Subsea service provider for diving operations, underwater construction, hyperbaric repairs and testing technology with in-house equipment development.
DCN Diving B.V.
Bergen op Zoom (Headquarters) · Antwerp · Berlin (Bernau) · Heinsberg · Aberdeen · Abu Dhabi · Medellín · Lagos · Singapore · Kuala LumpurNew on Amplifa
About DCN Diving
DCN Diving is a globally active subsea service provider headquartered in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands. The family business, founded in 1957 by Wim Vriens Sr., offers diving operations (inshore/offshore), marine support as well as hyperbaric and wet testing. Its service portfolio covers underwater inspection and maintenance, underwater construction work including underwater concrete, hyperbaric dry repairs using habitat technology (Micro-Habitat welding), pipeline repair and decommissioning as well as cutting work on steel sheet piling and concrete piles with in-house developed diamond wire and abrasive waterjet tools. The headquarters host a shipyard, the Hyperbaric Test Centre and the Wet Test Centre; since 2025 the fleet includes the diving support vessel DSV Picasso. Key areas of focus are offshore (oil & gas), hydro power dams as well as civil and port projects. Branches exist in Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Nigeria, Colombia, Singapore and Malaysia.
- Site
- PL Bergen op Zoom
- Processes
- Surface Supplied Diving, Underwater inspections and maintenance, Underwater construction, Underwater concreting / colloidal concrete pouring, Hyperbaric welding (Micro-Habitat, dry welding), Wet welding / Hyperbaric & Wet Testing, Diamond wire cutting of steel sheet piling (Sheet Pile Cutter), Diamond Wire Pile Cutter (concrete pile cutting)
- Materials
- Steel (steel sheet piling), Concrete (concrete piles, mattresses, underwater concrete), Argon (inert gas for welding), Steel welded beam frame (ROCM), Steel (sheet piling, beam frames, pipelines), Concrete (piles, mattresses, underwater concrete), Argon (inert gas), Diamond wire cutting (Sheet Pile Cutter, Diamond Wire Pile Cutter)
- Founded
- 1957
- Industries
- Offshore (Oil & Gas), Hydro Power Dams, Civils & Ports, Energy infrastructure
- 01
Engineering and in-house development of underwater tools (including diamond wire
- 02
Manufacturing and testing of the systems at the company's own shipyard in
- 03
Testing and acceptance in the Hyperbaric Test Centre and Wet Test Centre
- 04
Mobilisation of diving teams and equipment, also via the DSV Picasso
- 05
Execution of diving operations, cutting, welding, concrete and
- 06
Inspection, maintenance, documentation and upkeep of the installations
Materials & Processes
Steel (sheet piling, beam frames, pipelines)
Material for sheet pile cuts with the diamond wire cutter as well as for weld repairs on offshore structures and ship hulls.
Concrete (piles, mattresses, underwater concrete)
Material for core drilling and diamond wire cutting as well as for colloidal underwater concrete in construction work.
Argon (inert gas)
Inert gas for up to 100 % inert atmosphere in the Micro-Habitat to improve weld quality.
Diamond wire cutting (Sheet Pile Cutter, Diamond Wire Pile Cutter)
Hydraulically driven precision cutting of steel sheet piling (up to 3,000 kg machine weight) and concrete piles (300–1,200 mm width) above and below water.
Abrasive waterjet cutting
Cutting of 1–100 mm material thickness at 2,500–3,000 bar water pressure with tool diameters of 720–2,500 mm.
Hyperbaric welding (Micro-Habitat)
Dry welding in a local habitat environment with possible surface quality, even at 100 % inert atmosphere.
Remotely operated cleaning (ROCM / ROCM Pro)
Automated cleaning of culverts and cooling water conduits up to 2,400 mm width/height and approx. 450 m length without diver intervention.
Habitat technology (Micro-Habitat, Self-Propelled Habitat)
Creation of dry working environments underwater, self-propelled up to 400 m in culverts and pipelines.
Underwater concrete (colloidal concrete)
Placement of underwater concrete in structure, quay wall and caisson work.
Locations
Bergen op Zoom
NLHeadquarters with shipyard, Hyperbaric Test Centre, Wet Test Centre
- Part weight / size
- Cutting work up to 100 mm material thickness
- Materials
- Steel, concrete
- Sheet Pile Cutter (diamond wire, 3,000 kg)
- Diamond Wire Pile Cutter (300–1,200 mm)
- Abrasive Cutter (2,500–3,000 bar)
- ROCM / ROCM Pro cleaning vehicles
- Micro-Habitat
- Self-Propelled Habitat
- Pipeline repair habitats
- Hyperbaric Test Centre
- Wet Test Centre
- Saturation diving system
- DSV Picasso (diving support vessel)
Antwerp
BEBranch office DCN Diving Belgium B.V.
Berlin (Bernau bei Berlin-Schönow)
DEBranch office DCN Unterwasserbauten GmbH
Heinsberg
DESite of DCN Unterwasserbauten GmbH
Aberdeen (Dyce)
UKBranch office DCN Diving UK Ltd.
Abu Dhabi (Musaffah M4)
AEBranch office DCN Diving BV - Abu Dhabi
Medellín
COBranch office DCN Diving Colombia S.A.S.
