june 2015 18 airmail newsletter - den helder airport · the regional airport of north-holland-north...
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THE REGIONAL AIRPORT OF NORTH-HOLLAND-NORTH
AirmailNewsletter
JUNE 2015
VOLUME18
EDITION20
North Sea Offshore a successful event
Den Helder Airport and Port of Den Helder jointly facilitate the logistic offshore hub in Den Helder
Alderman of Economic Affairs Pieter Kos:
Together they share a story
INCLUDE IN THIS EDITION:
Vanessa Drost:
“I m part of a great team”
2
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTER DEN HELDER AIRPORT
ForewordIn front of you is Airmail, the renewed newsletter of
Den Helder Airport. With a modernized appearance and
familiar items we inform you about the developments in
and around the airport. This newsletter is largely devoted
to our cooperation with Port of Den Helder. Aside from
the main article, in which Port Director Piet-Hein Kolff
and the undersigned provide you with more detailed
information about our special collaboration, alderman
for Economic Affairs Pieter Kos gives us his views and
outlines the plans of the municipality of Den Helder for
the further growth of the offshore industry in Den Helder.
This newsletter also features the experiences of two
women who work at Den Helder Airport. Jolanda Visser,
Base and Accountable Manager at CHC Helicopters
Netherlands, talks about her work at this helicopter
operator. Vanessa Drost, who was recently appointed
for the SAR department of Noordzee Helikopters
Vlaanderen (NHV), does the same. Brief attention is also
devoted to the renovation of hard standings 7, 8 and 9
and to the North Sea Offshore entrepreneurs event.
Looking back, we see that 22,850 flight movements by
major traffic were conducted in 2014 and an increase
to 27,000 is a clear possibility. We transported 147,047
passengers last year. The thirty companies established
on the premises of Den Helder Airport currently offer
employment to some 500 people. These are figures we
can all be proud of.
A number of new developments are also discussed in
this edition. For example, as in 2014, Den Helder Airport
will be participating at the Offshore Energy exhibition,
which will be held on 13 and 14 October in the RAI
complex in Amsterdam. Once again, we will be present
together with Port of Den Helder and a large number of
other companies from the region. I would like to invite
you to visit the Den Helder Pavilion (number 11.054, hall
11). We would be delighted to send you a card entitling
you to visit the exhibition free of charge.
If you would like more information about our company
after reading this newsletter, I cordially invite you to
arrange a visit to Den Helder Airport. Obviously all of
the information and news will also be published on our
website: www.denhelderairport.nl.
Conny van den Hoff
Managing Director
www.facebook.com/denhelderairport
@DHAirport
Luchthavenweg 10A, 1786 PP Den Helder
Telephone: +31 (0)223 63 56 66
Internet: www.denhelderairport.nl
E-mail: [email protected]
In March of this year, the Port of Den Helder
and Den Helder Airport were present at the
international EWEA Offshore wind energy
conference in Copenhagen with a joint stand.
Conny van den Hoff: “We quickly realised that
the visitors were pleasantly surprised by the
unique airport/seaport combination and that
we mutually reinforce each other on many
fronts. Especially since together we can offer
a complete logistics service package to both
the oil and gas industry and the offshore wind
energy sector. We can also provide a complete
education and training package for both sectors
in Den Helder.” Piet-Hein Kolff: “Furthermore,
we have been able to show that there is
still plenty of room for new developments
both in the seaport and in and around the
airport.” According to Conny van den Hoff, the
collaboration that has taken place will certainly
be continued. Piet-Hein Kolff: “Later this year,
Port of Den Helder and Den Helder Airport
will also share a stand at the international trade
fair ‘Offshore Energy’ in Amsterdam. Together
with a large number of offshore companies
from North Holland North and the Royal
Netherlands Navy, the objective is to provide
a comprehensive Den Helder presentation.
Furthermore, attendance at the trade fair
‘Offshore Europe’, to be held in September
in Aberdeen, is still under consideration. The
focus will be on bringing in new business and
providing new services to both the oil and gas
industry and the rapidly growing offshore wind
energy sector. Piet-Hein Kolff: “Many wind farms
in the English sector of the North Sea are easy
to reach by sea and air from Den Helder. In the
meantime, all interested parties that would like
to do so from Den Helder have applied. But the
activities surrounding the lifetime extension of
the older oil and gas production platforms are
also interesting for us.”
