BAM Infra Nederland and SPIE Nederland (combination SAEM) have started the realization phase of maintenance on the assets in the North Sea Canal as of September 1, 2025, now that phase 1 is officially completed.
The combination is responsible for the basic maintenance of one of the busiest economic traffic arteries in the Netherlands on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for ten years.
Basic Maintenance Contract North Sea Canal
The Basic Maintenance Contract North Sea Canal (BOC NZK) covers the area from the harbor dams at IJmuiden to the Buiten-IJ and the border of the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal in Amsterdam. It is the first two-phase contract for Asset Management that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has put on the market.
This contract form was chosen due to the complexity and scope of the maintenance task with a clear need for replacement. In the first phase from June 24, 2024, to August 31, 2025, the combination SAEM and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management laid the foundation for collaboration to create a complete contract dossier.
For this, the maintenance needs were established and priced, and the realization phase risks were jointly mapped and distributed.
Bob Demoet, chief engineer-director (HID) of Projects, Programs, and Maintenance (PPO) at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management: The maintenance task in this area is extensive. The unique collaboration we have with SAEM has started off well. We are now starting the second phase of this collaboration, where we will actually go outside and start the maintenance on and around the North Sea Canal.
A solid foundation for the future
During phase 1, five joint development plans for the next ten years were established on themes such as Asset Management, Collaboration, Sustainability, Safety, and Environment.
These plans provide a boost on crucial themes for the North Sea Canal and in the market-RWS chain, both in the short and long term to address the large and complex task ahead. Additionally, thousands of maintenance rules have been analyzed, hundreds of processes coordinated, contract requirements established, and a price for phase 2 agreed upon.
A new maintenance management system has also been set up, in which the systems of BAM and SPIE are integrated and linked to the management system of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for optimal communication.
Remco van der Wielen, director at BAM Infra Nederland: With this signing, we are taking an important step towards future-proof maintenance and advice for a reliable North Sea Canal. We look forward to an intensive collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and all involved partners.
Peter Paasse, director at SPIE Nederland: We are proud to continue to use our expertise in maintaining the complex infrastructural objects in the North Sea Canal. Together with our partners and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, we are working on a sustainable and reliable North Sea Canal.
