Boskalis CSR report 2017

Impact on Local Communities CSR 2017 – BOSKALIS 26 SCALABILITY Grundlehner points out that independent, smaller, free-floating systems also have advantages in relation to cost and time: “For one, there’s no need to make expensive foundations deep in the ocean. Secondly, it allows The Ocean Cleanup to scale up their ‘network’ of booms when more funding becomes available once the first booms have provided proof of concept. The first boom will be floated in 2018. In the slightly longer term, The Ocean Cleanup hopes to place up to 60 booms of up to 1,000 meters each. A major benefit of such a constellation is that the failure costs are also substantially less: if one boom breaks down, the others still remain in operation.” “We’re now helping The Ocean Cleanup to find cost-effective and marine-life friendly retention and extraction solutions. Another issue that is currently being tackled is the choice of material for the boom. The material used in the North Sea pilot proved to be too weak to weather the forces of nature. Choosing a material fit-for- purpose is all about finding the right balance between material properties, performance, technical requirements and expectations as to life expectancy and more. Here also, our long-standing experience in this field stands to benefit The Ocean Cleanup in finding the best solution.” CEO Peter Berdowski on the battle against plastic soup: “We live on a beautiful planet. Global prosperity is on the rise, and the world’s population continues to grow. But, as we consume more, we also produce more waste. The increasing use of plastic will generate global waste flows that represent an ever-increasing threat. Thanks to such pioneering innovations as The Ocean Cleanup, we hope to better protect our oceans for future generations. As a maritime service provider, we stand for sustainable practices, teamwork and the search for new opportunities in challenging conditions. The pragmatic approach of The Ocean Cleanup is a perfect match for our own working approach. The installation of this innovative system calls for our expertise. That is why we are happy to contribute to the creation of a new, clean horizon.” “THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS SOLUTION IS THAT THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS POWERED BY THE AVAILABLE FORCES OF NATURE!”

CLEANING UP TO 50% OF THE GARBAGE PATCH The Ocean Cleanup expects that a full-scale roll out of the system could clean up to 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years. The floating systems are designed to capture small plastic particles down to one centimeter, up to massive discarded fishing nets of tens of meters in size. By removing the plastic while most of it is still large, it is prevented from breaking down into dangerous micro-plastics. Combining the cleanup with source reduction paves the way to a plastic free ocean.

Deployment of a segment prototype in the North Sea.