On July 1, Wilko de Jong took on the role of COO at Heerema Marine Contractors. He steps into the role after serving as Deputy-COO since January 1, 2026, working closely with COO Michel Hendriks.
Over the past six months, they have worked side by side to ensure a strong handover and alignment on priorities. According to the company, this marks an important step in Heerema’s succession planning, ensuring continuity in leadership and a smooth transition within the Projects and Operations domain.
Until December 31, 2026, Hendriks will remain a member of the Executive Board in the role of Deputy-COO, continuing to transfer his knowledge.
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A career across projects
De Jong joined Heerema in 2004 as a Junior Engineer and has built a career across projects, operations and leadership roles. He started in engineering roles on offshore projects in the Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of America and Angola, before moving into project management in Australia. He later led a major project in Brazil and supported the development of a large wind farm in Taiwan. During these last two assignments, he was expatriated with his family to Houston and later Taipei.
In recent years, De Jong has focused on improving efficiency across Heerema’s fleet, operations and equipment, strengthening performance and collaboration across the various disciplines.
Picture: Wilko de Jong has taken on the role of COO at Heerema Marine Contractors (photo by Heerema).
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