DEME Group: ‘Sustainability also means being able to continue growing in a sustainable way’

Sustainability is the core business of Belgian group DEME. The group’s years of expertise in dredging have allowed it to develop a diverse array of services and solutions that contribute to the global fight against climate change. ‘As an innovation-driven company, we continue to develop new solutions and make investments in order to keep growing sustainably,’ says CEO Luc Vandenbulcke.

DEME Group is a major contractor that specialises in dredging and infrastructure projects as well as the construction of offshore wind farms. It also has an environmental division that undertakes the remediation of contaminated sites and waterways. At the same time, the group is keen to explore new opportunities for leveraging its expertise. ‘Our company’s focus is always on the long term,’ points out Vandenbulcke. ‘The biggest challenge facing the world is climate change, and our response to that includes projects such as our work to better protect the Belgian coast from storms.’

Making the fleet greener has been a priority at DEME for many years. ‘Our most recent ships run on LNG instead of fuel oil and we are currently building a new generation of ships that will be able to run on green methanol. In the last six years, we’ve invested no less than 2 billion euros in the latest generation of ships, the latest training simulators and innovative techniques for cleaning up the environment.’

Those choices continue to pose a challenge, however. Luc Vandenbulcke explains: ‘If you look at the dredgers and the wind farms we are developing now, what we decide to build today is only finished a few years later and then has to last for at least 25 years. That means that those investment decisions should also be sustainable in the sense that they help us continue growing in a sustainable way.’

The group has partnered with KBC Commercial Banking to finance and insure its investments. ‘We’ve had a very open working relationship with KBC for many years. We appreciate the bank's solution-oriented and no-nonsense approach. They understand our industry and both teams work well together. As a result, the bank often approaches us proactively to offer solutions. It’s important to us that those suggestions aren’t complex constructions, but rather simple solutions that can be easily understood and deployed quickly,’ states the CEO.
In her capacity as relationship manager at KBC Commercial Banking, Anja Goris is thoroughly acquainted with the group. ‘DEME has continuously reinvented itself throughout its history. It started as a traditional dredging company and has developed into a pioneer in renewable energy. As a global player, it is fully aware of how important partnerships are when it comes to new markets and activities. DEME also has a strong company culture where people work hard and pragmatically. That’s something they share with KBC and the reason we’re so happy to work together.’