Costa Concordia: oil salvage operation under way again

February 14th, 2012 by nwp

Operations to pump thousands of potentially hazardous fuel from the tanks of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia began on February 12. Two weeks ago the crew of Smit Salvage/Boskalis had to stop the defueling operation when rough seas forced the company to disconnect the working crane barge from the ship wreck.

Defueling may take one month
The emptying of 15 of the Concordia’s fuel tanks where most of the ship’s roughly 2,400 tons of fuel are stored, may require as long as a month, officials said.

The Concordia ran aground near Giglio, a small island off Italy’s western coast, on January 13, after veering off its official course. The process of emptying the ship’s tanks was originally scheduled to start soon after the end of the search for the missing people.

Forward tanks first
The initial operation focused on the forward fuel tanks. Four of the six tanks had already been installed with a sealable flange during the first defueling attempt late January. As operations continue, the remaining tanks will also be prepared.

Weather looking good
According to Smit/Boskalis the weather forecast for the coming days looks good and pumping will continue around the clock as long as the favorable conditions continue.

Read more on the defueling operation in our previous news item:
Rough seas prevent Smit-Neri salavage team to start defueling Costa Concordia

More information
Smit
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
+31 10 454 99 11
www.smit.com


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Real water use of the average world citizens is an astonishing 4000 liter per day

February 14th, 2012 by nwp

The average global water consumption has been 1.385 m3/y per capita over the period 1996-2005. This comes down to a average of almost 4000 liter per day. These figures were published in an article that appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) on February 13.

The authors of this article, Arjen Hoekstra and Mesfin Mekonnen of the University of Twente (the Netherlands) calculated the average water footprint, including not only the domestic water use, but also the use of fresh water for agricultural and industrial use.

Tenfold water use
Normally the figures on average water use per capita are published by water supply companies and refer mainly to domestic use only. Normally these figures do not top a daily use of 400 liters per capita, not even in highly industrialized countries. The new study by Hoekstra and Mekonnen shows that the actual water use is a tenfold.

The study reveals how different products and nations contribute to water consumption and pollution throughout the globe. The authors hope that the findings help governments to establish commodity production and consumption policies aimed at managing the planet’s finite freshwater supplies more effectively.

The water footprint (WF) is measure of the total volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services. The authors estimated the water footprint for an average citizen in each country, using three components:

  • blue – the volume of ground and surface water used

  • green – the volume of rainwater used
  • grey – the volume of freshwater polluted

Industrialized countries have water footprints in the range of 1.250–2.850 m3∕y per capita, whereas developing countries show a much larger range of 550– 3.800 m3∕y per capita.

Fast growing water stress in China
The water footprint of Chinese consumption is still relatively small and largely internal (90%), but given the country’s rapid growth and the growing water stress (particularly in North China), the country is likely to increasingly rely on water resources outside its territory, evidenced by China’s policy already today to buy or lease lands in Africa to secure their food supply.


With 92% the agricultural sector is by far the biggest freshwater consumer.

One-fifth for export
The study shows that about one-fifth of the global WF in the period 1996–2005 was not meant for domestic consumption but for export. The relatively large volume of international virtual water flows and the associated external water dependencies strengthen the argument to put the issue of water scarcity in a global context.

Need for sustainable water policy
For governments in water-scarce countries such as in North Africa and the Middle East, it is crucial to recognize the dependency on external water resources and to develop foreign and trade policies such that they ensure a sustainable and secure import of water-intensive commodities that cannot be grown domestically.

Some other remarkable figures for the average water footprint:

  • the global annual average was 9,987 Gm3/y (74% green = consumed rain water), 11% blue (= consumed surface & groundwater), 15% gray (= fresh water needed to assimilate pollution of surface & groundwater).

  • the global average consumer used 1,385 m3/y (in USA 2,842 m3/y and in China 1,071 m3/y)
  • consumption of cereal products gives the largest contribution to the water footprint (27%), followed by meat (22% and milk (7%)

Read the full article in the website of PNAS.

More information
Water Footprint Network
c/o University of Twente
Enschede, the Netherlands
+31 53 489 4320
www.waterfootprint.org

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New ‘tap’ splits Rhine highwater with great accuracy over two rivers

January 31st, 2012 by nwp

by Jac van Tuijn

The Dutch national water authority Rijkswaterstaat has officially commissioned an adjustable weir in a by-pass of the river Rhine near the city of Arnhem on January 30th.

The new ‘tap’ is unique in its kind in the Netherlands. It is a simple civil construction consisting of a 150 m long wall across the flood plain of the river that can be opened by removing concrete elements in case of extreme high water.

