Corporate brochure Royal Wagenborg

R O Y A L

Whatever transport is important to your business

operations: Royal Wagenborg has been looking for the

most intelligent and the most reliable transport solutions

for more than a century. Royal Wagenborg finds them

with committed people and state of the art equipment.

Wagenborg, ‘A sign of solutions’ since 1898.

FiRst We sAiled the BAltic seA And then We sAiled the MediteRRAneAn. eventuAlly, ouR ships MAde

the AtlAntic cRossing And noW We cAn Be Found on All the seven seAs. By investing in lARgeR,

ModeRn ships. With intelligent coMBinAtions And A heAlthy dose oF couRAge.

solutions by Wagenborg shipping

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Pulp and paper – millions of tonnes. If it were down to Wagenborg Shipping, they would

sail ships full of all types of pulp and paper from Scandinavia to North America.

Hans Kroon is Director of Wagenborg Shipping North America. ‘It may sound strange’,

he smiles, ‘but by taking the first steps with a little bit of courage we have become a large

and fully fledged international shipping company and we no longer bat an eyelid about a

direct line between the Hudson Bay and Scandinavia. But that wasn’t always the case.’

Wagenborg Shipping used to have the northern European seas as its home base for

many years. Ships from the Wagenborg fleet have sailed between Scandinavia and the

European Continent thousands of times. Long term clients have given rise to an impressive

Trans-Atlantic fleet over the past few years. ‘One of our clients in Finland shipped wood

pulp to North America for years. That shipping line was not something we did in those

days, as we mainly did the ‘short sea’ jobs for them. However, we are always thinking in

terms of total transport solutions, so we just put it to them that we could take on that trade

as well. As they were used to working with us they knew that reliability is our top priority

– we are always as good as our word – so they said ‘Yes’ straightaway.’

own office in America

In 1997, Wagenborg started to expand the fleet. Hans Kroon: ‘It’s quite simple – the larger

the ship, the wider the trading area. We used to sail the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, but

gradually expanded our sailing areas to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Then came the big crossing, which caused a few headaches of its own. You send out a

ship full of cargo, but what will it have for the return voyage? We see it as our challenge

to come up with an intelligent logistic solution. So we looked at how we could apply our

knowledge to this new trade between Scandinavia and North America, including the

Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes.’

Around the Finnish Saimaa Lakes, Wagenborg had acquired experience of limited access

during the winter period. ‘We had already developed ships that were ice-strengthened and

could sail independently for a long time during winter conditions – without icebreakers.

The Hudson Bay is quite similar to that area, as you can only sail there between July and

October. By using our experience intelligently, we had an advantage in the market – with

our ice-strengthened fleet we could make the crossing really early in the season.’

These new developments came with their own concerns.

through the ice without icebreakers

Facts and Figures• 150 sea-going vessels (1,000 - 20,000 ton)

• Ro-Ro, dry cargo, container carriers• Total ship management

• Worldwide operations �

‘A long crossing means that you need to consider

what you may come across along the way. Such a long

crossing means chance of bad weather and that means

delays, but we still want to deliver the cargo on time - no

matter what. So we invested in weather navigation which

will enable us to predict the progress of the journey in

weather terms. The seasonality causes significant time

pressure - we need to leave the Great Lakes before the end

of December, otherwise we are locked in by the ice.’

This step worked out well, as Wagenborg acquired its

own reputation and position in North America. In 2003,

Wagenborg opened an office in Montreal. ‘One of the

reasons was to bridge the time difference between the

continents. However, an even more important reason was

to acquire local knowledge. We can also operate as the

eyes and ears of our European clients. By maintaining

contacts with the authorities and by listening to clients and

their recipients, we found solutions and often created our

own niches. Our support offers added value to the client’s

product. By thinking in terms of solutions you prevent

becoming bogged down by problems.’

people’s Business

By now the Wagenborg fleet consists of more than one

third of all ships sailing under the Dutch flag, and the

fleet is still expanding. Together with the ships of private

owners, Wagenborg Shipping covers the entire range

between 2,000 and 20,000 tons deadweight. For every

cargo Wagenborg has a vessel. The Wagenborg fleet has

an average age of less than seven years. Koos Zumkehr,

Director Chartering: ‘Many people, many ships, many

languages. There have been many changes over the past

years, but the people and their contacts have remained

the constant factor. We are always talking about ‘people’s

business’ and that is what we at Wagenborg do well.

