Boskalis Nordic Today No. 02/2019-2020

MARINE CONSTRUCTION VETERANS — OFFICIAL NAME IN FINNISH: VESIRAKENNUKSEN WETERAANIT

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MARINE CONSTRUCTION VETERANS’ MUCH-AWAITED MARITIME MEETINGS

T he membership of the Marine Construction Veterans consists of experienced and retired marine construction professio- nals, who meet every two years or so to remember the past and keep acquainted with the current state of the industry. The events have attracted at least dozens but at best more than 100 participants from all over Finland. Terramare Director Tapio Leinonen , who retired in the autumn 2019, served as the planner and convener of the event held last summer, together with former Terramare Project Manager Pekka Arppe and Construction Manager Paavo Kolari . The venue for the meeting was the Seurahuone Hotel in Kotka. During the event, the members viewed the Mussalo Harbour D area site from the sea, on the cruising vessel M/S VIKLA III. “The event was again attended by a wide spectrum of marine con- struction experts from all personnel levels which, of course, demon- strates the attraction of our industry even after working life. Those who are still working are also welcome to the Marine Construction Veterans’ meetings, as they input into our discussions up-to-date information on the development and prospects of the industry. Ter- ramare has been an active participant, and one representative or other of the management team has always attended all of our meet- ings. I myself joined about ten years ago,” says Leinonen. The first meetings of the Marine Construction Veterans began in the early 1990s, when the convener was the now deceased Juha Tenkanen, who worked in his time for Vesi-Pekka. Since then, around 20 meetings and events has been held. The locations have

mainly been in Finland, but marine construction projects in Sweden have also been visited. “Over time, the employers of the retired professionals have been, among others, Vesi-Pekka, Haka and, since its founding in 1995, Terramare. The older participants of the Marine Construction Vet- erans’ events are over 90 years of age, and the oldest marine construction projects in which members were involved date back to the 1960s. Particularly interesting are projects we worked on together that have been renewed or expanded over the years,” continues Leinonen. “Our shared history and experiences of challenging situations, exceptional conditions, techniques, working methods, problem- solving and successes are popular topics of conversation at our meetings – past times and events come back to life. At the same time, we keep in touch with the current situation in marine construc- tion and the prospects for the industry. The meetings have been memorable, and it has been satisfying to see that the camaraderie of the marine construction professionals remains strong and is a bonding element, even in retirement,” says Leinonen in conclu- sion.

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MARINE CONSTRUCTION VETERANS’ MEETING 2019. The venue for the meeting was the Seurahuone Hotel in Kotka, Finland. During the event, the members viewed the Mussalo Harbour D area site from the sea.

BOSKALIS AREA NORDIC´S OPERATING PRINCIPLES ARE: WE DO WHAT WE PROMISE — RIGHT FIRST TIME — WORKING TOGETHER