The European Commission has approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Volker Wessels Offshore by Boskalis, both of the Netherlands. Volker Wessels Offshore comprises three businesses, namely Stemat Holding B.V., Volker Stevin International Holding B.V., and VBMS Holding B.V. These provide global maritime services including renting and leasing of commodity vessels, installation, maintenance and replacement services of subsea power cables and offshore construction services. Boskalis is a global maritime services company, active in dredging, offshore installation, offshore transport, towage and salvage as well as inland infrastructure. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, because it would not significantly change the market structure. The operation was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information will be available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.8045.
