Water engineering is one of the most prominent sectors in the Dutch economy. The world market for ‘Flood control and protection’ will see strong growth in the coming decades due to the anticipated climate change in delta regions. The strength of the Dutch suppliers lies in their unique expertise in construction on soft soils; sandy sea beds and peat soils and in devising high-quality and creative solutions, such as the Maeslandt Barrier. Dutch contractors have a significant share in the volume of exports; as do engineering agencies and knowledge institutes.

The consultants, contractors, research and knowledge institutes within this field see specific opportunities in applying innovative dike reinforcement and inspection techniques, failure mechanics and residual strength of flood protection structures and flood warning systems. Dutch experts work on the flood warning systems in the major European River Basins. Currently a flood early warning system is implemented in the United Kingdom .

Other projects where the Dutch are involved are in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in Louisiana . But also in the Saint Petersburg storm surge barrier, the Thames Barrier, and in Venice, Dutch expertise is used.

Sustainable dredging
The Dutch expertise in dredging consists of dredging under difficult circumstances and the ability to live up to the stringent environmental and implementation stipulations. This is shown in international projects such as the Palm Tree and World Map islands in Dubai. Read more on sustainable dredging...

Flood control
Flood control will become increasingly important, considering the expected climate change and increasing urbanisation in deltaregions. The Netherlands are famous for creating original and high-quality solutions in flood control. Read more on flood control...