Jan Dekkers is a senior project manager at consultancy company Royal Haskoning, based in the Netherlands. As part of its wide remit, Royal Haskoning offers consultancy services to the ports and terminals industry, and has been a linchpin in the design, extension, upgrade and construction of countless bulk terminals.
Here, Jan Dekkers tells us about his experience in this fascinating industry, which he describes as being akin to a ‘paid hobby’! He also takes us through the work involved in developing brand-new terminals, focusing particularly on this occasion on grain terminals.
In 1973, Dekkers graduated from the Haarlem Institute of Technology, with a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering. He followed this in 1978 with an MSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Delft University of Technology. He is also a member of the Council of Arbitration for the Metallurgical Industry and Trade in The Hague. He has over 30 years of international experience in the design and operational aspects of materials handling and storage facilities at sea and inland ports, transport and distribution. His expertise covers all stages of materials handling projects ranging from conceptual design, preparation of tender documents, evaluation of tenders and contract award, erection
supervision, maintenance and training. His allround expertise covers mechanical, civil and electrical aspects of handling and storage facilities for rail, road and water terminals. He has also gained valuable national and international experience in maintenance programme development and application, operational training and technical assistance. Dekkers has been
project manager for numerous projects all over the world. He is therefore clearly the man to ask all about the design and construction of all types of bulk terminals, including those specifically for grain.
   Dekkers graduated from university with great expertise in materials handling. In 1978, he started work at GEM Consultants, which was taken over around a decade ago by Royal Haskoning. He now works as Senior Project Manager in the Industrial Concepts division of Royal Haskoning, which amongst others is specialized in the design and implementation of materials handling and storage projects.
Royal Haskoning is a major consultancy and engineering company, with 11 divisions, representation in 20 countries, with
60 offices and 4,000 employees. The company was founded in1881 in the Netherlands. Rooted in a technical background, Royal Haskoning’s consulting services focus on sustainable, cradle to cradle® projects in the broad field of the interaction between people and their environment.
   Royal Haskoning has subsidiaries and partners throughout the world. Through its branch and project offices in Europe and overseas, it has access to all major international markets. It can therefore offer multidisciplinary and integrated services locally, based on experience built globally.
   During his career at Royal Haskoning, Dekkers has worked on a staggering number of projects in a wide variety of
countries. He explains that each project is unique, and depends on a wide variety of factors. Each client has different
requirements, and can ask for anything from a complete terminal, built from scratch, to a study on a single piece of
equipment.
   Every project comes with its own inherent difficulties, and it is up to Royal Haskoning to provide tailor-made solutions.
Often an ‘old’ client will come back to the company, because he knows the quality of the work that the company provides, and is comfortable with the way it does business. When this happens, it is good news because Dekkers already has a good understanding of what that client wants, so he can discuss the requirements, establish what is needed, and prepare a proposal for the work as he understands it. If the client is happy with the proposal, and the price fits, then he gives the go-ahead for the project to start.
   This scenario is an ideal one, and obviously not every project comes that ‘easy’. In most cases considerably more client
acquisition effort is required. When a project or client is identified in depth discussions are required prior to submitting a
suitable proposal.
   Each proposal must take account of, firstly and most importantly, the client’s requirements. It must also factor in such
elements as what manpower will be needed, special expertise in various fields, estimated timescale, and the anticipated price, which can be based either on a lump sum price, or hours spent.
Royal Haskoning’s services include feasibility studies, design and specification, preparation of tender documents, tendering and evaluation of bids. Royal Haskoning can also assist with contracting and, after contract award, with checking of drawings and specifications for compliance, carry out factory inspections, and construction supervision, commission and taking-over of the Works. Dekkers sees his role as a varied one that can include
being the engineer, mediator, or the client’s representative.
To optimize a bulk terminal the design must be tailored to its role in the logistics chain, the local circumstances and the client’s requirements. Crucial elements in the bulk terminal design are the selection of the optimum type and capacity of the (un)loading equipment (grab unloaders versus pneumatic or mechanical continuous ship unloaders) and the type and size of the storage facilities (bulk flatstores versus silos in steel, concrete or a combination). Other factors include the annual throughput, whether the terminal will be for import or export, or both, vessel sizes and the hinterland connections (river-, railor truck transportation). An ‘average’ new build of a terminal could be expected to take around two years, from feasibility studies to completion.
Dekkers says that grain terminals differ in some ways from other dry bulk terminals, because the commodity being handled is a ‘live product’, and must be treated accordingly to avoid breakage and deterioration and to comply with the new EU rules regarding hygiene and identity preservation. Grains and feedstuffs in particular are very dusty, so measures must be taken to prevent dust emissions and dust explosions. He has wide experience in dust-control issues and ATEX, and has also been involved in programme simulations for grain terminals to ensure that the best configuration is achieved.
Royal Haskoning has been heavily involved in grain for a long time. The division Industrial Concepts originates from the major agribulk stevedore GEM in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It therefore gained wide experience in handling large and small bulk vessels and, through considerable research and development, developed optimum techniques for the unloading, loading and storage of agribulk commodities. Now that it has been incorporated into Royal Haskoning, the expanded company can offer expertise in the handling and storage of coal, fertilizer, aggregates and other bulk materials, as well as liquid bulk terminals including LNG and LPG. Royal Haskoning’s services also encompass biomass, which is gaining its share in the bulk market.
 
CLIENTS
Royal Haskoning has a wide variety of clients for its work on bulk terminals. It has carried out studies for international
institutions, such as the World Bank, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and governments. Most customers,
however, are private companies, including operators in ports and stevedores that want either new terminals or extensions to existing terminals. Other clients include traders that needmarket studies.
 
COMPANY PROJECTS
Dekkers has been an integral part of Royal Haskoning’s work all over the world, and has worked on grain terminals in Indonesia, Tanzania, Cyprus and Egypt among others. One of the major projects in which he was heavily involved was the design of 11 grain terminals along the Yangtze River and the South-West Corridor in China. Other important projects have been undertaken for the Cyprus Grain Commission and the Port of Belfast in Northern Ireland, for which the company designed two large feedstuffs bulk storage facilities.
In terms of current work, Royal Haskoning’s Industrial Concepts Division is working on a wide variety of proposals that
may develop into contracts, in areas including Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Libya. It is currently working on the relocation of the Phosphate Rock Terminal and the Industrial Terminal in the South Port of Aqaba in Jordan.
It is clear that Jan Dekkers has unparalleled experience in the design of all types of bulk terminals, and can rely on an expert team within Royal Haskoning to ensure that all client’s requirements are met.