People make the difference, they make us a reliable partner

and we want it to stay that way.’

Wagenborg stevedoringWithin the Shipping division, Wagenborg Stevedoring

provides important and valuable logistics services. The covered storage of nearly 140,000 m2 is used by

many clients and for a wide range of projects.

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Wagenborg stevedoringWithin the Shipping division, Wagenborg Stevedoring

provides important and valuable logistics services. The covered storage of nearly 140,000 m2 is used by

many clients and for a wide range of projects.

Wagenborg towageWagenborg Towage has a fleet of nine tugs, six barges and a floating heavy-lift-

crane at its disposal, making it more than qualified for transporting ship hulls or project cargo’s. Wagenborg Towage can move cargo that cannot be transported

on regular cargo ships. In the ports of Delfzijl and Eemshaven these tug specialists assist with the mooring of large vessels.

solutions by Wagenborg offshoresAiling An oil Rig AcRoss the cAspiAn seA At seven knots. pRoviding A dRilling Rig in the Middle

oF the deseRt. WAgenBoRg oFFshoRe And the Business unit WAgenBoRg FoxdRill ARe speciAlists

in tRAnspoRting, AsseMBling And disAsseMBling coMplete dRilling instAllAtions, plAtFoRMs And

Rigs. AnyWheRe in the WoRld – At seA oR on lAnd.

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under pressure

The heat of the Sahara or the piercing frost of Siberia. For the people of Wagenborg

Foxdrill – specialists within the Wagenborg Offshore division in the area of transporting

and assembling and disassembling drilling rigs – these have become normal working

conditions. Bert Harms has been active within Wagenborg Foxdrill since 1983, and he

has installed and moved the most ingenious drilling installations in the most extraordinary

places in the world. Although the technology and the sites change and astounding

inventions are introduced every year again, there is only one thing that really matters:

a capable and experienced team.

preparatory Work

‘We were working with a large team on a major project in a Norwegian fjord. A weight

compensator needed to be replaced in a drilling rig. This compensator is a cylinder-shaped

construction of 14,000 kilos that keeps a drilling rig stable when wave movements occur

during drilling. We thought long and hard about how to tackle this. How do you keep the

whole thing stable whilst you are lowering the cylinder with winches? Our constructors

designed and built a special aluminium mobile hoist for this project. But you can’t rush blindly

ahead. We created the entire construction to scale in order to measure the forces – what

does a rig like that do when it’s for real?’

people’s work

However, the real work was on the day itself, when the cylinder needed to be

disassembled for maintenance. ‘Imagine a grey, bitter, windy, and rainy day in a

Norwegian fjord. When I arrived on deck at six o’clock that morning it was raining,

when I went indoors twelve hours later it was still raining. Day after day. In those

conditions it becomes difficult to tell how you will react. The work has to go on, but safety

comes first and foremost. For this project we had already decided to use ‘rope access’.

This is a method that enables our people to move through constructions at enormous

heights by using ropes. Wagenborg Foxdrill has IRATA certification for this type of work.

Whichever way you look at it, ropes become slippery in the rain. You have to realise

that this is really tough physical work, even in good weather conditions. So every five

minutes I’m asking myself: Can we justify this, can we continue? We always have an

expert rope-access supervisor on site and he gave his consent in the end. By using radio

communication, we first lifted the mobile hoist, inch by inch. This preparation took a week.

The construction is heavy and extremely important for the actual hoisting job.

Wagenborg Offshore provides logistics services to the global oil and gas industry, such as here in the Caspian Sea.