Relief crews A good example in which the seaport/airport
combination plays an important role is the
deployment of the Kroonborg by Shell and
subsidiary NAM. This offshore support vessel
that was recently put into service resembles a
supply vessel, but is actually a so-called Walk-
to-Work (W2W) ship that is designed to carry
out maintenance work on unmanned platforms
of both companies in the southern section of
the North Sea. There is accommodation for
60 maintenance technicians on board. The
Den Helder Airport and Port of Den Helder jointly facilitate the logistic offshore hub in Den HelderBoth in the Netherlands and abroad, they have been working together for some time to draw
attention to the exceptionally strong combination of the open seaport and regional airport of
Den Helder as a leading logistics service centre. Not only as an ideal location for companies
working in the oil and gas industry, but also as a base for the activities in the offshore wind energy
sector and recently the tidal energy sector. During an interview, Airport Director Conny van den
Hoff and Seaport Director Piet-Hein Kolff share their initial experiences and further plans.
The Kroonborg moored in the port of Den Helder. (Photo: Port of Den Helder)
3
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTERDEN HELDER AIRPORT
COLOPHON
The Den Helder Airport
Newsletter is distributed in a
broad circulation and is meant
to inform interested parties
about the activities at and
around Den Helder Airport.
Reproducing of parts of the
content is only authorized
with source indication.
The content has been
compiled at information.
No rights can be drawn
upon the content in fact.
Den Helder Airport
Luchthavenweg 10A
1786 PP Den Helder
Telephone: +31 (0)223 635666
www.denhelderairport.nl
Editor
PAS Publicaties
Postbox 47
1760 AA Anna Paulowna
Editorial staff
Paul Schaap
Conny van den Hoff
Debbie IJlstra
Yvonne Rouwhorst
Production
PAS Publicaties,
Anna Paulowna
Creator and print
Burghout Design & Druk
——————— ————————————— advertisement ——————————————————
Airport Director Conny van den Hoff and Seaport Director Piet-Hein Kolff work a lot together to enhance Den Helder’s
position as the logistic offshore hub.
Kroonborg is equipped with an Ampelmann,
a heave compensated telescopic gangway
that enables maintenance staff to cross over
safely from a moving ship to an offshore
platform. The ship is also equipped with a heave
compensated crane. Conny van den Hoff: “Part
of the maintenance staff comes from England.
Every two weeks on a Thursday, a Dornier 328
from Loganair, under the Flybe banner, flies
from Norwich to Den Helder. Each time, this
plane brings 18 maintenance people for the
Kroonborg who relieve as many colleagues in
Den Helder and who, in turn, are flown back
to England. The Kroonborg moors every other
week on the Nieuwediepkade in Den Helder
for the crew change.” This method of relieving
crews is not entirely new. It has occurred
before, although more sporadically, with crews
from seismic survey vessels and drilling rigs.
New developmentsConny van den Hoff has this to say about
the new developments that both companies
intend to stimulate together: “In 2014, the
number of flight movements performed is
22,850 and a further growth to 27,000 is a clear
possibility. There is still room available at Den
Helder Airport for airport-related businesses.
These include, among others, aviation and
maintenance companies, but the design of a
centre for spare parts is also an option. The plan
is also to develop a short-stay facility. For non-
airport-related businesses, the nearby Kooypunt
business estate offers ample office space.
Phase 3 is currently being developed here.”
According to Piet-Hein Kolff, sufficient
space is still available for new developments
in and around the seaport. “Very soon
we will get to work at the site where the
Vaarwegmarkeringsdienst is still located. A new
business estate with some 300 metres of quay
space will be constructed here. Furthermore,
we would like to start this year on the
Buitenveld grounds behind the Nieuwediepkade
and the Paleiskade will be extended further.
The further construction of the Kooyhaven, just
south of Den Helder along the North Holland
Canal, is still to come. And discussions are
underway with the Royal Netherlands Navy on
whether additional space for civilian companies
will become available in the naval port through
joint use of port and quay facilities. In short,
both Den Helder Airport and Port of Den Helder
have a lot to offer the oil and gas industry
and the offshore wind energy sector and we
would like to broadly promote that together.”
