Groningen Seaports is looking for locations to build temporary villages to house nearly 3,000 construction workers who will be working in the Eemshaven in 2020.
Translation by Traci White
Thousands of builders will be working in the Eemshaven in the coming years on projects including the expansion of Google’s data centre and construction of a factory for steel company Van Merksteijn. During the peak period of the construction projects, Groningen Seaports says that around 3,000 builders will be working at the site.
One-third of those construction workers will likely be local, and the other two-thirds will move to Groningen from abroad: Van Merksteijn works with an Italian contractor, and Google often relies on workers from Britain and Ireland.
When two large power stations were being built in the harbor between 2008 and 2013, a number of temporary hotels were set up in Uithuizen and Wagenborgen neat the Eemshaven to house construction workers. Jannes Stokroos, sale director for Groningen Seaports, told RTV Noord that these locations, along with four other sites, are being considered for setting up accommodations this time around. Groningen Seaports may also utilise hotel boats starting in the first months of 2019.
Groningen Seaports is the organisation which operates two seaports – Delfzijl and the Eemshaven – and their industries connected to the ports in the province of Groningen. Much of the business activity in the seaports comes from the energy sector.
