INDUSTRIES
Aggregate Industries UK Ltd has concluded a lease agreement with the Port of Rotterdam for a new dry bulk terminal which will consist of a berth for sea-going vessels of up to 250 m in length, as well as a berth for inland barges (in a second phase). Witteveen+Bos prepared a technical programme of require-ments, alternative layouts, preliminary and final designs (in a full 3D model), a dredging plan, and tender documents including cost estimates. Extensive analyses were per-formed to assess the impact of the construc-tion works on existing cable and pipeline corridors on both sides of the new berthing pocket.
Barisal is a city of approx. 350,000 residents in southern Bangladesh. The city is also known as the ‘Venice of the East’. It is an important regional centre and has one of the biggest river ports in Bangladesh.
Barisal is located at the transition between tidal and river-ine influence. The city is prone to flooding due to heavy
rains, high river discharge, and cyclone storm surges. Climate change and urban development are resulting in greater flood risk. Together with its consortium partners Ecorys, Twynstra Gudde and Swiss Re, Witteveen+Bos is performing a vulnerability and feasibility study for Barisal City Corporation, funded through KfW Development Bank. Witteveen+Bos has performed hydrological and hydrody-
namic modeling in order to prepare flood maps. The ECA (Economics of Climate Adaptation) method is being used to quantify risks and evaluate risk mitigation in different scenarios.
Climate change adaptation for Bangladeshi city Barisal
Witteveen+Bos News June 2015
SUSTAINABLE CITIES FOR COLOMBIA
A consortium consisting of Urbanos, Berenschot, Witteveen+Bos, Delft Univer-sity of Technology, RVDB and Findeter (financial institution for development) held presentations and workshops in the Colombian cities of Bucaramanga, Manizales and Armenia in the first week of May.
The presentations were part of Findeter’s CIUDAT programme and were aimed at explaining the Dutch approach and elaborating on best practices to make cities more sustainable and redensify them. The workshops were organised to let local entities and stakeholders experience an approach of working together and visualising all challeng-es at the start of development. The focus was on urban metabolism (flows within the city) and development, transport and mobility, waste management, integral solutions, and governance. The process was facilitated by the Dutch Embassy in Colombia and financed by the Creative
Industries Fund NL. The CIUDAT programme consists of a new department created within Findeter’s Sustainability Division. The department will be led by the national government and relies administratively and financially on Findeter. CIUDAT will ad-dress international cooperation to pilot transit-oriented development projects in various Colombian cities to develop technical capacity at the local administrative level. It is a first step in the CIUDAT programme for these cities and it will form the basis for devel-oping an additional programme aimed at making these cities more sustainable and redensifying them. This programme will run at least seven years in three different phas-es: structuring, construction, and maintenance and execution.
The Java Integrated Industrial Port and Estate in Gresik (East Java, Indonesia) consists of 1,700 hectares of industrial development. Adjacent to this area, a new residential district will be developed to ac-commodate workers, executives and other residents of the growing economic hub in the Surabaya region. This 750-hectare district will be developed in several stages and in challenging conditions: a low-lying delta consisting of fish ponds in soft mud.
Witteveen+Bos and Alami Group Urban Designers & Architects (based in Bandung, In-donesia) established a consortium to prepare an urban master plan and engineering master plan for this project. The engineering master plan will focus on land reclamation aspects, flood protection, internal drainage, water sup-ply, and wastewater treatment systems. Road structure design is also part of the engineering master plan.
The engineering challenges are manifold: the proximity to the sea and sea water intrusion severely limit the availability of fresh water, soft soils create major geotechnical challenges, and a large nearby river causes significant flooding. In addition, the adverse impacts of the residential district on the regional drainage structure must be fully mitigated.
