On Saturday 6 April, the Statix association of KU Leuven civil engineering students visited our sites in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. For this group of 30 students, this was the ideal opportunity to gain insight into Jan De Nul's projects and experience life abroad.
We currently have several projects ongoing in the United Arab Emirates. This makes the region the ideal location to give students more insight into our activities. Specifically, the artificial island of Al Omairah and the Lightning cable project were on the agenda for the visit.
The visit began at our Dubai Waterfront hub, where all the logistical preparations for our projects take place. After an introduction to the Al Omairah project, we joined the students for a closer look at the site. They received information about vessels and pontoons, viewed our excavator Starfish and were introduced to the many components of a dredger. They then boarded our cutter suction dredger Leonardo Da Vinci, where we explained the operation of such a vessel.
After lunch, it was time for our offshore department. The students had the chance to visit our cable-laying vessel Isaac Newton, which had arrived in Abu Dhabi a day earlier for the Lightning project. After an introduction on the bridge, the tour started on the vessel’s helideck. The students learned how more than 135 kilometres of cable would come on board and how we install and protect such a 5,000-tonne cable on the seabed.
Of course, the students were not only introduced to the technical aspects of the work, but also to life abroad. After the tours, they could first show their sporting side during football, basketball and padel matches, where they teamed up with Jan De Nul colleagues. We ended the day with a dinner, during which the students were able to network informally with Jan De Nul colleagues who enjoyed sharing their own experiences and stories.
The students were very enthusiastic about really getting to know Jan De Nul, our diversity of projects, and of course all the job opportunities we have to offer at home and abroad. In short, a successful visit!