The new diversion work Hondsbroeksche Pleij is situated at a crucial diversion of the Rhine in the Netherlands where the river Nederrijn/Lek takes 2/3 of the highwater to the west and the river IJssel takes 1/3 of the highwater to the north.

Depending on how many elements are removed, up to a maximum of 175 m3/s can be diverted extra into the IJssel.

Dike moved inland
On the location of the diversion, the total river capacity has been increased by widening the flood plain. A new dike has been constructed 250 m inland and in this newly created flood plain a by-pass has been excavated. The ‘tap’ is situated in this by-pass and regulates the amount of highwater to pass through.

In case of a combination of extreme highwater coming down the Rhine and springtide on the North Sea, the ‘tap’ can play a crucial factor in preventing downstream floods. By using the ‘tap’ the water authorities can direct more highwater northwards to the IJssel lake. As a result the flood risks around cities as Rotterdam can be reduced.

First out of series of 30 river projects
The commissioning of the diversion work is the first completed large project in a series to 30 projects of the 2.3 billion euro Room for the river programme (Ruimte voor de rivier) that is to increase the capacity of the Rhine from the German border to the North Sea/IJssel lake from 15.000 to 16.000 m3/s.

All 30 projects have to be ready by 2015 and include the lowering of the floodplain at various locations, removal of obstacles, deepening the summer bed, creation of more temporary water storage capacity, relocation of dikes inland, lowering the groynes.

Unique construction
“The tap is unique in the Netherlands”, said Ingwer de Boer, programme director of the Room for the river project. “By moving the dike inland, in combination with the tap, the highwater can be diverted with great accuracy”.

On the occasion of the commission, De Boer officially handed over the new dike, the by-pass and the tap to the local water authorities for the day-to-day management.

De Boer also mentioned the use of a new technique (mixed-in-pace) for construction of the dike. For the first time a 9 m deep bentonite barrier wall has been placed underneath a dike to prevent seepage undermining its strength . “The bentonite barrier in the underground, made it possible to reduce the dike width and saved us 3 million euro.”

The reconstruction of the river diversion cost 50 million euro, including 2 million for the tap.

Fine tuning up to 20 m3/s
The tap consists of 30 gates with the possibility to close these gates by piling up four elements. “In case of the flood warning it is possible to regulate the capacity of the by-pass with a precision of 20 m3/s”, tells Peter van de Kreeke of the consultancy firm Royal Haskoning, responsible for the design.

“Based on measuring from the past and the prediction of water levels, we have been able to model the situation of the river diversion and design the whole reconstruction”, says Van de Kreeke.

“For the modeling we had to extrapolate the real measuring as a situation of highwater in the Rhine of 16.000 m3/s has never occurred yet.”

Van de Kreeke adds that the new tap not only has an important effect on the downstream situation. “The by-pass can also influence another important upstream diversion in the Rhine. By modeling the high water for the whole Rhine system, we can predict the effects of opening or closure of the by-pass both upstream and downstream.”

Adjustable river diversion unique in the world
According to senior advisor Erik Mosselman of the water research center Deltares the ability to regulate a river diversion is not only unique in the Netherlands. Mosselman has been involved in the studies of many large rivers.

“To protect cities as Hanoi, New Orleans and Winnipeg large spill ways and by-passes have been constructed. Activation of these spill ways give more room to a river, lowering the water levels.”

“Yet, the activiation of an adjustable weir in a by-pass is different. It gives the water authorities the possiblity to direct more or less water into one of rivers at a diversion”, marks Mosselman.

Safety of four millions downstream
To emphasize the importance of the weir, Theo van de Gazelle, vice-director of Rijkswaterstaat, memorized the new policy for flood controle in the Netherlands. “After the almost flooding of the Rhine in 1993 and 1995, we realized we could not continue raising our dikes forever and adopted a new policy to ensure the safety of four million people. We decided to give more space for our larges rivers to flow more safely from our borders to the sea.”

Lower water levels
“In the past we canalized our rivers between high dikes. In the future we expect more heavy rainfall in the Rhine catchment area and we have to prepare for more highwater. Instead of raising our dikes endlessly, we now focus on meassures to lower the water levels wherever possible. This is in essence the programme Room for the river”, explains Van de Gazelle.

