Going green, the Dutch dredging sector journeys to net zero.
Marlien Nooren wrote her master's thesis about CO2 emissions in the Dutch Dredging Sector. Our CEO Fulco Vrooland was interviewed about this subject due to the many years of experience he has in the dredging industry.
Executive summary
This thesis aims to explore how the Dutch dredging sector makes decisions surrounding carbon reduction measures in relation to climate policy. It identifies the challenges and opportunities that the transition to alternative fuels presents for the dredging sector, as well as how alternative fuels, as a decarbonization measure, fits within stakeholders’ CO2 reduction strategy. My findings show that stakeholders embarked on several initiatives to limit their environmental impact. While the sector is motivated to transition to sustainable alternatives, there are several roadblocks that are slowing down decarbonization in the sector. Experts from the dredging sector deem the transition to alternative fuels technologically feasible, yet the ambiguity of the market, lack of infrastructure and lack of stimulation by governments, specifically internationally, fosters a hesitance to invest in sustainable alternatives on a large scale. From this, I conclude the need for extrinsic drivers such as stricter requirements set by governments to stimulate the energy transition within the dredging sector. Intrinsic drivers, such as the exchange of knowledge, cooperation, and transparency could also boost decarbonization.