Residential area in East Java
beeld: Esgo Kuiper
foto: Studio MarcoVerm
eulen
RENEWABLE ENERGY IN JAPAN
On 11 March 2011, Japan was struck by a massive undersea earthquake that resulted in a tsunami which destroyed large parts of the eastern coast. Following the earthquake, a special programme was set up in the affected region of Tohoku. The aim was to investigate the impact of the tsunami and the resulting disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and to examine ways of dealing with the consequences. The transition to a renewable energy supply is one of the main themes of this programme. As one of the programme participants, Tohoku University is focusing its research on fuel production from algae and the generation of energy using tidal flows. The university organises an annual conference to disseminate its research results, inviting for-eign guest speakers to present new ideas. Witteveen+Bos was invited to give a presenta-tion at last year’s conference, which was held in November. Focus was on the question of whether seasonal storage of heat and cold in the soil (for sustainable heating and cooling of buildings) could be applied in Japan and could contribute to rendering the energy supply more sustainable. Due to the soil structure in Japan, not all regions are equally suitable for energy storage. However, there are possibilities for using this method in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka. The main challenges include legal and regulatory hurdles and uncertainty concerning drilling techniques. A major electricity company is investigating the possibilities for energy storage and has contacted Witteveen+Bos to set up a training programme.
AGRICULTURE SECTOR SCAN IN MOZAMBIQUE
In the past few years Witteveen+Bos has been involved in several projects in Mozam-bique. In the course of our work, we learned that the circumstances with respect to soil, climate, water, availability of land and (international) transport are promising for investments in the agricultural sector. For an international investor we assessed the pos-sibilities for large-scale investment in this sector. The scope of our study included a literature survey, meetings with authorities, local companies and other stakeholders, and visits to agricultural projects (sugar, rice). Our study produced useful information for our client concerning landownership, the most promising crops and products, risks, business models, and communication with local authorities and communities.
VIETNAMESE DELEGATION VISITS WITTEVEEN+BOS
On 5 May 2015 a delegation of 25 repre-sentatives from the city of Can Tho, Viet-nam, visited the Witteveen+Bos office in Amsterdam. The delegation was first given an introduction to the company. The Vietna-mese visitors were particularly interested in our expertise in urban flood protection and dike design. The dike design and flood protection projects of Witteveen+Bos in the Netherlands were therefore explained in a second presentation. The concluding pre-sentation concerned a climate adaptation strategy for Ho Chi Minh City, and how a si-milar strategy could be applied in Can Tho. After an interesting discussion, the chair-man of the Can Tho People’s Committee invited representatives of Witteveen+Bos to visit Can Tho in the near future.
FEASIBILITY STUDY PO-WER PLANT INDONESIA
Witteveen+Bos has conducted a high-level feasibility study for the construction of a 5,000 MW coal-fired power plant on a reclaimed island in the vicinity of Jakarta. The project included process calculation of power plant performance based on local Indonesian coal with low calorific value. An initial assessment of fly ash utilization was performed as part of the project, resulting in the inclusion of a cement grinding plant with an annual capacity of 1 million tonnes. An overall layout of the complete plant was produced together with the estimated capital expenditure, including the reclama-tion of the island, the time schedule, and a high-level risk and opportunity assessment.
EMISSIONS MODEL FOR PORT OF HAMBURG
Ship emissions have a major impact on air quality in Europe. Hamburg is Germany’s larg-est port and the air quality in the city and the surrounding region is influenced significantly by ship emissions. To gain a more accurate insight into these emissions, Witteveen+Bos will assist Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (Centre for Materials and Coastal Research) and the Port of Hamburg in implementing Witteveen+Bos’ emissions model for the Hamburg port area. Witteveen+Bos previously developed a shipping emissions model for the port of Antwerp. This IT application provides in-sight into contamination levels and the impact of future trends and choices on contamination. Ship activity data are converted into consist-ent activity data for sailing, lockage, mooring and ships at berth, using local characteristics such as the positions of waterways, locks and docks. The application then calculates the emissions, based on the type of activity, the ship characteristics, the activity data, emis-sion factors and fuel factors. Emissions are calculated according to the actual situation (base scenario) and according to multiple configurable future scenarios. The results of all scenarios can be viewed in a geographical map or downloaded in multiple file formats for further analysis. The application is designed to respond to new questions and scenarios quickly and to monitor performance.