Rare birdRecently, on Thursdays every other week, a rare bird descends on Den
Helder Airport. It is a Dornier 328 passenger plane. On 30 April we were
surprised by a colourful version of this aircraft. This bright purple-coloured
Dornier 328 has the name Spirit of Norwich. Airline Loganair continually
transfers 18 maintenance people from Norwich, England to Den Helder,
where they relieve on board the offshore support vessel Kroonborg
eighteen colleagues who later return to England with the Dornier 328.
Operators NAM/Shell use the Kroonborg to conduct maintenance work
on small offshore platforms in the southern section of the North Sea.
The Scottish airline Loganair is a franchise partner of Flybe, which has five
Dornier 328 aircraft in its fleet. Aircraft manufacturer Fairchild-Dornier has
delivered more than 200 of these aircraft since 1993.
4
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTER DEN HELDER AIRPORT
Vanessa came to work at this department on
26 January 2015. Her official job title is SAR
Operations Assistant. “The new SAR contract
that NHV officially signed with the government
comes into effect as of 1 July of this year. This
contract has a five-year term. There are also
two options for a one-year extension. The
office organisation must be solid as a rock on
that date. But that should be possible with my
experience in the field of Human Resources
(HR).” NHV’s entire SAR operation in the
Netherlands consists of four Dauphin AS365N
helicopters, two of which are stationed at Den
Helder Airport and two at a location at the
Pistoolhaven in Rotterdam. The latter two are
deployed in the southern part of the coastal
region, while the helicopters at Den Helder
Airport are responsible for the northern part.
NHV now has the necessary SAR experience
since this kind of activity has been carried out for
the Dutch government since early 2014. Under
the supervision of the Coast Guard, nearly 100
actions, including 45 medical evacuations,
were performed in 2014. Vanessa: “We have
five crews to man the rescue helicopters. And
every crew consists of a captain, a co-pilot, a
hoist operator, a rescue swimmer and a medic.”
New helicoptersOther news from NHV includes the use of
two brand-new EC175 offshore helicopters at
Den Helder Airport. Vanessa explains: “NHV
ordered sixteen of these new helicopters that
have been specially designed for offshore
operations. The design takes the needs and
experiences of oil companies and helicopter
operators into account. They are flown by two
pilots and can carry sixteen passengers. We
have had the first two EC175 helicopters built
by Airbus Helicopters here since December
2014. That makes NHV the global ‘launching
customer’ of this brand-new type. We fly them
for Wintershall Noordzee and they amply
meet our expectations.” This year, Airbus
Helicopters will be delivering six more of these
helicopters to NHV and the last eight will
follow between 2016 and 2018. “Up until 21
April of this year, 441 flights had already been
made with these two EC175 helicopters. This
is equivalent to some 600 flight hours and the
transport of more than 6,000 passengers.”
Major acquisitionIn December 2014, NHV announced the
acquisition of the Blueway Group, including
DanCopter, which also operates from Den
Helder Airport, Blueway Offshore Europe,
Airlift and Vertech Offshore. This makes NHV
one of the largest helicopter operators, with
a presence in every oil and gas-producing
country around the North Sea. The fleet is
currently comprised of 59 helicopters. The
annual turnover is 270 million dollars. The
company, with its headquarters in the Belgian
city of Oostende, employs 650 people. “At Den
Helder Airport, our company employs some
65 people, divided over the SAR and Oil & Gas
departments. I m the only woman who works
at the SAR department. NHV is a wonderful
company and I m part of a great team. That s
why I enjoy going to work every day.”
VANESSA DROST:
“I m part of a great team”She already had her maiden flight. Suspended on the hoist of an SAR helicopter during
demonstrations given at various locations for the National Rescue Boat Day on Saturday, 2 May.
But normally speaking, Vanessa Drost stays on the ground and, as assistant to the Base Manager,
is engaged in setting up the office organisation for the Search and Rescue (SAR) department of
Noordzee Helikopters Vlaanderen (NHV) at Den Helder Airport.
Vanessa Drost is engaged in setting up
NHV s SAR office organisation.
Arrival of the first two brand-new EC175
helicopters at Den Helder Airport.
(Photo: Tom van Oossanen)
The international entrepreneurs’ event North
Sea Offshore that was held for the first time
on Thursday, 4 June in Den Helder was a big
success. The event, which was organised partly
on the initiative of Den Helder Airport, was
attended by more than 250 people.
