Boskalis Ups Stake in Fugro

The Fugro Equator, fitted with state-of-the art multibeam echosounder equipment, has been conducting a bathymetric survey of the seafloor in the search area for missing flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean. Photo courtesy Fugro

Dutch maritime services provider Royal Boskalis Westminster says it has increased its stake in Fugro N.V. to 20.01%, but assures that it is not a step towards making full offer for the company.

Boskalis says the strategy is focused on offshore and (maritime) infrastructure, making use of the combination of high end know-how and maritime assets, saying in a statement that it views Fugro “as an interesting company with strong market positions in its core activities.”

Boskalis originally purchased a 14.8 percent stake in Fugro in November 2013.

Headquartered in Leidschendam, the Netherlands, Fugro is a global group of companies that provides geotechnical, survey, subsea and geoscience services. The company has a presence in over 60 countries with close to 250 offices. Fugro’s resources include 51 vessels; 26 aircraft; 97 CPT trucks; 261 onshore and 17 offshore rigs; 30 jack-up platforms; 12,591 employees; 35 laboratories; 9 autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs); 150 remotely operated vehicles (ROVs); 40 diving systems; 2,226 nodes; and 61 nearshore craft, according to its website.

Boskalis offers a wide variety of marine services and contracting for the offshore energy sector including subsea, heavy transport, lifting and installation (through Boskalis Offshore and Dockwise) and towage and salvage (through SMIT). It also has a strategic partnership in terminal services (Smit Lamnalco). The company operates a versatile fleet of 1,000 units in around 75 countries across six continents. Including its share in partnerships, Boskalis has 11,000 employees.