Few episodes in DEME’s 150-year history demonstrate the resilience of its people more vividly than the events that unfolded in Iraq in 1990.

While working on a major dredging project near Umm Qasr, a team from Dredging International had become stranded following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The cutter suction dredger Mascaret was deployed on the project, which aimed to improve Iraq’s access to the Persian Gulf.

Dredging International’s team were part of a group of 26 Belgians caught up in the escalating Gulf Crisis, turning what began as a challenging international project into a months-long ordeal.

As diplomatic efforts intensified, a breakthrough came when two of the 14 colleagues were granted permission to leave Iraq and were repatriated. For the remaining 12, uncertainty continued. Isolated on a residential platform off Umm Qasr, they endured months of tension as the prospect of war drew ever closer. Throughout the ordeal, solidarity among the team remained strong.

Finally, in December 1990, the remaining 12 colleagues were released and flew home to Belgium. Their arrival at Brussels Airport was an emotional moment. They were welcomed by the entire management team, shareholders, many colleagues, and family members who had anxiously awaited their return for nearly six months. According to eyewitness accounts, the loud applause that erupted when their aircraft left Iraqi airspace remained one of the defining memories of the entire ordeal.

The extraordinary story was later chronicled in the book Gegijzeld in Irak by J. De Bremaeker, ensuring that this remarkable chapter in DEME’s history would not be forgotten.

More than three decades later, the story remains a powerful reminder that DEME’s legacy is built not only through ambitious projects around the world, but also through the courage, and perseverance of its people in the most challenging circumstances.