Joep van Heusden (28 years old) recently started as a project engineer at Subsea Cables. Subsea Cables is part of Boskalis’ Offshore Energy division and specializes in installing power cables for wind farms and other purposes. “What I enjoy most, is that every cable-laying project has different scopes, each with its own challenges and unique aspects, which keeps the work diverse and exciting.”
Joep studied mechanical engineering, completing a master’s in offshore and dredging engineering. Drawn by the many different business units within Boskalis’ Offshore Energy division and many opportunities to gain practical experience, he joined the Boskalis traineeship to discover which area of offshore engineering suited him best. “Among the many valuable experiences during my traineeship, my time exploring the world of Subsea Cables – working as a field engineer on the cable-laying vessel Ndurance for the Hollandse Kust West Beta project – was a highlight that sparked my interest in this field. As a trainee, I was given more responsibilities than I expected, and the dynamic, fast-paced offshore environment made every day both challenging and rewarding.” After completing his traineeship, Joep started working as a project engineer at the beginning of 2025.
For every project, a great deal of preparation is required before execution begins. “That phase is mainly carried out from the office, with occasional visits to project sites, clients, subcontractors and suppliers. During this time, I work closely with the project team — made up of colleagues from various Boskalis departments — as well as other stakeholders. Everyone brings a different background and area of expertise. Together we make sure everything is prepared down to the smallest detail. After such a period of office-based work, I head out, whether onshore or offshore, for several weeks at a time to ensure everything is executed according to plan. It’s very fulfilling to see how the plans we’ve worked on in the office come to life in practice.”
“A good project is a boring project” is a phrase often heard in the offshore industry. “It means we prefer everything to go according to plan and the entire operation to run as smoothly as possible. However, unexpected situations can always occur at sea. In those moments, it often comes down to close collaboration between colleagues offshore and onshore to find quick and effective solutions. That teamwork is crucial to prevent project delays and to successfully complete the operation.”
At the moment, Joep and his team are preparing for a project linked to a major carbon capture and storage (CCS) development called Liverpool Bay. “Our client is constructing a new platform on top of a depleted gasfield. The platform, which will be used to inject and store CO₂ in the depleted field, needs to be connected to the main power grid. That’s where we come in — by installing a 30-kilometer-long power cable between the platform and the mainland.”
Once the preparations are complete, Joep will spend several periods onsite, focusing on the onshore scope of the project. This involves setting up two construction sites — one on land and the other on the beach — which are needed for pulling the cable from the cable-laying vessel to shore and guiding it underneath the dunes through a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) duct. “The cable pull-in is a complex and highly coordinated part of the operation. Depending on the vessel’s position, it may be necessary to float the cable to shore using buoys, an activity that can only be carried out under the right environmental conditions.”
Do you want to join Joep’s team and make your mark in Subsea Cables? Check out our vacancies here.
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