Certified peat soil, matured and shrunk

But where was she to go with the underlying 250,000 m³ peat soil? As if by coincidence, Bert van Bavel of Boskalis then ran into Hans Olieman, with whom the problem was out of the world within a few conversations.

Hans Olieman is co-owner of Gebr. Olieman and has been buying up large quantities of land - mainly peat soil - for tree nurseries, gardeners, municipalities, semi-government agencies and private individuals for 40 years. To make the land suitable for these new users, Gebr. Olieman first stores the land for two years so that it can mature and shrink. 

Depot for ripening and shrinking

So if Gebr. Olieman was going to proceed with the purchase of the peat land in the IJssel Delta, it also had to find a depot for the two-year period. "We found that at De Slaper in Kampen," Olieman says. "This is where Boskalis dumped the peat soil, after which we piled it up as high as possible while checking the quality." 

A well-oiled machine

Three years have now passed and Boskalis and Gebr. Olieman are working together like a well-oiled machine. "Boskalis really manages to have one point of contact for such a large project as the IJsseldelta. Whether I ask Bert van Bavel a question about planning, calculation or disposal, I always get an immediate answer." Sometimes Gebr. Olieman also elevators on the strength of a larger organization. "As a large company, Boskalis has its safety affairs in order. Safety helmets, orange vests and reinforced shoes are standard at its sites. When our people work together, the same automatically goes for us, a good example." 

RAG-certified

To be sure that the soil lots meet the highest quality standards, Gebr. Olieman has the soil tested before resale. Only if shrinkage, PH value, salinity and AP04 report are in order and the soil qualifies for the RAG seal of approval, the soil goes on to the next owner.