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Celine - Marine Engineer

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Celine - Marine Engineer

With a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in European Wind Energy. Céline knew exactly what she wanted: to design and build. “I really wanted to work for a contractor. It’s amazing to see that what you come up with and engineer actually gets built and put into practice.” She started at Van Oord as a graduate intern, joined the trainee program in 2023, and has now been working with great passion for almost three years as a Marine Engineer. “The scale of the projects, the enormous vessels, and the fact that Van Oord owns so much of its own equipment immediately attracted me. You’re not just focused on delivering a final product, you’re truly involved in the entire process.”

In her daily work, Céline deals with complex installation calculations as well as programming. What makes her work technically so interesting? “Projects are becoming larger and more complex all the time. As a result, we’re increasingly pushing our vessels and equipment to their absolute limits. How can we still install a cable or pipeline safely and efficiently while staying within all crane and vessel limitations? It’s really a huge puzzle. I enjoy that technical complexity because it requires a solution-oriented mindset and close collaboration with many different people.”

Major Projects and the Move Offshore

In a short period of time, Céline has already worked on impressive projects, including the preparation of the Hai Long 3 project in Taiwan, for which she also traveled on site. She is currently involved in a large-scale project in Mozambique involving the installation of five pipelines and two umbilicals (complex subsea cables). The project includes major tasks such as modifying the vessel and intensive collaboration within a consortium. Her ultimate goal is to bring the worlds of office engineering and offshore execution closer together. “Sometimes engineering and execution still operate quite separately. I really want to be the bridge between those two. That’s why, in the second half of this year, I’ll also be going to Mozambique to provide engineering support on board during the execution phase. You become a better engineer when you also gain a lot of practical experience.”

Major Projects and the Move Offshore

Conscious Choices in the Energy Transition

Besides the technical side of the work, Van Oord’s vision was also an important reason for Céline to join the company. “I believe Van Oord genuinely tries to make the right choices within the energy transition. Our focus on the environment, for example through the dedicated Ocean Health initiatives, shows that we want to look beyond just the project itself. We always try to go one step further in sustainability, and that’s something you can truly be proud of as an employee.”

A Close-Knit Family Company with Diverse Teams

For Céline, the social side of work is essential. “Van Oord really feels like a family business. People take good care of you, and that creates a sense of trust and reliability.” Outside work, she also enjoys being active with colleagues. She plays in the Van Oord hockey team and participates in the company sailing weekend. As a woman in engineering, she was already accustomed to being in the minority during her studies in Delft, but she is pleased to see positive changes in the industry. “It’s very encouraging that more and more women are working in engineering. In a team, it’s incredibly important to have different perspectives, that only improves the final result.”