WHAT WE DO

DREDGING

Dredging and land reclamation are more than just our core activities. They are at the very foundation of our company. We are involved in dredging and land reclamation projects worldwide, offering customers innovative solutions for even the most complex projects and challenging environments.

We operate the most technologically advanced fleet, including the world’s first dual fuel dredging vessels. Over the past few decades, we have executed major marine engineering infrastructure works such as the development of new ports, waterways, airports, artificial islands, residential and recreational areas, industrial areas, roads and bridges, on all continents.

Maintenance dredging

Successful maintenance dredging requires decades of experience and expert knowledge about the dynamics of rivers and estuaries. Sedimentation and siltation are a continual natural threat to navigation and the accessibility of ports.

We seek to minimise the environmental impact of any maintenance dredging project and always carry out our activities in respect of the environment, reducing overflow and limiting turbidity. Our smart dredging techniques support the natural processes and use the river’s dynamics to maintain accessibility.

We have performed maintenance projects along many of the world’s major rivers, making sure these vital arteries function as efficiently as possible. As well as working on access channels and inland waterways, we are also busy within ports and harbours, maintaining docks, turning basins and mooring berths.

Coastal protection

The world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to a staggering 9.7 billion in 2050, according to the United Nations and coupled with that, half of the global population lives within 200 km of the sea.
As coastal areas become increasingly densely populated, coastal erosion protection and flood defence measures become even more crucial. And as climate change leads to a rise in sea levels and the melting of the ice caps, this global challenge is only made more acute.

Pearl has the knowledge and experience needed to assist with this global issue. We are experts in a wide range of coastal protection methods such as the construction of hard sea defences such as sea walls, dykes, breakwaters; underwater bunds; fixed piers or open-piled jetties; sand traps such as groynes; coastal armouring with revetments, gabions, accropodes, as well as soft engineering solutions including sand dune stabilisation and beach nourishment.

Experience in designing, engineering and constructing the world’s ports

In light of the global population increase, consequent demand for energy, and the exponential growth in world trade, ports worldwide are both expanding in numbers and extending. In recent years the maritime industry has seen the arrival of the ultra large container vessel.

Pearl has many long-term relationships with port and harbour authorities in all corners of the globe. We aim to be a trusted partner and assist them with their planning and preparations, whether this involves an entirely new port or the extension of an existing facility.

Pearl has decades of experience in port construction, from the initial feasibility study, soil investigation studies and environmental assessments through to the construction of dykes, breakwaters, quay walls and jetties.

Dredging guarantees sufficient depth and width in the access channel, turning basins and docks, and we always aim to maximise the possibilities for the reuse of sand and sediment. We work with our customers to ensure that the dredged material can be used to reclaim new land for example, which in turn minimises the environmental footprint of any port construction project.

As a leading port construction company, we pride ourselves on being able to offer integrated, sustainable solutions.

Capital dredging

The ever increasing scale of large bulk carriers, tankers and container ships, and the continuous growth in world trade has made capital dredging an absolute necessity in recent years. New ports need to be created, and access channels, berths, docks, and turning basins have to be deepened and widened in order to meet the needs of the global economy.

Pearl always performs capital dredging with a view to it being a sustainable, long-term development. Often projects are executed in sensitive estuaries so respecting the natural environment and biodiversity is crucial. Our ongoing fleet investment programme means we are continually looking at ways in which we can improve our dredging ;vessels - to limit turbidity, reduce overflow and ultimately, increase productivity.

Beach nourishment

Beach nourishment and coastal replenishment are soft alternatives to hard coastal defences such as flood barriers, groynes and dykes. Essentially, beach nourishment protects against flooding and erosion by dissipating wave energy. We aim to work with nature to provide innovative solutions to ensure that the natural ecosystem remains in balance.

In light of our focus on sustainable, nature-based techniques, Pearl is involved in a project for example to test whether biogenic reefs (shellfish, marine flora, sand mason worm reefs) have the capacity to reduce erosion and even storm waves. This project recognises the increasing need for coastal flood defences as sea levels rise due to the impact of global warming.

Additionally, when beach nourishment or near-shore replenishments projects are underway, we also make sure we limit the disruption to the natural environment as much as possible by taking breeding seasons into account.

Breakwaters and dams

Our marine engineering experts have decades of experience carrying out coastal defence protection and port construction. This includes everything from designing and constructing breakwaters, dams, dykes and flood barriers to protect coastal communities to others, where we build quay walls and harbour dams for port construction and extension projects.

OFFSHORE

Pearl is a global solutions provider in the offshore oil, gas and renewables industry. We have an unrivalled track record in the transport and installation of foundations, turbines, inter-array cables, export cables and substations for offshore wind farms. In the oil & gas industry we are experts in landfalls and civil works, rock placement, heavy lift, umbilicals and installation and decommissioning services. By operating a high-tech and versatile fleet of vessels we offer flexible solutions for the most complex offshore energy projects.

Foundations

Our extensive project portfolio includes foundations for offshore wind farms, the construction of jetties, mooring facilities, quay walls and bridges, amongst many others.

We have the experience and skills needed to transport and install these enormous structures and the specialist vessels capable of handling them. We have a state-of-the-art fleet, consisting of a wide range of self-propelled, DP2 installation and heavy lift jack-up vessels with an unrivalled combination of exceptionally high transport, load and crane capacity.

Large diameter piles
Drilling and hammering large and XL diameter piles in challenging offshore conditions requires the right equipment to achieve precision accuracy. As well as a modern fleet of advanced vessels, we have the cranes, frames and systems, casing, hammering and drilling equipment including innovative XL offshore subsea drills, which can be constructed tailormade to the size and weight of the piles, making new step forwards in the offshore wind industry.

Gravity Based Foundations
With decades of experience, our highly skilled teams are also experts in Gravity Based Foundations, which are placed on top of a specifically prepared and levelled bed. Soft soil improvement techniques strengthen the ground bearing capacity of a particular area and make it fit for the installation of heavy cranes, terminals and other infrastructure. Techniques depend on the soil conditions and vary from vibro compaction, over vibro stone columns and soil mixing, to grouting and mixing with stabilising additives.

Suction pile technology
We also specialise in suction pile anchors and foundations through our subsidiary SPT Offshore. With the growing trend of increasingly strict environmental regulations, suction pile technology offers a silent and vibration free installation method, hence no expensive noise mitigation measures or shutdowns are required. Vessel time offshore is substantially reduced, thereby reducing CO2 and NOx emissions. Suction pile anchors are also interesting for the floating offshore wind industry.

Wind turbine generators (WTGs)

We have an unrivalled track record in offshore wind turbine installation. To date, more than 2,700 WTGs of all types and sizes have been successfully installed by our experts, including the next generation mega turbines. We have worked on some of the largest wind farms in the industry and those that are furthest from the shore, and in the deepest waters.

As each project is carried out in different seabed and weather conditions, Pearl has in-depth knowledge, built up over decades, to draw upon when faced with a new challenge. We also use this expertise to lead the market as a developer of pioneering new designs for installation equipment.

EPCI projects
We have the specialist installation vessels, equipment and people and can perform all aspects of a wind farm project in-house, from the initial seabed preparation, to the turbine and substation installation to the inter-array and export cables. We provide turnkey solutions to ensure that clean energy is generated as soon as possible.