,,We thought about safety and at the same time about customers we could help when we started with bridges and gangways”, says founder and head of operations of BRIDGES2000, Hendrik van der Ham. After more than 25 years of experience in the production and rental of bridges for use in civil, maritime and offshore environments, the company is still on the ball.”
,,That sales story with telling what you can do is not that interesting. Why am I saying that? Because we have to learn to listen. As a team, we emphasize that. I will explain it with a comparison from our field.”
Jack up
Van der Ham shows photos of beautiful ships with jack-up, known from Vlissingen and the ports on the Belgian North Sea coast. ,,These ships are made for the maritime sector and often work for the offshore. Specific rules apply to the performance of work. Concerns such as Van Oord and DEME have to deal with this. Large companies with people who have always worked safely. And yet it suddenly has to be different. “
Risk analyses
Look, those are the problems of my interlocutor, he continues. ,,Does my conversation partner want to listen to my story and understand me or does he want to be understood and his problem solved?… I think the latter. We also make risk analyzes for the accesses provided by BRIDGES2000, to be used during installation and use. We started with that, when it turned out that they needed it. Look and that is appreciated. We therefore provide a precisely suitable solution,” explains Van der Ham. He explains, pointing to the photos, the requirements that ramps must meet and that even if there is little space on the quay, there are also solutions. For example, with systems parallel to the quay.
Safety
BRIDGES2000 also played a role in the pipe construction by C-Ventus – Van Leeuwen in the seabed of the Western Scheldt for the power plant in Borsele. Suddenly there were gangways from pontoon to pontoon and from the special pontoon to the mudflats. This gangway was partially submerged twice a day. Everything for the safety of the employee and just right.
Advantages
Bridges2000 builds beautiful gangways, (temporary) bridges and jetties. The company is solution-oriented, safe, fast and affordable. “The world of bridge building is our main expertise. Most gangways and bridges that we sell and rent are made of light aluminum. Our lightweight systems offer several advantages for the complicated challenges we like to take on. We literally want to build a bridge to a safer world.”
Source: Seaport Magazine
