Bonn and Mees

What Bonn and Mees does

Bonn and Mees is a Dutch private company that operates a fleet of floating sheerlegs — seagoing crane barges — for complex maritime heavy lifting projects. Founded in 1888 and headquartered in Rotterdam-Pernis, the company runs a 12-vessel fleet with lifting capacities ranging from 50 to 2,200 tons, anchored by the HEBO LIFT 10 (formerly Taklift 4), described as the most powerful seagoing floating sheerleg in the fleet. In 2023 Bonn and Mees merged with HEBO Maritime Service, creating a combined entity that claims 170 years of operational heritage and positions itself as the most versatile maritime service provider in Europe, while Bonn and Mees continues to operate under its own brand for floating sheerlegs work.

The company's core technology is its specialized fleet of sheers and crane barges, supplemented by ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and CO2-Performance Ladder certifications that qualify it for European offshore and public-sector tenders. Services span shipbuilding construction and modification, breakbulk cargo handling, offshore platform installation and decommissioning, civil construction, and general heavy lift operations. Customers are enterprise clients — shipyards, offshore energy developers, infrastructure contractors, and breakbulk operators — requiring high-capacity lifting that exceeds land-based crane capability. Operations are delivered from a Rotterdam-Pernis headquarters and a Heavy Lift Terminal in Rotterdam, with the merged HEBO group providing cross-referral and complementary maritime service capabilities.

Bonn and Mees generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts priced on a quote basis, with pricing tailored to each project's lifting capacity, duration, and complexity. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct engagement, supported by a corporate website and the parent HEBO site's project gallery. The company is privately held under the legal name Bonn & Mees Floating Sheerlegs BV and discloses neither revenue nor ownership structure publicly.

Name

Bonn and Mees

Legal name

Bonn & Mees Floating Sheerlegs BV

Website

https://bonn-mees.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bonn and Mees operates a 12-vessel fleet of floating sheerlegs (seagoing crane barges) with lifting capacities from 50 to 2,200 tons, delivering project-based heavy lift services to enterprise clients in shipbuilding, offshore installation/decommissioning, breakbulk, and civil construction across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Heavy Lift Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Marine Cargo Handling (488320)

SIC

Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590)

akta.pro primary industry

Heavy Lift & Marine Recovery (Cranes, Barges, Jack-up Support) (TLAHAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chartering & Heavy-Lift Vessel / Barge / RoRo Solutions (TLACAIAJ), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH)

Keywords

• Heavy lift services
• Floating sheerlegs
• Maritime crane operations
• Offshore installation services
• Breakbulk cargo handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Heavy Lift Services: Project-based heavy lift services using floating sheerlegs for complex maritime construction, installation, and decommissioning projects. Revenue is generated through service contracts for lifting operations across various industries including shipbuilding, offshore, and civil construction.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bonn & Mees operates a fleet of seagoing floating sheerlegs (floating crane vessels) with lifting capacities ranging from 50 to 2,200 tons, delivering project-based heavy lift services for shipbuilding, offshore installation/decommissioning, civil construction, and breakbulk cargo operations. The company provides the vessels, skilled crews, and engineering capability to execute complex maritime construction projects that exceed land-based crane capabilities, with the combined Bonn & Mees/HEBO entity claiming to be Europe's most versatile maritime service provider.

Product overview

Bonn & Mees operates a fleet of floating sheerlegs (sea-going crane barges) providing heavy lifting solutions for complex maritime and construction projects. The fleet consists of 12 vessels ranging from 50 to 2,200 tons lifting capacity, serving industries including shipbuilding, heavy lift, breakbulk, offshore installation/decommissioning, and civil construction. The company merged with HEBO in 2023 to form the most versatile maritime service provider in Europe, combining 170 years of experience. The fleet portfolio includes the flagship HEBO LIFT 10 (2,200 ton), MATADOR 3 (1,800 ton), HEBO LIFT 9 (800 ton), MATADOR (400 ton), MATADOR 2, HEBO LIFT 8 (300 ton), HEBO LIFT 7 (300 ton), HEBO LIFT 6 (200 ton), HEBO LIFT 5 (160 ton), HEBO LIFT 4 (188 ton), HEBO LIFT 2 (multi-purpose crane barge), and HEBO LIFT 1 (50 ton).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HEBO LIFT 10 Heavy Lift Service Heavy lift service delivered via the most powerful seagoing floating sheerleg in the fleet, with a lifting capacity of 2,200 tons (formerly Taklift 4). Used for the largest maritime construction, offshore installation/decommissioning, and heavy lift projects.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HEBO Maritime ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, Bonn & Mees and HEBO joined forces to become the most versatile maritime service provider in Europe. The merger combines 170 years of experience, bringing together knowledge, expertise, and specialism from both companies. This strategic alliance enables the combined entity to offer reliable and sustainable solutions that meet the ever-changing needs of clients across maritime sectors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mammoet: Global heavy lifting and engineered transport specialist serving offshore wind, oil & gas, civil, and industrial projects. Comparable in addressing complex heavy lift requirements though primarily land-based and modular transport rather than floating sheerlegs.
• Sarens: Belgian-headquartered heavy lifting and modular transport company serving similar offshore wind, energy, and civil construction end markets as Bonn & Mees, with comparable project-based service model.
• BigLift Shipping: Heavy lift and project cargo shipping operator part of the Spliethoff group, focused on breakbulk, project cargo, and oversized ocean transport. Comparable in heavy lift vessel chartering for breakbulk and project cargo.
• Wagenborg: Dutch maritime services group with heavy lift shipping, offshore logistics, and specialized vessel operations. Comparable in fleet-based maritime service model and Dutch-North Sea geographic focus.
• HEBO Maritime Service: Direct sister/merged entity following the 2023 combination with Bonn & Mees. HEBO operates floating sheerlegs and broader maritime services, sharing the same fleet, Rotterdam footprint, and end-market verticals.
• Combi Lift: German-headquartered heavy lift and project cargo shipping specialist serving offshore, energy, and breakbulk markets. Operates a fleet of heavy lift vessels and serves similar customer verticals to Bonn & Mees.
• Smit Salvage: Part of Boskalis, specialized in marine salvage, wreck removal, and emergency response using heavy lift vessels, tugs, and jack-up support. Comparable in operating high-capacity marine heavy lift assets for complex maritime projects.

Broad incumbents

• Boskalis: Dutch-listed maritime services giant active in offshore energy, dredging, and heavy marine transport. Overlaps with Bonn & Mees in offshore installation and heavy lift, but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Van Oord: Dutch marine contractor focused on offshore wind, dredging, and offshore oil & gas. Comparable end-market exposure to offshore installation/decommissioning, though much larger and vertically integrated.

Others

• Huisman: Dutch designer and manufacturer of heavy lifting equipment including cranes, winches, and offshore construction machinery. Adjacent as a supplier of the lifting technology that floating sheerlegs depend on, rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BonnMees

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bonn and Mees