Lagos (Victoria Island)
NGBranch office DCN Diving Nigeria Ltd
Singapore
SGBranch office DCN Diving Pacific Pte Ltd (Loyang Offshore Supply Base)
Kuala Lumpur
MYBranch office DCN Diving Sdn Bhd
Components & Operations
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Supplied DivingAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Underwater inspections and maintenanceTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Underwater constructionAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Underwater concreting / colloidal concrete pouringCasting | – | – | – | – | Beton |
| Hyperbaric welding (Micro-Habitat, dry welding)Joining | surface quality weld | – | – | – | subsea structures, pipelines, ships hulls |
| Wet welding / Hyperbaric & Wet TestingJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Diamond wire cutting of steel sheet piling (Sheet Pile Cutter)Machining | – | – | 3000 kg | – | Steel sheet piling |
| Diamond Wire Pile Cutter (concrete pile cutting)Machining | – | 300 - 1200 mm width | – | – | Concrete, Steel |
| Abrasive waterjet cutting (subsea)Machining | – | cutting thickness 1 - 100 mm; diameter | – | – | Metal |
| Hydraulic remote cuttingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Water jetting cleaning / silt suction removalSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automated cleaning with ROCM (Remotely Operated Cleaning Machine)Surface | – | culverts up to max. width and height | – | – | – |
| Cofferdam installation / creating dry working environment (habitat)Assembly | – | self-propelled habitat up to 400 m | – | – | – |
| Core drilling (underwater)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dredging and mattress installationAssembly | – | – | – | – | Concrete (concrete mattresses) |
| Saturation divingAssembly | – | 150 meters depth (historical project) | – | – | – |
| In-house engineering and tailor-made solution designEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pipeline repair / decommissioning / IRMAssembly | – | – | – | – | Pipelines |
13 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond wire cutting machine (Sheet Pile Cutter) | DCN Diving Sheet Pile Cutter | 1 | – | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Diamond Wire Pile Cutter | DCN Diving Diamond Wire Pile Cutter | 1 | cutting capacity 300 - 1200 mm width | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Diamond Wire Concrete Cutter | DCN Diving | – | – | – | – |
| Abrasive cutter (abrasive waterjet) | DCN Diving Abrasive cutter | 1 | diameter tool 720 - 2500 mm; water pressure 2500 - 3000 bar | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Remotely Operated Cleaning Machine (ROCM) | DCN Diving ROCM / ROCM 1 | 1 | Dimensions 4 x 4 x 4 m (L 6200 x W 1200 x H 2125 mm) | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| ROCM Pro cleaning vehicle | DCN Diving ROCM Pro | 1 | L 6200 x W 1200 x H 2125 mm, 9500 kg, depth rating 25 msw, cleans culverts up to 2400 mm W/H and | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Micro-Habitat (hyperbaric welding habitat) | DCN Diving Micro-Habitat | 1 | any depth a diver is able to reach; 100% inert atmosphere possible | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Self-propelled habitat | DCN Diving Self-Propelled Habitat | 1 | up to 400 m in culverts/pipelines; width 2500 - 2800 mm; L 6100 x W 1100 x H 2300 mm | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Pipeline repair habitat | DCN Diving | 2 | – | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Hyperbaric Test Centre | DCN Diving | 1 | – | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| Wet Test Centre | DCN Diving | 1 | – | – | Bergen op Zoom |
| DSV (Diving Support Vessel) | DSV Picasso | 1 | – | – | – |
| Saturation diving system | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1957
Founded as Vriens Diving Company by Wim Vriens Sr. in Roosendaal.
- 1959
First investments in diving vehicles; underwater repairs, inspections and installations.
- 1973
Relocation to Bergen op Zoom, Van Konijnenburgweg 151 (current headquarters).
- 1980
Participation in the construction of the Oosterscheldekering; introduction of underwater dry repairs with habitat; development of the Sterk-Vriens diving tables; founding of the National Diving Centre (NDC).
- 1982
Start of saturation diving; first saturation diving project in Newfoundland, Canada (core drilling up to 150 m depth).
- 1992
Joint venture with Raaymakers Diving: renamed 'Duik Combinatie Noordersluis' (DCN), later converted into a B.V.
- 1993
Strategic shift towards civil engineering: underwater concrete work on multi-storey car parks and tunnels at Potsdamer Platz and Lehrter Bahnhof (Berlin).
- 2010
Reorientation towards worldwide offshore and hyperbaric operations; establishment of the Hyperbaric Testing Centre, expansion of the shipyard in Bergen op Zoom, second pipeline repair habitat, company-wide ERP system.
- 2016
New focus on the North Sea market; IRM as well as pipeline installation and decommissioning projects.
- 2019
Considerable expansion: modern Hyperbaric Test Centre and Wet Test Centre at the headquarters; worldwide growth with branches in nine countries.
- 2020
New focus on hydro power: dam construction, dewatering and large-scale maintenance.
- 2025
4 December: acquisition of full ownership of the diving support vessel DSV Picasso to expand the offshore division.
- Heute
DCN Diving is the oldest privately run subsea company in the Netherlands.