Interactive session

7-8 November 2019. Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Does the contract maintain a social license to operate?

Following the enthusiastic response of CEDA Dredging Days attendees, the interactive session has now become a recurring feature of the CEDA Dredging Days technical programme.

During this year’s session we will focus on the social license to operate: environmental and social impact management and stakeholder interactions. As the world is rapidly changing, so is the playing field for dredging project developers, consultants, contractors, authorities and regulators, finance and insurance entities, watchdog NGO’s and civil society; more than ever they are interacting with each other and able to voice their interests and influence development. Particularly the role and responsibility of contractors in project design and construction has changed.

Dredging projects literally turn water into land and land into water. This makes such projects usually complex and high-profile. As a consequence, there are often many stakeholders involved, with a multitude of interests and backgrounds. Thoughtful management of these varied interests is essential to a project’s operational, reputational and financial success.

Whilst national legislation establishes the basic requirements for the impact management of dredging projects, it is the financial institutions (IFC, Equator Principles banks) and export credit agencies that take the lead in setting the bar. Infrastructure developments that do not meet their standards may not be eligible for financing or insurance. Moreover, dredging projects that do not meet stakeholder expectations may face legal action, protests, delays, reputational damage and other activist pressure. Effective incorporation of public interests can only be achieved by early and inclusive engagement. Dredging projects have to gain and maintain their social license to operate from a wide range of stakeholders with opposing interests.

During the session, we will experience stakeholder dynamics and potential consequences, in a realistic and interactive case study. We will draw on the recently published CEDA/IADC book: Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure, and the highly acclaimed interactive session on stakeholder involvement in the conference, in November 2018, which celebrated the launch of the book. Note that the setting, case and lessons for this year’s session are different compared to the previous edition, making it challenging for both new and experienced participants!

The session will be educational, inspirational, invigorating and lots of fun!

Session 3, Thursday 7 November 2019, 14:15-15:45
Facilitated by: Mike Van der Vijver - MindMeeting, the Netherlands
Presented by: Thomas Vijverberg and Daniël Ouddeken - Hydronamic/Boskalis, the Netherlands

The photo below is from the interactive session at CEDA Dredging Days 2017.

Last update: 21 September 2019