The morning program included visits to various
companies from the region. Participants
could become better acquainted with ‘deep
sea mining’ at the Royal Netherlands Institute
for Sea Research (NIOZ) on Texel, attend a
seminar on ‘windfarm logistics’ at the Asset
Management Control Centre in Den Helder
or take a guided tour to learn more about all
the activities that are being developed at Den
Helder Airport and the Port of Den Helder. The
afternoon program started in the Dukdalf, on
the former Rijkswerf Willemsoord, with a stylish
network lunch. Directly afterwards, Ante Frens,
Asset Manager Offshore at the NAM and Eric
Wesselman, Management Consultant Oil and
Gas at KPMG, gave a presentation. All of this was
chaired by Stephan Morsink. Top entrepreneur
Annemarie van Gaal gave the audience a lecture
on entrepreneurship. The event closed with a
networking reception. North Sea Offshore is an
initiative of Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Noord-Holland
Noord N.V.(NHN), the Port of Den Helder, Den
Helder Airport, and Harbour and Shipping
Association Den Helder (HSV). The event is
supported by the offshore trade associations
IRO and NOGEPA, North Netherlands Offshore
Wind (NNOW), and the Dutch Wind Energy
Association (NWEA). Given the success of this
first edition, the organisers intend to make this
international event into an annual tradition on
the first Thursday of June.
North Sea Offshore a successful event
5
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTERDEN HELDER AIRPORT
Alderman Pieter Kos sees port development
and urban renewal as priorities in municipal
policy. Therefore, he is extremely pleased that
Den Helder Airport and Port of Den Helder
are working together to draw attention to
Den Helder as the offshore logistics service
centre (hub). “The joint presentation at the
international exhibition EWEA Offshore
in Copenhagen is a good example. An
important aspect was establishing contacts
with companies that expressed an interest in
locating in Den Helder or that would like to
develop activities from here. Naturally, when
these companies actually come to visit our city,
they are more than welcome at Den Helder
Airport and Port of Den Helder, but personally
I see it as my humble duty to welcome them
on behalf of the municipal authorities and
to tell them that we truly appreciate their
interest in our offshore logistics hub. I will
also remind them that Den Helder is a nice
place to live and enjoy recreational activities.
Later this year, Den Helder Airport and Port
of Den Helder will jointly present themselves
at the ‘Offshore Energy’ exhibition to be held
on 13 and 14 October in Amsterdam.”
Reliable partnerIn recent years many stories have been
circulating about the plans for the future
development of Den Helder. According to
Pieter Kos, that period of storytelling has
now ended. “If you want to come across as
a reliable partner, you have to achieve these
plans. And that is exactly what we are doing.
A good example is the proposed construction
of the regional port-related business estate
Kooyhaven. The municipal councils of both
Den Helder and the neighbouring municipality
of Hollands Kroon have adopted the zoning
plan for that. As it now stands, construction
will start before the end of the year. And that s
not all. We re also making progress at other
locations. For example, the development of
the south side of Den Helder Airport is on the
agenda, and a steering committee under the
leadership of the Province of North Holland
has been created for that. The municipality
is also working on the deep sea port. The
location of the Ministry of Infrastructure
and the Environment (Rijkswaterstaat),
where the Vaarwegmarkeringsdienst is still
situated, will be developed into a business
park. A 300-metre long quay will also be
constructed there. The Buitenveld area
behind the Nieuwediepkade will also be
developed and we are taking the opportunity
to extend the already existing Paleiskade.
All these important projects that have been
under discussion for a long time will actually
be carried out now. And we are not only
looking for sites to establish new companies
but we would also like to provide services to
companies that are already established there.
Such as logistics service provider Peterson, a
company that is very important for our city.”
SummitTo pick up the pace, a summit is regularly held
between the Royal Netherlands Navy, the
Province of North Holland and the Municipality
of Den Helder. “We keep each other on our
toes so we can actually achieve something
instead of just talking about it. We have also
taken the initiative to bring together the top
echelon from various ministries that have land
holdings and real estate in their portfolios.
