Bechtel Joins World Ocean Council

The global engineering, project management and construction company, Bechtel has become a member of the World Ocean Council (WOC), the international business alliance for Corporate Ocean Responsibility.

Bechtel brings considerable experience and expertise in the design, engineering and construction of sustainable ports and coastal infrastructure. The company has worked on more than 80 ports and coastal projects around the world. Its projects include Khalifa Port (UAE), Jamnagar Refinery and Port Complex (India) and Jubail Industrial City and Port (Saudi Arabia).

“Smart planning, innovation and having an integrated approach are key to developing sustainable infrastructure,” said Tam Nguyen, global head of sustainability at Bechtel. “We look forward to sharing our expertise with the WOC as part of its global efforts to sustain the ocean, its infrastructure and economy.”

“In the face of future global challenges such as accelerated sea level rise and more extreme weather patterns, we are developing new ways of making port and coastal infrastructure more resilient and more sustainable,” said Marco Pluijm, manager of ports and marine, Bechtel. “With a greater focus on integrating marine infrastructure with enhanced marine and intertidal habitat development, disaster response, improved port operations and providing a base for renewable energy, we can help to minimise the ecological footprint.”

Mr. Pluijm will be speaking at the 3rd WOC Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS), Singapore, 9-11 November 2015, in the session on “Sea Level Rise/Extreme Events: Port and Coastal Infrastructure Adaptation and Resiliency.

The SOS 2015 theme - “Sustainable Development and Growing the Blue Economy – the Next 50 years” - is focussed on the long term resiliency of marine and coastal ecosystems and responsible economic activity. At this session of the SOS 2015, the WOC is exploring the development of an international, multi-industry leadership group on port and coastal infrastructure adaptation and resiliency.

Paul Holthus, WOC founding President and CEO, added: “The WOC is proud to welcome Bechtel to our global, multi-industry alliance of leadership companies. The WOC is generating increasing interest from companies involved in ports and coastal infrastructure. Given the essential importance of these to the ocean economy - and to the global economy overall - it is critical to address port and coastal infrastructure in the context of the growing multiple use of coastal areas, sustainable development and changing ocean conditions.”