More information
Programme management office Room for the River
Utrecht, the Netherlands
+31 88 797 29 00
www.ruimtevoorderivier.nl

Royal Haskoning
Nijmegen, the Netherlands
Herald Vervoorn, h.vervoorn@royalhaskoning.com
+31 24 3284 893
www.royalhaskoning.com


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Arcadis CEO Harrie Noy steps down; Neil McArthur named succesor

January 30th, 2012 by nwp

Consultancy firm Arcadis announced that Harrie Noy has decided to step down from his position as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board in the upcoming General Meeting of Shareholders on May 16, 2012, He will be succeeded by Neil McArthur, who was named to the Executive Board last year.

Also, the current Director Europe, Stephanie Hottenhuis, who has been with ARCADIS since 1995, would be nominated for appointment to the Executive Board at the upcoming General Meeting of Shareholders.

Board member for 18 years
Noy was Executive Board member for 18 years, of which 12 years as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board. Under his leadership the company grew strongly, mainly through further international expansion. Since 2000, gross revenues increased from 750 million to 2.3 billion euro, the number of employees from 7,500 to almost 19,000 and the market capitalization from 150 million to 1 billion euro.

Big acquisitions
De Noy led the acquisition of a number of large companies with a leading reputation in the market: US-based environmental consultancy BBL (2005), international architectural and master planning firm RTKL (2007), water and environmental company Malcolm Pirnie (2009) and more recently the merger with project management and consultancy firm EC Harris.

Strategy for Asia and Middle East
Neil McArthur, civil and mechanical engineer, started his career at Shell, where he worked on large investment projects in Qatar and the Netherlands.

Since joining ARCADIS he has been closely involved in the merger with EC Harris, leads the integration process and is responsible for the strategy for Asia and the Middle East.

Stephanie Hottenhuis has worked for ARCADIS since 1995 in several positions in market development, project management and general management, gaining extensive international experience, especially in Asia and Europe.

This news item is based on the press release originally published on the website of Arcadis.

More information
Arcadis NV
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
+31 20 2011 011
www.arcadis.com

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Delft University appoints Zheng Bing Wang as new professor of morphodynamics of lagoons and estuaries

January 30th, 2012 by nwp

Mr Zheng Bing Wang has been appointed by the TU Delft Executive Board as professor of Morphodynamics of Lagoons and Estuaries within the department of Hydraulic Engineering.

New chair on morphodynamics of estuaries
This new chair focuses on education and research in the general field of morphodynamics of lagoons and estuaries, with an emphasis on the Dutch/German Wadden Sea. The main fields of knowledge of this multidisciplinary chair are: hydrodynamics, sediment transport processes, geological processes, interaction with the biological system and morphological changes in different time scales.

Abiotic aspects and their interaction with biotic aspects are a particular object of study.

Human interventions and natural phenomena
The ultimate aim of the research is to improve understanding of the way in which lagoons and estuaries respond to human interventions and natural phenomena. The research is also intended to lead to better tools for computing and forecasting the effects of past and future interventions.

To achieve this morphodynamical processes must be understood and modeled on an engineering scale, using both knowledge of processes as well as empirical knowledge.

Internationally acknowledged
Mr Wang’s experience, knowledge and personality are excellently suited to the job description. He is nationally and internationally acknowledged by his peer scientists and is considered to be an expert in his field. Mr Wang has been working in the department of Hydraulic Engineering as associate professor since 1990, during which time he has supervised many MSc and PhD students and contributed to several courses.

He has also performed valuable consultancy work at Deltares.

This press release was originally published on the website of Delft University.

More information
Delft University of technology, department of Hydraulic Engineering
Delft, the Netherlands
Professor Zheng Bing Wang, Z.B.Wang@tudelft.nl
+31 15 278 2785075
www.tudelft.nl

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Rough seas prevents Smit-Neri salavage team to start defueling Costa Concordia

January 29th, 2012 by nwp

The Dutch-Italian salvage team of Smit Salvage and Fratelli Neri had installed two of the six forward fuel tanks with a sealed flange and were ready to pump out the fuel.

However rough seas prevented them to start defueling the half-sunk cruise ship Coast Concordia off the Italian coast. This was announced at the press conference on Saturday January 28th on the island Giglio.

Technical briefing at press conference
At a press conference Smit Salvage and Fratelli Neri provided a technical briefing on the oil removal operation. The team was preparing the four remaining tanks.

Together the forward tanks are estimated to hold approximately two thirds of the (intermediate) fuel oil in the casualty.


A diver places the first flange against the hull of the Costa Concordia.

Water in, oil out
The divers had already drilled into four of the six outer tanks and fixed valves on them: one on top, one on bottom. Later on hoses will then be attached to the valves and as the oil is sucked out of the upper hose, sea water is pumped in to fill the vacuum via the lower hose.