After several consultations in The Hague, a
visit to Den Helder was recently made to give
people the opportunity to become acquainted
with the local situation and our ideas. Visits
were made not only to the city but also to
Den Helder Airport, the harbour and the
Naval Maintenance Company. We expect that
this will have a lasting positive effect on the
decision-making of our plans and projects. In
short, we are doing everything possible both
at the seaport and the airport to accelerate the
pace of the implementation of our projects
so that our ambassadors can widely report
about them together where necessary.”
ALDERMAN OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS PIETER KOS:
Together they share a storyThe collaboration between Den Helder Airport and the Port of Den Helder is starting to pay
off, according to Pieter Kos, Alderman of Economic Affairs in Den Helder. The strength of this
partnership is that a clear story is told about the unique and comprehensive range of logistic
services the two ports can provide for the oil and gas industry and the wind energy sector.
———————— ————————————————————— advertisement ———————————————— ————————————
Alderman of Economic Affairs Pieter Kos of
Den Helder: “We would like to speed up the
realisation of our plans.” (Photo: Peter van Aalst)
6
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTER DEN HELDER AIRPORT
Jolanda Visser has been working in aviation for
more than 17 years. KLM was her first employer.
According to Jolanda: “After having worked at
KLM for ten years as HR Manager for the Boeing
737 fleet and a short break in the publishing
world, I went to work as Interim HR Manager at
Transavia, a subsidiary of KLM. It was here that
I first came into contact with CHC Helicopters
Netherlands, when they asked me if I would
substitute for the former HR Manager who was
on pregnancy leave and conduct the Collective
Labour Agreement negotiations with the unions.”
But Jolanda never left. “After starting as HR
Manager exclusively for the base in Den Helder,
my job quickly expanded to HR Manager for
the Netherlands, Africa and Eurasia. I was also
able to maintain ongoing relationships with the
various trade unions regarding the Collective
Labour Agreement negotiations. After enjoying
this work for a number of years, I was appointed
to my current position as Base and Accountable
Manager in 2013. It is an exciting, highly diverse
job with lots of challenges.” As Base Manager
she is responsible for 180 employees who, as
a close-knit team (she refers to it a ‘well-oiled
machine’), ensure the safe transfer of passengers
to and from platforms offshore. “Safety is our
top priority. Everyone knows that collaboration
is the most important element in generating
a high degree of reliability and that gives us
the opportunity to go the extra mile for the
customer.” Jolanda also maintains contacts with
the customers and, as Accountable Manager,
with governments as well. In our country, CHC
Helicopter Netherlands is the largest helicopter
operator that has an Air
Operator Certificate with
four accreditations.
ConsortiumWith a staff of 180, CHC
Helicopters Netherlands
is one of the major
employers at Den Helder
Airport. The company
has a fleet of eleven
helicopters, soon to
be twelve. “Our fleet is
currently composed of
eight AW139 helicopters,
two EC155 helicopters and
one S-92 helicopter.” The
S-92, which can transport
eighteen passengers, is
the largest. The EC155
can take ten passengers
and the AW139, by far
the favourite among
our customers, can take
twelve. The manufacturer,
Augusta Westland, has sold
850 of these helicopters.
Starting on 1 July of this
year, we will be flying with
two AW139 helicopters for
Shell/NAM.” Jolanda has
this to say about the other
customers: “For some
time now, we have been
flying for a consortium
JOLANDA VISSER:
Infected with the aviation virus She was going to work as the Interim Human Resources Manager for four months in 2010 but Jolanda Visser has now been working at CHC
Helicopters Netherlands at Den Helder Airport, currently as Base Manager and Accountable Manager, for almost five years. She compares
working in aviation with contracting a virus that does not go away.
Base and Accountable Manager Jolanda Visser: “Safety is our top priority.”
Luchthavenweg 181786 PP Den HelderTel. : +31(0)223 677555Internet: www.chc.caE-mail: [email protected]
General Manager: ++31 (0)223-677571
——————— ————————————— advertisement ———————————————————
7
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTERDEN HELDER AIRPORT
• Den Helder Airport will continue to offer
financial support to the Den Helder theatre
De Kampanje in the coming years. Airport
Director Conny van den Hoff, together with
Theatre Director Jan Fokkinga, signed a new
three-year sponsor contract on Tuesday,
24 March. As is the case now, Den Helder
Airport will continue to connect its name to
the theatre after it moves to its new location
on the Willemsoord complex in Den Helder.
