Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski threatens again with his company leaving the Netherlands. However, there are no concrete plans now, he acknowledged in an interview with Sven Kokkelman on Radio 1 on Friday.
A year ago, the dredger already expressed himself in similar terms. The company mainly fears that with the new Corporate Social Responsibility Act, the government wants to restrict companies involved in the extraction of oil and gas too much. “The chance of leaving has increased in the past year.”
Let me say: the flag is at half-mast, but it has not yet been lowered
Berdowski states that Boskalis has many projects in different countries. “At any time, it can be tested in court whether we are allowed to carry out a project and then we can look at human rights or CO2 emissions or nature conservation.” He believes that Boskalis’ legal position is becoming too uncertain.
According to Berdowski, it is his managerial responsibility to always think about the best place for the company. “That has been the Netherlands for the past 110 years, but that is not self-evident. We are now taking this seriously. Let me say: the flag is at half-mast, but it has not yet been lowered.”
Well invested
In recent years, Boskalis has invested heavily in new offices on the Oosteind industrial estate in Papendrecht. The municipality already announced last year that it expects them to continue to be used by the dredging company, even if it formally moves abroad. She assumes that Boskalis only wants to move its registered office.
In addition to being an important employer, Boskalis is also a figurehead of the Dutch maritime industry. With a departure abroad, its reputation takes a serious dent.
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