TenCate Geotube® technology selected for projects in Nigeria and United States

2 juni 2009 TenCate Geosynthetics is as a supplier involved in projects in both Nigeria and the United States, in which TenCate Geotube® technology is being deployed. In Nigeria, TenCate Geotube® is being used to strengthen and protect river banks in the Niger delta. In the US, TenCate Geosynthetics is working with the U.S. Corps of Engineers on the rehabilitation and protection of the coastal strip of Grand Isle in New Orleans (Louisiana). TenCate Geotube® technology is a system developed by TenCate, in which a very large tubular textile container is filled with sand or sludge that is available locally. As this system uses local building materials, it is a more sustainable solution than traditional materials for shoreline protection, such as concrete, boulders or stones, which often have to be transported over great distances. The system is also more effective than the reclaiming of sand, some of which will again be carried away by the force of the water. TenCate Geotube® can also easily be integrated into the landscape and is thus also of ecological value. This technology has now proved itself in numerous applications globally and is increasingly regarded throughout the world as a sustainable solution. Niger delta (Nigeria) The Niger Delta Development Commission started on the development of the Niger delta several years ago. The banks of the Niger are extremely susceptible to erosion. As a result, there is a constant threat of houses subsiding and entire villages disappearing. Technology of TenCate Geosynthetics EMEA proved the most suitable solution to this problem. In order to withstand the pressure of currents and waves, scour aprons were installed on the riverbed, to prevent it being worn away by the action of the currents. TenCate Geotube® units are installed on top of these. Grand Isle (Louisiana, US) TenCate Geosynthetics North America is working in Louisiana (USA) with the U.S. Corps of Engineers on a project on Grand Isle near New Orleans. The project aims at rehabilitating the beaches that were damaged by hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 and at the protection of the coastline here. To this end, a row of TenCate Geotube® containers, measuring some 9,600 metres, laid end-to-end, will be installed. The containers form the core of what will eventually become a range of dunes, created by drifting sand. The system stimulates natural dune formation without large amounts of sand having to be sucked up, which can disrupt life on the seabed. A special coating ensures that the sand on the dune is not swept away during a hurricane and offers extra protection against degradation and collapse of the system as a result of UV radiation. As a supplier of geotextiles from way back, TenCate is involved in major civil engineering projects throughout the world. These striking projects are of importance for directing greater attention globally to sustainable building methods that save the environment and minimize the transport of building materials. Royal Ten Cate Almelo, The Netherlands, Tuesday 2 June 2009 For further information: F.R. Spaan, director investor relations & corporate development Telephone : + 31 546 544 977 Mobile : + 31 612 96 17 24 E-mail : f.spaan@tencate.com Internet : www.tencate.com For digital pictures concerning TenCate Geotube®, please email: media@tencate.com Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) is a multinational company which combines textile technology with related chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics. Products of TenCate are sold worldwide. Systems and materials from TenCate come under four areas of application: safety & protection, space & aerospace, infrastructure & the environment, and sport & recreation. TenCate occupies leading positions in protective fabrics, composites for space and aerospace, antiballistics, geosynthetics and synthetic turf. TenCate is listed on the NYSE Euronext (AMX). TenCate Geosynthetics develops and produces synthetics fabrics, non-wovens and grids, and designs solutions and systems for infrastructure and civil engineering. TenCate Geosynthetics has plants in Europe, North-America, Asia and Australia. This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.