• Once again this year, Den Helder Airport,
together with Port of Den Helder, participated
in ‘Carrières aan Zee’ (Careers at Sea). This
maritime career fair, held at the Willemsoord
complex in Den Helder, is designed to
boost enthusiasm in the technical and naval
professions among youth. This time, 3,500
young people from the northern provinces
of the Netherlands visited the fair.
• At the end of 2014, a new camera system
was installed at Den Helder Airport and the
adjacent business park Kooypunt. This system
should enhance safety at these locations and
register ‘unwanted visitors’. The cameras have
been positioned at six different locations.
Three of them, at the access routes, are also
equipped with number license registration.
• On17November2014atDenHelderAirport,
CHC Helicopters Netherlands demonstrated
the new AW189 Agusta Westland helicopter
to its customers in the offshore sector.
Sixteen passengers can be transported with
this new helicopter, four more than with the
slightly smaller AW139.
• The Defence Helicopter Command has
received authorisation to carry out military
exercises with the NH90 helicopter from
Tuesday, 19 May to Friday, 11 September. The
military flights will take place from dusk until
1 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays in weeks 21,
23, 29, 35 and 37. In case of disturbance,
complaints can be submitted via telephone
+31 (0)161 - 296 200.
After extensive renovation, the three oldest
aircraft hard standings were officially put into
use again on Thursday, 23 April. Construction
company Ballast Nedam worked hard for six
weeks to recycle the old asphalt from hard
standings 7, 8 and 9 and reuse it in a durable,
low-maintenance platform. The renovated
surface consists of seamless, non-permeable
concrete, surrounded by new asphalt. The
entire platform has new marker lines and once
again meets the very
latest requirements.
Fred Louter, Manager
Operations of Ballast
Nedam, and Airport
Director Conny van
den Hoff each gave
a short speech when
the hard standings
were put into service
and the Ballast
Nedam staff was
treated to a festive
cake. Bert van de Wijgerd of CHC Helicopters
Netherlands was also put in the limelight by
Conny van den Hoff for his dedication and
support during this project.
Oldest hard standings like new again
of five companies (Total, Dana, Taqa, Petrogas
and Centrica) through the Helicopter Share
Model. GDF SUEZ is also a highly valued
customer. Last November, CHC presented a
new type of helicopter to its customers. “At
that time, we made a number of demo flights
with the new AW189, which is slightly larger
and wider than the AW139. The new type
can carry sixteen passengers. The wishes of
the users were taken into account during its
development.” And in early 2015, the company
had another special event. “We were the first
helicopter operator in the world to achieve
a milestone of 10,000 flight hours with an
AW139. We received an award for this from the
manufacturer, Agusta Westland, which we have
proudly displayed in the hangar. This gave us
cause for celebration with a small party.” In the
meantime, CHC at Den Helder Airport has also
reached this milestone with a second AW139.
Personnel management“With regard to attracting new staff, our motto
is to hire as many employees as possible from
our own region. We regard ourselves as a local
company and we see that there is sufficient
talent in the vicinity to meet our needs. And
we love the no-nonsense mentality in North
Holland. We also have a training program
for technical people or engineers. Our
maintenance department usually has two or
three interns, mainly from the Regional Training
Centres (ROCs). Very recently, in cooperation
with Lufthansa and Western North Sea, we
started training people who have the technical
capabilities but have not yet learned the skills. A
prerequisite is that they are willing to work for 6
months in Aberdeen or on other bases to gain
experience. By the way, early this year we gave
a phased-out S-76 helicopter to the ROC in
Hoofddorp as a training device. It is now used
to train engineers and sheet metal workers.”
To close, Jolanda Visser has this to say about
the company culture: “We apply the ‘ just safety
culture’ by encouraging our staff to share the
mistakes they have made with others so we can
all learn something from them. Incidentally, this
sharing takes place on a global level. In recent
years, we have also worked hard to contribute to
a new technical system that is used around the
world. The same also applies for the rostering
system for pilots. So my work is full of challenges
and once you are contaminated with the
aviation virus like I am there is no going back.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
Former director Roel Hijmans and current
director Conny van den Hoff christen the
renovated platform
The new renovated platform
The new sponsorship contract was signed
(Photo : Peter van Aalst)
FABRICOM
OFFSHORE
SERVICES:
a company with a mission
8
Den Helder Airport
NEWSLETTER DEN HELDER AIRPORT
Marc Bruin has been Contract Manager of
Fabricom Offshore Services at Den Helder
Airport since 1 April 2014. He is responsible for
the Operations & Maintenance department,
a team of more than 100 colleagues, the vast
majority of whom work offshore. It is a job with
a lot of variety and the added advantage that he
works close to home.
After Marc Bruin served for eighteen years as
an engineer with the Royal Netherlands Navy,
he decided in 2001 to look for a job on land
so he could spend more time with his family.
After working the first two years for Unishore
in Den Helder, he joined Fabricom. “At this
company, I started at the bottom of the ladder
again, as a mechanic. I did maintenance work
on the platforms of Total E&P Nederland in the
Dutch sector of the North Sea. I enjoyed the
work and it was a good learning experience.
I also had the opportunity to work my way
up: from senior mechanic, team leader to
contract site representative. As contract site
representative, I served as the contact between
Fabricom and the customer. Our company
has had a contract with Total E&P Nederland
since 1 January 2002 to perform the necessary
maintenance work on its offshore platforms.
This is done by a team of mechanics and
engineers who are engaged in electrical
engineering and instrumentation (E&I). After my
work experience as contract site representative,
I could temporarily fill in as contract manager.”
New position
This job as contract manager would take nine
months. He used this time to do a management
study. Then he went back to sea. But apparently
Marc left a good impression as team leader
since he was asked by Fabricom on 1 April 2014
to work at the office at Den Helder Airport as
contract manager on a permanent basis. He
has this to say about his current responsibilities:
“My most important task is to manage
Fabricom s general maintenance contract
with Total E&P Nederland. I am responsible
for the financial part, the budgets and the staff
planning. I also make sure that all the conditions
of the maintenance contract are met.”
When asked how many Fabricom employees
work on this contact, Marc says: “About
twenty at our customer s main office in The
Hague. This includes senior trade engineers,
trade engineers, planning engineers and
administrative support staff. There are also a
number of employees at the Total warehouse
in Den Helder and about 100 technicians
offshore. This last group is two weeks on,
three weeks off. To stay in contact with them,
I visit my colleagues in The Hague every
Monday. Once a month I go offshore for a day
and visit various platforms. I usually combine
this with a safety meeting that our customer
holds on that day at one of its platforms.
Multiple users
At Den Helder Airport, Fabricom Offshore
Services operates from the building that was
once constructed by Elf Petroland in the shape
of its logo. This is particularly visible from the
air. After the merger between Elf Petroland and
Total E&P Nederland in 2003, the company
decided in 2007 to move all the activities that
were developed at Den Helder Airport to its
head office in The Hague. Consequently, the
characteristic building became empty until
Fabricom Offshore Services decided to rent it in
2011. This company is not the only user. “Cofely
GDF SUEZ has rented space on the ground
floor at the back of the building. This company
is among others active in the utility sector for
the Royal Netherlands Navy. On the top (3rd)
floor is Swift Drilling, which does drilling work
with the jack-up rig Swift 10 in the southern
part of the North Sea for various clients.”
All these users are part of the GDF SUEZ Group.
Aside from Total E&P Nederland, Fabricom
Offshore Services has maintenance contracts
with several other operators working in the
Dutch sector of the North Sea. The company
also operates in the offshore wind energy
sector. Forty Fabricom colleagues currently
work at the office at Den Helder Airport.
Furthermore, a few dozen work in teams at
various clients and about 340 work for various
operators on platforms in the Dutch sector
of the North Sea. Other Fabricom offices
are located in Aberdeen, Newcastle and
Teesside in the United Kingdom, Stavanger
in Norway and Hoboken near Antwerp in
Belgium. And in the Netherlands there is also
an office in Moerdijk, where they work on
onshore projects, such as building tanks and
performing construction and modification
work on (petro)chemical complexes. “Our
mission is to relieve our customers of their
concerns where necessary and to perform
the work as efficiently and safely as possible.
Part of this service orientation at the time was
the appointment of a contract manager.”
Marc Bruin: “Our mission is to relieve our
customers of their concerns.”