In 2011 I was invited to become the general manager of a holding company with two unique companies: Baars Charter and Baars Confloat. This was a challenge I could not pass up. Baars Charters sells and hires out (seagoing) split hopper barges for the dredging industry, including a modular version that can be transported by road. Baars Confloat specialises in the hire and sale of innovative modular pontoons that are transported by container ships. These two companies make up a unique Dutch business with unique global opportunities - opportunities which in my role as general manager I am eager to take full advantage of.Take advantage of almost 100 years of experience in sale and rental of dredging material:Baars Confloat B.V. is market leader of modular “containerized” pontoons for many years. The unique modular Confloat system (nut-bolt connection) guarantees absorption of high dynamic and static forces. We have a large number of units available for rental and sale, new and young used. Next to it you can choose for a wide range of mono “hull” pontoons' and offshore Jack-ups consisting of container pontoons for all your heavy equipment.Baars Charter is specialized in sale and hire of dredgers, for instance drywell hopper barges, split hopper barges and split hopper barges especially for (contaminated) silt. Delivery on site.For local propulsion at site you can connect thrusters to the pontoons. We also offer a range of marine equipment such as accommodation units, powerpacks, winches, spud leg systems, roll-on-roll-off ramps, wooden matrasses, liferafts, MOB e.a. Actually, everything you need on a pontoon to start your own activities will be delivered by Baars. All of the equipment handled by Baars is of the highest quality and is used all round the world, from Europe to South Africa, Caspian Sea and South America.Please look at our website to have a look at all of our products and solutions.

Around the world with Van OordIn 2000 I commenced my period with van Oord, what became for me an extremely valuable and constructive 11-year period. This Rotterdam company progressed me to Senior Manager and I worked on countless prominent projects both in the Netherlands and around the world. One of the projects I was involved in was the construction of the high-speed railway line between Moerdijk and Rotterdam as well as the construction below Amsterdam’s Centraal Station of an underground station (part of the North-South metro line). I was responsible for starting a number of major coastal construction projects for Van Oord in other countries such as Kazakhstan, Guatemala, Dubai and Turkmenistan.

The dynamic sector of the coastal construction immediately engaged my attention and interest, so after the period by de Klerk in Werkendam I was given the opportunity to transfer to Van den Herik Kust en Oeverwerken in Sliedrecht. I worked for this company until 2000 and during that time I was engaged with some 50 coastal construction projects from start to completion.

I started at this company as an operator dragline and later on as a foreman on a floating pile-driving rig and encountered water-based projects.

I started my career as an operator on a pile-driving crane.