Low temperature of heavy fuel oil
In an interview with BBC salvage manager Bart Huizing of Smit explains that the low temperature of the heavy fuel oil akes the operation more difficult and he expects that they shal have to heat up the oil before it can be pumped up.


See the interview with Bart Huizing on the BBC-website.

Start first
Huizing: “This makes it difficult for us to predict at what rate we can pump. We need to start first”, said Huizing. “We don’t see a big risk in an oil spill but if weather deteriorates nobody can tell what the vessel will do.”

Waiting for better weather
Later that day Smit Salvage had to disconnect the crane barge Melori from the cruise ship and brought into the protective port of the island Giglio. Officials said the conditions might keep them from resuming work until midweek.

See an underwater movie and a hot tap animation of installing the seal flange and pumps: Boskalis

See the technical briefing of the fuel removal: Boskalis

The latest news on the ship salvage is daily published on the website:
Boskalis/Smit

More information
Smit Salvage/Boskalis
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
+31 10 454 99 11
www.smit.com


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Free visit to Rio+20 for young water professional with innovative idea for river delta areas

January 26th, 2012 by nwp

In preparation for the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, the Delta Alliance invites young delta professionals around the world to present their solutions to the challenges which river deltas are facing.

The young professional with the best idea will be invited for a presentaton at the 2012 Rio +20 United Nations conference on Sustainable Development from June 20 to 22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

More resilience
Delta Alliance is an international network organization, based in the Netherlands, with the mission of improving the resilience of the world’s deltas. With increasing pressure from population growth, industrialization and a changing climate, it is more important than ever that these valuable and vulnerable locations increase their resilience to changing conditions.

The organization invites all young professionals to join the competition and present the sustainable and integrated Delta solution at Rio+20.

In line with the 2012 Rio+20 theme ‘Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication’, Delta Alliance is looking for innovative and creative solutions to deal with the acute challenges that deltas around the world are facing.


Coastal protection, sea level rise, morphological changes, soil subsidence (Ombrone delta)


Wetlands preservation, fishery, agriculture, rural development (Mekong delta)


Rivers, flood control, shipping, urban developments, industry, waterfronts, recreation (Brisbane river)

Addressing challenges in an integrated manner
Proposed solutions should address two or more of these challenges in an integrated manner, contribute to the reconciliation of social, natural and economic function, and demonstrate the added value of integrated (spatial) planning.

Participation is open for young professionals from all backgrounds up to an age of 35 years. The contribution (poster and a paper) will be assessed by an international, interdisciplinary expert commission.

Visit to UN Rio+20 conference
The winners of the award will be invited to present their solutions in front of an international audience at the 2012 Rio +20 United Nations conference on Sustainable Development from June 20 to 22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Travel and hotel costs will be provided by Delta Alliance.

Winners will also receive tailor-made organisational and financial support to further develop their solution in cooperation with internationally renowned organisations in the Netherlands and the other Delta Alliance Wings.

Winners of the award will be informed on 15 May 2012.

Look for the more details on the website of Delta Alliance.

More information
Delta Alliance
Wim van Driel, programme manager, info@delta-alliance.org
+31 317 482 308
www.delta-alliance.nl

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Norwegian pulp factory Borregaard Industries switches to Biothane EGSB anaerobe water treatment

January 26th, 2012 by nwp

Borregaard Industries has awarded Krüger Kaldnes/Veolia the contract for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant for its pulp factory in Sarpsborg, Norway.

The project is executed in cooperation with the two sister companies Krüger in Denmark and Biothane in the Netherlands.

The contract value is 14,3 million euro and the plant is to be handed over in 2013.

Biogas from waste water
The project comprises a complete wastewater treatment plant based on the anaerobic treatment technology using the Biobed EGSB (Expanded Granular Sludge Bed) process which is developed by Biothane.

The compact anaerobic process ensures an efficient reduction of organic matters in the waste water. The process produces biogas which will replace the use of mineral oils in Borregaard’s production.

Well-proven technology
“We are very pleased that Borregaard has chosen Krüger Kaldnes for the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant. Borregaard has one of the most advanced and sustainable biorefineries in the world, and it was an important prerequisite that the new wastewater treatment plant was based on a well-proven technology able to comply with the stringent standards of today”, says Anette Æsøy, sales manager at Krüger Kaldnes.

This news release was originally published on the website of Biothane.

More information
Biothane
Rijswijk, the Netherlands
Dennis Korthout, Business Development Manager, dennis.korthout@veoliawater.com
+31 15 270 01 11
www.biotyhane.com


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Hatenboer-Water wins order from DSME to deliver four Demitec RO systems for drillships

January 25th, 2012 by nwp

Hatenboer-Water has secured contracts from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) for the supply of Demitech reverse osmose installations for four new drillships.