Facts and Figures• Offshore projects oil and gas industry

• On and offshore rig moving• Assembling/disassembling

• Modifications/inspections• Windenergy projects

• Management Services11

under pressure

So there he was, Bert, on the ground, with four or five guys in the ropes. In the rain and

during storms. ‘The mobile hoist was up, but then the real hoisting work started. All those

months of preparation came together at that time. Does it work? Did we figure it out right?

Can we do it in this weather? And there it was, the cylinder. When it was down on the

ground, I thought to myself – Brilliant! – that’s what it’s about.’

Quality of the team

Special constructions, long trips, heavy work. Within Wagenborg Offshore it often comes

down to the quality of the team. ‘What is most important to us? Our people. When you

have to rely on each other during major projects at sea or somewhere in the desert, good

colleagues make the difference– not only outside working hours. During every job, like

the one in Norway, you need to be able to rely on each other. When I select a team,

personality is very important. New guys will gain experience automatically.’

The same applies to the other Wagenborg divisions – ‘A quick call to Wagenborg Nedlift

and the transport of the drilling rig towards the coast or over land is sorted. They don’t

need it spelled out.’

Respect for people is something really important to Bert as a supervisor, including when

he supervises new colleagues. ‘Wherever you are, you can always learn something from

someone else. We respect every culture and every language. That is when you have the

most meaningful contacts, and when you learn something from being away from home.

There is a vast desert around you with no one else only your colleagues. Where the

morning sky has such magnificent colours that you can face any job that day.’ Bert smiles...

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solutions by Wagenborg nedliftheAvy tRAnspoRt. liFting And hoisting. cReAting connections. Building BRidges, liteRAlly At tiMes.

Within WAgenBoRg nedliFt the Most uniQue pRojects consist oF thinking And coMBining. the Best

eQuipMent only AcQuiRes vAlue When it is deployed intelligently. heAvy tRAnspoRt is pRecision

WoRk, especiAlly When you’Re deAling With constRuctions thAt Weigh seveRAl tonnes.

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‘Impossible!’ his friends said, when Gerben Elferink told them he needed to move a complete

brewery from Groenlo in the Netherlands to Peru. But... Wagenborg does not know the

word ‘impossible’. For eight years, Elferink has been a member of the team in Hengelo and

he saw the most unusual things during these years. He was also closely involved with this

operation. ‘The former Grolsch brewery was dismantled here in the Netherlands and built up

again at its destination, screw by screw. The entire process in between was our responsibility.

We checked the dismantling process every step of the way. We absolutely had to know

what we were transporting. How big and how heavy are the various parts that need to

be transported? Could it be simpler, lighter? We always inspect the route we will travel to

avoid surprises. A bend may be too tight or a bridge too weak. We are fully responsible for

every transport, in this case to Peru. For this project we worked together closely with other

Wagenborg divisions. Who can do what? What can other divisions add to this project?’

The entire project started with a soft-drinks manufacturer from South America. He wanted

to expand his portfolio with a beer-production line. Because of the Dutch knowhow within

Grolsch and the fact that Wagenborg Nedlift could arrange the entire transport chain, this

client chose the down-to-earth Dutch approach.

dutch brewery moves to south America

Whatever it takes

All the specialists of Nedlift were involved in the complete transport of the large silos,

drums, and other installations. ‘The entire transport chain required an enormous amount of

cooperation. We dismantled the brewery in two parts and moved it to Lochem. The largest

parts were sailed to the Wagenborg terminal in the Eemshaven on barges, but we thought

that the smaller parts could be moved more efficiently by road. In the Eemshaven there

were two 9,000 ton ships from Wagenborg Shipping that were ready to make the crossing

to South America. Everything was ready for departure, when there was a hitch in the

country of destination. This produced an enormous delay in the construction planning at

the new brewery site. For us it meant that the entire logistics planning had to be adjusted

immediately.’

Planning is everything, also in heavy transport. If a north-westerly storm or a spring tide

delays the departure of precious cargo, this has consequences for the entire company.

‘Sometimes ten people are involved with a project. In such a case everyone is on standby,

because as soon as we can continue, we will. Whatever it takes.’

