They are a Dutch family-owned company with more than 150 years of experience as an international marine contractor. Entrepreneurship and employee engagement are paramount in their culture. Their roots go back to 1868. Drawing on their expertise and vast experience gained over the course of their long history, they have every reason to look forward to the future.

Marine engineering

The origins of Dutch marine engineering lie in the Netherlands’ unique location on the North Sea and its battle against the water. The history of their company is entwined with the country’s biggest marine engineering works, including the Nieuwe Waterweg Canal, the Delta Works, and the Port of Rotterdam Maasvlakte II expansion. These were projects that fuelled economic growth and kept the population safe from flooding.

During these projects, they’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience and the company grew into one of the biggest marine engineering companies in the world. Since the late nineteenth century they have also applied their expertise abroad. We dredged the Suez Canal, extended the port of Surabaya, and built the Palm Islands in Dubai and the Gemini offshore wind park – all projects that have put their company on the map worldwide. Their employees continue to rise to new challenges and come up with inventive solutions, helping to build the world of tomorrow, day by day.

Founder

They are proud to bear the name of one of their company’s founders: Govert van Oord. He took his first step towards entrepreneurship in 1868. Since then, other legal predecessors have been involved in a wide variety of marine engineering projects. Over the course of 150 years, Van Oord has grown into the company it is today: an international marine contractor specialising in dredging, oil & gas infrastructure and offshore wind. A succession of acquisitions and mergers has helped with this growth.