INDUSTRIAL WATER CON-FERENCE IN ABU DHABI
Our Dubai office sponsored the Industrial Water Reuse and Recycling Middle East Conference in Abu Dhabi on 8 and 9 June 2015. The event brought together repre-sentatives from engineering, industry, oil and gas, chemical manufacturers, water treatment operating companies and equip-ment suppliers to discuss opportunities, challenges and the latest technologies for water treatment and reuse. The event was attended by colleagues from the Dubai office and our industrial water expert Jan Slange delivered a plenary presentation on Witteveen+Bos’s capabilities in water recycling. The event was a success for the Dubai office, attracting a great deal of pu-blicity and creating opportunities to develop local contacts.
LAKE BOYUK SHOR READY FOR EUROPEAN GAMES
A large saltwater lake has been rehabili-tated to the north of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The lake had become seriously polluted by oil industry, sewage discharges and the dumping of waste. Part of the lake was cleaned up in connection with the con-struction nearby of a stadium for the first European Games (12 to 28 June 2015). The project was also a way of stimulating the economic and sustainable development of the ever-expanding city. Witteveen+Bos is working alongside local and international parties in this integral and multidisciplinary project, which combines ecological and environmental objectives with landscaping plans as the key driver for water manage-ment and civil engineering structures. The area between the stadium and the lake was thoroughly upgraded by building a boule-vard with an integrated interception system for groundwater and by constructing a park. The first part of the rehabilitation has now been completed. The results of an analysis of the lakebed are very encouraging: the level of oil pollution in the lake has been reduced by around 95 %. The visible impro-vements are even more impressive: plastic waste has made way for lawns and parks and the oil slick on the shoreline has disap-peared.
Witteveen+Bos News June 2015
IMPROVEMENT OF WATER SUPPLY IN JORDAN
Jordan is one of the world’s most arid coun-tries. The population is growing fast, not least due to the more than 800,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq. The originally temporary refu-gee camps are slowly turning into permanent settlements. The available fresh water is limited, and therefore needs to be reallocated between all governorates. A pipeline is being developed to supply the governorates in the north of the country (Irbid, Ajloun, Mafraq and Jarash) with significant quantities of water. The 35-km-long pipeline will have a diameter of 700 mm and will convey approx. 10 million cubic metres of water per year to Za’atry pumping station, where a new reservoir will be built. The water originates from the Disi aquifer near the border with Saudi Arabia. The project was commissioned by the Water Authority of Jor-dan and is financed by a loan from Germany’s KfW Development Bank. Witteveen+Bos is responsible for the design and engineering and the preparation of the tender documents based on the FIDIC Yellow Book. The project started in December 2014 and is being executed in cooperation with our Amman-based partner CEC Sajdi & Partners. The construction works will be carried out in 2016 and 2017.
KING ABDULLAH PORT
King Abdullah Port is Saudi Arabia’s newest seaport and will be the largest in the region. The target annual container capacity is 20 million TEU, and the port will be equipped to receive the largest vessels in the world. King Abdullah Port is located on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast and will also have terminals to handle dry bulk, RoRo and other cargoes. The port is the country’s first to be fully owned and funded by the private sector. Witteveen+Bos has been commissioned by two financiers to provide due diligence services for the assess-ment of contractual arrangements, including financial, time, quality, technical and environ-mental issues. The services have been divided into two phases: an extensive initial review in phase 1 and progress monitoring in phase 2.