Facts and Figures• Heavy transport and lifting services

• 140 mobile cranes and crawler cranes• 75 heavy transport vehicles

• Factory to foundation transport projects• Engineering & Project Management

done!

Nedlift arranged storage facilities for the client on the site

of Wagenborg Stevedoring. ‘After a period of uncertainty

of no less than eighteen months, the word came - the

brewery could be shipped to Peru. All that time, we had

a dormant brewery in our backyard in the Eemshaven...

Finally we made the crossing, and the brewery is now up

and running!’

Elferink smiles when he talks about his team. ‘We are

a serious player in the market, but not the biggest. We

need to think more intelligently. Sometimes this leads to

very special solutions or combinations. For example, a

construction that reinforces a bridge that could otherwise

not take a heavy load. Our construction department

worked intensively on this. In the end this construction is

designed in such a way that it can be used during other

projects as well.’

The most beautiful aspect of his work? ‘That I’m standing

next to a transport at night, I’m looking at all those busy

people, and I’m thinking that it’s just how I imagined it.

With every project I learn something new. Great.’

1�

FoR neARly A hundRed yeARs, WAgenBoRg FeRRies hAve tRAnspoRted Millions oF visitoRs to the

islAnds oF AMelAnd And schieRMonnikoog. AMongst the geneRAl puBlic, WAgenBoRg pAssengeR

seRvices is ceRtAinly one oF the Best knoWn divisions oF WAgenBoRg. it hAs A histoRy oF WondeRFul

encounteRs, stoRMy pAssAges, And ABove All dedicAted people.

solutions by Wagenborg passenger services

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For many years, Wagenborg Passenger Services has transported millions of tourists, day

visitors, and island residents to and from Schiermonnikoog and Ameland. Tiemen Boelens

has worked for this Wagenborg division since 1975. ‘We sail throughout the year – in the

summer we transport many tourists. In the winter we transport day visitors and collect large

equipment from the mainland for restauration projects on the islands. A lot has changed

over the years. Our ships have become bigger over time. These days we are even more

conscious of safety and use extra ships when demand is high. It is wonderful to see such

developments within the company.’

The born and bred Amelander has lived with the sea his entire life. ‘I’m a true sailor, quite

right. The Wadden, our home, has changed a lot over the years. You used to have mussel

beds that held the sand in place. These days the seabed is different and has a hard clay

layer with a sandy layer on top. That means the sand layer changes very rapidly and in

some places that has consequences for the permanent sailing routes – they change as well.

We’ll carry them, if we have to

Facts and Figures• Allmost 10,000 departures a year

• 1.8 million passengers• 5 ferries 19

In order to sail safely, we have all sorts of equipment

onboard to keep an eye on things. Fortunately the mussels

are making a comeback, which makes the sailing routes

more predictable.’

Tiemen Boelens lives with nature, but transporting people

is in his blood too. ‘These two things can conflict at times.

I remember an evening that was pretty wild at sea. We

sailed our normal service, a full ferry from Holwerd to

Ameland. That evening it was a spring tide, so high water

and strong winds. Despite the conditions we decided to

sail anyway. Well, the crossing went without difficulties,

but once we arrived in Ameland, the water was so high

we could not moor the ferry. Normally we would shore up

the ferry with ropes on the quay, and lay a gangway to

the pier to get people onshore. However, that particular

evening it was too wild to use that option. There was no

way we could moor in such a way so that our passengers

could disembark safely.’

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Tiemen digs in his memory and continues the story. ‘In

those cases we would have to wait for the ebb tide, but

that could take hours! We really wondered how we could

get all those passengers onshore. We had a lot of radio

contact with the shore, and all of a sudden I noticed that

buses were waiting for passengers on the dyke. That was

the answer! The buses were heavy and high and formed

a perfect windbreak between ship and shore. We used

the VHF to ask the drivers to drive very carefully over the

ferry road to the pier. The buses drove to the ferry at snail’s

pace. The passengers were able to move safe and dry from

the boat into the bus and onto the island.’ These days a

stormy night would be much less wild. ‘Correct. We have

floating height meters near the ports. When the water

levels are more than two metres above NAP during high

tide, the lights go red in Holwerd and Ameland and you

cannot enter the ferry road. We used to do that with the

naked eye.’

