ABOUT ME

My name is Richard Krabbendam. I am a Heavy Lift Specialist and like to introduce myself to you in more detail.

Presently I have officially retired in March 2010 as Heavy Lift Specialist with Jumbo Shipping, a Rotterdam (Netherlands) based Heavy Lift Shipping Company and market leader in the field of heavy transport over seas. As I have stopped working on a daily basis, I am presently transferring my experience and know how by means of the digital files containing all Seminar slides, which I presented from May 2008 to June 2010 to more then 1000 participants in 45 Seminars. Check out my webshop

Since 1987 I have worked as freelance teacher for the Dutch training institute SBW/Fundeon, training project managers / supervisors in the crane rental business.

I started my Heavy Lift career 38 years ago, two  years after my study at the University of Technology in Delft as a mechanical engineer. In 1973, I started working with Big Lift in Dordrecht. In 1979 we booked a large contract with Aramco in Dahran, Saudi Arabia for all transport and lifting work for the newly to be constructed NGL Facilities in Yanbu, at the Red Sea. This project involved the transport and lifting work of all Petrochemical columns up to a max. weight of 748 Ton. Thereafter we continued with all transport work for Aramco in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This contract was executed by the newly founded joint venture Alatas-Big Lift.

End 1979 Big Lift was taken over by Mammoet Transport and 6 months later I founded together with a good friend and colleague of mine Joop Roodenburg the Engineering Consultancy firm ITREC. ITREC stands for International Transport & Rigging Engineering Consultants and in those days I worked a great deal for Van Seumeren as heavy lift transport- and lifting specialist. The first great success was booked with the contract for the expansion of the Esso Flexicoker project in the Europoort, near Rotterdam. After 7 years of hard work, I decided to change my career again from joint owner/director of ITREC, and go back to the heavy lift transport- and lifting branch as employee and started working for an old client of mine Van Seumeren. ITREC was then joined with Huisman, specialist in the design and construction of mast cranes and offshore pipe lay systems as well as rides for amusement parks.

After 2 years working with van Seumeren with great pleasure, whereby we both have learned a lot from each other, Jumbo Shipping asked me in 1989 to join them and set up a so called Jumbo Land department, part of Jumbo Logistics, who takes care of the transport of heavy lifts from the vessel up to foundation. I was responsible for the organization and execution of complex lifting- and transport projects. Particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, but also Argentina, Denmark, Venezuela, America, India and many other countries were part of my work area.

I wrote more then 37 articles on “Heavy Transport & Lifting”, which were published in the trade magazine: “International Cranes”  (IC) and “Heavy Lift Project Forwarding International” (HLPFI). Both well known Trade Magazines.

In 2001, I was asked to use my knowledge and experience to start a new activity within Jumbo: the present Jumbo Offshore. Because of the planned new building vessels, with delivery in 2004, Jumbo wanted to develop new activities.

That became Offshore, whereby the shipment and installation of offshore structures are combined and can be executed by one and the same so-called J-Class Heavy Lift Vessel under the motto: LIFT, SHIP, INSTALL- ALL IN ONE GO. This activity is gradually taking off.

By means of “Mini-Seminars” and two Day Seminars Heavy Transport & Lifting”  I would like to transfer my experience and knowledge on “Heavy Transport & Lifting” to others in the Industry.

During my career I have devoted a lot of time and knowledge in working with computers. Presently a contractor can hardly be succesfull without the knowledge and use of computers and its programs. I work on both platforms: Windows based PC’s and for my Seminars and graphical work I extensively use the iMac and MacPro computers

This is where I prepare my Seminars and edit my Videos