Breaking New Ground

The world-famous Palm Islands in Dubai, the New Afsluitdijk, the Zuiderzee Works, the Delta Works: the dredging and offshore company Van Oord is the spindle in all these gigantic projects. The company is an expert in the construction and maintenance of harbors and waterways around the world. The company also works on coastal protection and construction at sea, such as the installation of pipelines or windmill parks. Through take-overs and mergers, Van Oord became a world player in the business, and their history became the history of the Dutch marine engineering. Hundred and fifty years ago, the beginning of this special company was founded by someone named Govert van Oord, an autonomous merchant in barley wood, osier and other wood products in the vicinity of the Biesbosch. In this period contractors laid down the New Waterweg Canal and the North Sea Canal, deepened the rivers and undid them of inconvenient bends. In one and a half century, the ‘wet contracting’ developed from a handicraft utilizing wheelbarrow and shovel into a knowledge-intensive sector using advanced tools. In this beautifully illustrated and compelling book Joke Korteweg, based on exhaustive study, elucidates the exciting story of an ancient Dutch sector that plays an irreplaceable role in the history of the Netherlands. Joke Korteweg is a maritime historian. Previously she published Kaperbloed en koopmansgeest, 70 years of IHC Merwede en Nederlandse scheepsbouw.