Does the old dog not miss the manual work? ‘Well, it’s

much safer and more comfortable nowadays. Cleaner too.

In the early days people never used to separate waste,

and spent oil was treated totally different. Wagenborg is in

the vanguard of new methods to minimise the pressure on

the environment. Mind you, the Wadden are on the World

Heritage List now, and with good reason.’

We used to hAve A MAssive BoARd on the WAll With cARds thAt indicAted Which Route WAs Being done

By Which dRiveR, Roughly. these dAys With gps, the inteRnet And the lAtest technology, WAgenBoRg

Reining’s heAd oFFice is A ModeRn high-tech logistics centRe, WheRe the entiRe tRAnspoRt chAin cAn

Be FolloWed At A glAnce. FRoM the FActoRy to the FRont dooR.

solutions by Wagenborg Reining

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the logistic connection

Thinking from the point of view of the client comes naturally to Wagenborg Reining.

With the divisions Transport, Warehousing, and Intermodal, Wagenborg Reining offers

integrated logistics services to its clients. Together with her colleagues of the Customer

Service Desk, Susan Bax is an important link in the complete distribution chain offered by

Reining – from the factory to the end customer.

‘You have to realise that we used to transport from A to B or from B to C. But nowadays

we consider how to facilitate the entire transport chain. So from A via B to C! If you

can do everything yourself that means having your own people behind the wheel, the

computer, and on the phone. For our clients it means guaranteed capacity and uniformity

of equipment. It is really efficient.’

They come from all over Europe - products that Reining transports from the factory of a

large client to the front door of the end customer. ‘We use special road train combinations

and mega-trailers that have curtain sides and a lifting roof. This makes loading and

unloading considerably quicker. With the lifting roof, pallets up to three metres in height

can be loaded and unloaded quickly and without damage.’

‘We are always looking for the optimum logistics solution for the client, and that doesn’t

necessarily mean by road. Intermodal transport can be a better solution, for example in the

case of a relatively constant flow of goods. In these cases, our Intermodal division seeks

the optimum combination of the modalities road, rail and water.

Our Huckepack trailers, that can be put on the train, are a good example; they offer a

seamless link with the European road-transport network. ‘The goods are then stored in

our warehouses and distributed to various clients. The warehouse carries out a range of

value-added activities, such as quality controls and assembly. The distribution to the end

customer is also carried out by our own people and with our own equipment. It completes

the circle – from factory to end customer, everything in-house.

inBound transport goods to warehouses

WARehousing storage and value-added logistics

distRiBution transport to end customers

Facts and Figures• 400 vehicles

• Warehousing 100,000 m2

• All over Europe• Intermodal transports

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Always informed

In determining the optimum logistics solution, Susan and

her project team first look at the two ‘flows’. ‘The standard

transport from the factory to the end customer could be

seen as ‘downstream’, but the reverse, the information

about how the shipments are doing along the way,

‘upstream’, is just as important.

This enables us to monitor the performance of the chain.

With our ICT facilities, such as GPS onboard computers

and an ‘Advanced Planning System’, we can provide the

client with information about the status of his order.’

Susan is proud to talk about the Warehouse Management

System. ‘We used to have different systems for different

warehouses. But these days clients want to see the total

stock levels at a glance, even if they are divided over

several storage sites. With our revolutionary ‘Multi-site

Multi-user’ application this is possible. The information is

processed real-time by making use of wireless scanning

equipment.’

All systems are linked, internally within Reining but also

with the systems of the client. Furthermore, Reining offers

its clients one central contact point. ‘The spider in the web.

That is good for communication, for transparency, and

for reliability. Nowadays, failure costs are extremely low

– throughout the chain. A sign that the reliability of the

deliveries is on a very high level.’

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