Sustainability report 2019
4
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 – BOSKALIS ADVANCING THE ENERGY TRANSITION The population and prosperity growth also drives growing demand for energy, which will increasingly come from renewable sources. We have a significant role to play in this transition through wind energy, a role we are equipped to fulfil and lead in. The crane Sustainability is increasingly relevant because of the megatrends that are shaping the world in which we operate: climate change, growth of worldwide trade, growing world population and the demand for alternative sources of energy. For this reason, it is an opportune time to review our sustainability strategy, which we have done during 2019. Through this process, we have taken a broad look at these global trends and considered how they shape our business in the medium and long-term. We contribute to society and the UN Sustainable Development Goals through our business and our activities. We do so in the areas of flood protection, climate change resilience, creating infrastructure for trade and energy with the associated employment this generates and the energy transition to renewables. We create and protect welfare and advance the energy transition. CREATING INFRASTRUCTURE The coming decades will be characterized by further growth of the global population and increasing prosperity per capita. Coastal urban population growth, together with increasing wealth, will fuel the need for infrastructure – infrastructure that we can create, using our world-class fleet, with ports, waterways and land reclamation. For example, in 2019, Boskalis completed significant works on the new port area in Duqm, Oman, with an impressive kilometer-long quay wall and two 400-meter-long jetties. this agenda forward. Our stakeholders have increasingly high expectations of us, and we will endeavour to proactively meet these. 2019 has been a turbulent year for Boskalis. We faced a number of significant challenges while also making major strides in other areas of our work. Sustainability has remained a priority driver. Boskalis is a leader in sustainability in its industry, and it is our strong intention to continue to drive
vessel Bokalift 1 was once again well-utilized in its second year of operation: until August at the East Anglia wind farm and subsequently for the decommissioning of Vulcan Viking. Being appointed to the Changfang and Xidao wind farms project in Taiwan has given us the impetus to commission Bokalift 2. The increased capacity of this vessel will allow us to expand our footprint into the Asian renewables market. CLIMATE ADAPTATION Global warming will continue and climate change will become ever more apparent in the form of rising sea levels and more extreme weather. Many coastal areas with growing populations and prosperity will be under threat. We can play a major role in adapting to climate change through our Building with Nature solutions and by offering an array of protective measures ranging from beach replenishment to polders, and from dikes to mangroves. These are solutions that we already provide. This year, we’ve done so with more work through the EcoShape Consortium and through our own business activities such as Palau Tekong in Singapore where we are working on the first, protective
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs