Annual report 20108.31 MB - Boskalis

Chairman’s statementCorporate Business Plan 2011-2013A new Corporate Business Plan has been compiledin order to bring focus to the new group in terms ofits composition and cohesion, and to prioritize thevarious investment opportunities.To this end we took measures including aglobal market survey of the relevant trends anddevelopments in our markets. We also visiteddozens of our clients and end-users of our servicesaround the world in order to question them abouttheir views on the market and their specific productrequirements.The study showed that the long-term drivers forour industry, and in particular the growth in energyconsumption and global trade, remain positive.The main market segments that we will continue toconcentrate on are:• Oil & Gas;• Ports;• Land Reclamation & Coastal ProtectionWe have refined our geographical focus. We haveidentified six regions in the world where thereis expected to be a high level of activity for ourbusiness in the coming years and on which we willconcentrate our focus. These ‘focal regions’ are:• Northwest Europe;• South and West Africa;• Brazil;• Middle East;• Southeast Asia;• Australia.Although the long-term drivers are positive, weexpect volumes and prices to be under pressure inthe near term, particularly at the lower end of themarket. We shall therefore intensify our focus oncost leadership.Conversely, at the top end of the market we areseeing opportunities for combined services withconsiderable added value. This applies in particularto the combination of SMIT and Boskalis services.In order to maximize our ability to leverage theseopportunities we will continue to further integratethe organizations.In the coming years we will use our strategic frameworkto further put our house in order, on the onehand by fine-tuning both our portfolio of activitiesand our organization.On the other, we will take targeted action to furtherstrengthen ourselves – within the organization, withour fleet, and, where possible, through acquisitions.And so it is with a sense of great expectation andconfidence that we cross the threshold into the nextcentury of our history.Shortly after the date of this report the sad newsreached us of the sudden passing away of ouresteemed chairman of the Supervisory Board,Mr. H. Heemskerk.After his appointment to the Supervisory Board in2006 Mr. Heemskerk made a major contribution tothe development of our company through hisbroad managerial experience, great interest andenthusiastic involvement. As chairman of theSupervisory Board Mr. Heemskerk played animportant, binding role in renewing, reinforcing andleading the Supervisory Board. We will remember himas a committed, inspiring and passionate person.On behalf of the Board of Managementdr. P.A.M. BerdowskiRoyal Boskalis Westminster nv7