In Okpo Bay in Korea director Hyun-Kyoo Choi, Offshore Procurement at DSME and sales manager Guy Heijnen at Hatenboer-Water, signed contracts for the delivery of the four on board water supply installations for the ships that will be delivered to Vantage Energy, Atwood Oceanics and two for Aker Solutions.


Director offshore procurement Hyun-Kyoo Choi of DSME hands over the contract to Guy Heijnen of Hatenboer-Water.

The drillships are the newest generation of ultra deep drilling ships, which can drill to a water depth of 12,000 ft (3 km). The ships are currently under construction, and the delivery of the watermakers is planned for this year.

Maritime and offshore applications
The Demitec RO system is a heavy duty installation specially designed for 24/7 operation in maritime and offshore applications. Worldwide there are more that 200 Demitec systems in operation. They work on the principle of reverse osmosis (RO) and have a capacity of 50 m3 per day.

Salt content below 10 ppm TDS
Drilling at great depths demands an extremely high quality of product water. The installations can supply water with a purity of only 10 ppm TDS. To obtain such a standard, the installation is in a two-stage configuration, with two RO installations in-line. The first unit desalinates to 500 ppm TDS and the second delivers product water with a salt content no higher than 10 ppm TDS.

World’s second largest shipbuilder
DSME is second largest shipbuilder in the world. The four new orders confirm of the good relationship between Hatenboer-Water and DSME. In 2011, installations were delivered for drillships for Transocean, Petroserv, Odebrecht and TMT, among others. Hatenboer-Water also received orders in 2011 from DSME for Heerema’s Aegir and the Pieter Schelte, which was built for Allseas.


Example of a drillship of Transocean.

Complete range of water treatment systems
Hatenboer-Water is active in the field of water treatment. As a result of the continually changing demand and the increasing number of problems with water, the Dutch water technology firm has grown to become a modern and valued company with a complete range of products, systems and services so it can provide a solution, worldwide, to every water issue.

More information
Hatenboer-Water
Schiedam, the Netherlands
+31 10 409 12 00
www.hatenboer-water.com


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Dutch consortium granted contract to assist Vietnamese government in long term Mekong Delta plan

January 24th, 2012 by nwp

The Dutch government has awarded a contract to a consortium of Dutch consultants and institutes to assist the Vietnamese government to develop a long term Mekong Delta master plan.

The consortium is headed by consultancy firm DHV and includes Royal Haskoning, Wageningen University & Research Centre, Deltares, RebelGroup and Unesco-IHE.

The project will last 18 months and the contract is worth 750,000 euro.

Special cooperation between Vietnam and The Netherlands
The contract is part of the special cooperation between the Netherlands and Vietnam, formalized in 2010 in the Viet Nam – Netherlands Strategic Partnership Arrangement on climate adaptation and water management.

In October 2011 a similar contract was granted to a Dutch consortium to advise the city of Ho Chi Minh on climate adaptation.

Mekong delta: very sensitive to climate change
With its 17 million inhabitants, the Mekong Delta is one of the world’s most densely-populated regions. It is also one of Vietnam’s most productive agricultural areas. However, the Mekong Delta is increasingly being confronted with the effects of climate change.


Dike breach in province of An Giang in October 2011.

Plans not contradictory to each other
The existing problems in the delta and the expected future developments require an integrated approach. Plans have already been made on sectoral subjects. But these plans may be contradictory to each other and some have insufficiently taken into account the future developments.

Also there is the aspect of time and priority. Some measures are more urgently needed than others.

Urgently needed salinity barriers along canals
For instance the improvements of the water supply system and salinity barriers along canals are urgently needed and continue to require upgrading to solve future demands. But more fundamental strategic decisions are needed on how to meet the combined impacts of these changes.

Using Dutch expertise
The purpose of the plan is to create a strategic long-term vision (2100) for the Mekong Delta, to set out a long-term programme with a range of short-term measures (2015-2025) and to strengthen water governance for the delta.

The Dutch consortium will advise on the water system, land usage, scenario development and water governance.

Winfried Pietersen, DHV project director, said: ‘The most important thing is for the Vietnamese to be able to use our knowledge and experience to develop a clear long-term vision that will truly set a course for sustainably developing the valuable Mekong Delta.’

This news item is based on a press release (in Dutch) originally published on the website of DHV.

More information
DHV consortium
Amersfoort, the Netherlands
+31 33 468 3029
www.dhv.com


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