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15 January 2022
Evert-Jan Duurtsema started working at the pre-assembly site of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind through Atlas Professionals in Flushing in 2018. Now, he finds himself at the frontier of the Renewables industry as he takes his first steps in the incredible world of floating wind.
Diverse job
So far, Evert-Jan has worked as Site Coordinator for offshore wind farms Norther, Northwester 2 and Borssele 3-4. He supported these projects five days a week at the MHI Vestas’ pre-assembly site, located at the BOW terminal in the Port of Flushing. Since July 2021, he started working with the same company as a Resource Coordinator. Evert-Jan’s main objective is to act as an interface between the projects and the vendors supplying resources. This requires communication, planning and administrative skills so the team can efficiently focus on their goal of building wind turbines. There is no such thing as a typical day for Evert-Jan. “I’m kind of helping out anywhere where I can. My line manager said, “‘Be the grease that which keeps things running smoothly’ when I started this project and that’s proven to be solid advice.”
New Challenge
Evert-Jan comes from a shipping background and is as such not new to the offshore industry. “At school, I had an apprenticeship at a shipping agency. After school I started looking for that kind of work as its variety and alternating between office work and visiting ships was really appealing to me.” After working in shipping and forwarding agencies for 20 years it was time for Evert-Jan to seek a new challenge in the wind industry. Having served various contractors across the wind industry his interest grew. “As I live in Flushing, I have always kept a close eye on the developments of the wind farms in the area and hoped that another challenge would arise for me. When Atlas contacted me for the position of Site Coordinator, I did not hesitate to put forward my application. It matched well with my affinity within the offshore industry, logistical background and curiosity of regulations.”
Floating Wind
Mid-2020 Atlas’ client asked Evert-Jan to work on an innovative project for them. “I was really happy that Atlas’ client offered me a position at their pre-assembly site in 2018 and my contact with Atlas has been so good ever since that their client asked me to work on another project, this was definitely, a highlight for me as it is always nice to be appreciated.” As such, Evert-Jan supported the first phase of the floating wind farm project Kincardine, which consists of five V164-9.525 MW turbines and one V80-2 MW turbine, each installed on WindFloat® semi-submersible platforms designed by Principle Power. It currently is the largest floating wind farm in the world by nameplate capacity. He split his time working from home and on-site at Maasvlakte Rotterdam, where the MHI Vestas wind turbines were mounted onto the floating foundations and then towed to the installation site some 15 kilometres southeast of Aberdeen.
Work-Life Balance
The Resource Coordinator admits that the regular working hours compared to those in shipping and agency work are a benefit of the job. “The work-life balance as it is now is perfect. You work to live and not the other way around. The employer also understands that.” They also understand safety well, comments Evert-Jan, “The industry we are in has very high standards in safety and I’ve noticed that the HSE teams have a very cooperative approach. They’re not acting as an internal officer, which really stimulates staff to be responsive and act safely.” In all, a successful career switch for Evert-Jan, who looks forward to where the next project will take him and is excited to continue supporting the growth of the innovative renewables industry.
For the latest opportunities and more information about working in the Renewables industry via Atlas Professionals, click here.