Editorial address Witteveen+Bos NewsP.O. Box 2337400 AE Deventer The Netherlands+31 (0)570 69 79 [email protected]
The Witteveen+Bos News is published twice per year. Volume 11, June 2015
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ANNUAL REPORTS 2014
The Witteveen+Bos Annual Report and the Corporate Responsibility Report of 2014 have been published. Find them online via www.witteveenbos.com/annual-report. The web site also contains a request form for a paper copy of the report.
Belgian environmental consultancy MAVA AES (Assured Environmental Solutions) N.V. has embarked on a new phase of its operations. The company became part of Witteveen+Bos N.V. on 27 May 2015.
By combining their forces the two agencies expect to be better placed to leverage market opportunities in Belgium and beyond. Technical expertise will be brought together to offer clients multidisciplinary solutions that help them address complex challenges facing them. All shares in MAVA AES will transfer to the Witteveen+Bos group. However, MAVA AES will continue to operate under its present brand name. MAVA AES is an environmental consultancy of Belgian ori-gin, established in 1990. Over the years it has expanded its activities in the soil, permits and spatial planning fields and developed its own measurement technology (EniSSA). The inspirational leadership of Nora Vanderheijden and Mark van
Straaten has elevated MAVA to a specialised agency that now employs 47 people. To create new opportunities for the years ahead, MAVA has teamed up with Witteveen+Bos Belgium N.V., with which it had already cooperated in various contracts in the recent past. Both agencies are highly knowledge-driven and quality-driven and have a family-like open corporate culture. Mark van Straaten, Managing Director of MAVA, is proud of the new partnership. ‘We were ready for the next step with new possibil-ities for enlarging our activities, both in terms of services and geographically’, he said. ‘Witteveen+Bos is a leading agency with top-flight expertise across a wider field. We are highly complementary in relation to our clients (public and private) and in relation to our activities. This will yield new opportunities.’ For several reasons Witteveen+Bos Belgium sees significant added value in teaming up with MAVA. Since 2009 Witteveen+Bos has built up a solid business footing in Belgium,
where it now has a staff of 19. Stefan De Roos, Managing Director of Witteveen+Bos Belgium, said: ‘MAVA is a specialist in environmental matters and local spatial planning. Expertise of this kind complements our own expertise and together this makes us a strong multidisciplinary team. I’m looking forward to our collaboration in projects. Human capital lies at the heart of MAVA and the same goes for Witteveen+Bos: engineering is people’s work’. The managements of the two agencies envisage an organic merger in the coming years, with the new situation also opening up attractive opportunities for onward growth and employee development. The current management of MAVA will remain actively involved in the business.
MAVA AES and Witteveen+Bos combine forces
Flooding is a major problem in lower-lying districts of the city of Beira in Mozambique. The floods cause more than just direct damage, as the low-est-lying areas can remain flooded for several months resulting in serious health risks due to the spread of malaria.
Beira’s storm water system has insufficient retention and discharge capacity, and the problem is exacerbated by ongoing urbanization. In close collaboration with the city, a Dutch consortium consisting of Deltares, Alterra, Witteveen+Bos and Wissing is preparing so-called ‘green infrastructure’ to deal with these storm water problems. The GreenInfra approach is based on using natural features to protect communities against flooding or excessive heat, or to help improve air, soil and water quality. In this project we are applying this approach to the Chota district in Beira. GreenInfra measures were prepared in workshops with representatives of the city government and other stakeholders. The concepts of ‘GreenInfra’ and ‘ecosystem services’ were first explained to the participants. A climate adaptation tool and an adaptation support tool were then used to select measures and assess their impact: how do the proposed measures contribute to improving the situation? In our approach several measures have been com-bined to be able to deal with a storm water situation that occurs once every ten years. These measures are infiltration, local retention and microdrainage, and increasing the discharge and retention capacity of the main drainage systems. A cost-benefit analysis was performed to demonstrate that the proposed measures are cost-effective. In the next phase we will make these plans ready for imple-mentation. + [email protected]
GreenInfra4Beira
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