Boskalis and Van Oord have brought employees and their families back from the Middle East on a voluntary basis after war broke out in the region. The first priority was to repatriate visitors and colleagues with families, according to Boskalis. Fewer than half of the company’s staff in the region chose to use that option. Neither company disclosed exact numbers.
Other Dutch companies operating around the Strait of Hormuz also repatriated non-essential personnel. Shell said employees who are able to work from home are being offered the option to evacuate together with their families. The company said staff safety remains its highest priority and did not provide figures.
The Strait of Hormuz lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with Iran to the north and the United Arab Emirates and Oman’s Musandam exclave to the south.