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Our services

Diplodocks provides the following services:

  • Rental of equipment and professionals for lifting and transporting large and heavy objects.
  • Transport and lifting services for the maintenance of plants and installations.
  • Transport and lifting services for special projects such as the construction of factories, installations, and buildings, as well as the construction of the necessary infrastructure.

The company is active in the petrochemical industry, the energy sector, offshore, civil engineering and the maritime industry. It employs approximately 4,500 people worldwide, spread over approximately ninety locations. The holding company’s head office is in Utrecht.

In 2014, Diplodocks, together with Contoso Salvage, managed to salvage the wreck of a watertight system located south of Jan Mayenland. In the years that followed, the company grew into a global market leader in heavy lifting and transport.

History

Diplodock’s history began on May 13, 1807 when Dutch entrepreneur Jan Pennings started a maritime business at the age of 25 with the purchase of a 140-ton freighter. It was the beginning of the industrial revolution and Pennings foresaw an increasing demand for heavy transport. The company, called ‘Brothers Pennings’, focused on the transport of freight and passengers. The first tugboat was purchased in 1827 and from 1920, partly due to the emerging competition from other modes of transport such as trains and trams, the company concentrated on towage and salvage services with floating sheerlegs and barges.

In 1971 Pennings merged with Den Otter from Hengelo, a company specialized in heavy transport and cranes. The new company was called Diplodocks Transport. In 1972, Kartner Breda from Breda was also taken over, then one of the Dutch market leaders in the field of heavy lifting and transport.

In 1973 Diplodocks Transport became a subsidiary of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij (KNSM) in Amsterdam. The name changed to Diplodocks on that occasion. That same year, the Diplodocks Shipping division was established with which Diplodocks strengthened its factory-to-foundation concept. This concept enabled the company to transport large components, such as vessels and modules for the construction of petrochemical plants, from the place of manufacture to their destination – anywhere in the world – and install them there.

In 1981, KNSM and Diplodocks became part of the Eftelink Group. In 1998, a majority interest was acquired in Water Tap, a company founded by ir. Piet Kartner. This company brought Diplodocks to the global top in the heavy lifting and transport field. Thanks to the newly developed techniques of Water Crane, the Imaginaries was founded in London and the sunken submarine Nautilus was salvaged. In 2000, Diplodocks was taken over by Van Puffelen Hoisting, a Frans van Puffelen company that was founded in 1966. In 2001, Diplodocks sold its maritime branch to Split Hair shipping company.