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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Henk van Hetten
| name = Henk van Hetten
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1963|7|23|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|7|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Paramaribo]], [[Suriname]]
| birth_place = [[Paramaribo]], [[Suriname]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Construction contractor|Crawler-crane operator}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Construction contractor|Crawler-crane operator}}
| years_active = 1980–present
| years_active = 1975–present
| era = [[Vriend Era]]
| era = [[Vriend Era]]
| known_for = Founder of [[Paramarbo]]
| known_for = Founder of [[Paramarbo]]
| height = 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
| height = {{convert|1.73|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| father = [[Wijnand van Hetten]]
| father = [[Wijnand van Hetten]]
| mother = [[Rosalie Kenswil]]
| relatives = {{hlist|[[Ewald van Hetten]] (uncle)|[[Rinaldo van Hetten]] (cousin)}}
| relatives = {{plainlist|
* [[Ewald van Hetten]] (uncle)
* [[Rinaldo van Hetten]] (cousin)
}}
| family = [[Van Hetten family]]
| family = [[Van Hetten family]]
}}
}}


'''Henk van Hetten''' (born 23 July 1963) is a Surinamese construction contractor and crawler-crane operator. He founded [[Paramarbo]] in [[Paramaribo]] on 1 October 1990. Van Hetten continues to operate crawler cranes on the company's projects and took over the Van Hetten family dump site from his father in 2026.
'''Henk van Hetten''' (born 23 July 1963) is a Surinamese construction contractor and crawler-crane operator. He founded [[Paramarbo]] in [[Paramaribo]] on 1 October 1990 after working at his family's dump site and spending six years in [[Rotterdam]] gaining construction and crane experience. Since 10 April 2026, he has operated from the former Van Hetten family dump site, which his father, [[Wijnand van Hetten]], transferred to him for use as Paramarbo's construction yard.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Henk van Hetten was born in Paramaribo, [[Suriname]], on 23 July 1963. His father operated the Van Hetten family dump site in the city, while his uncle, [[Ewald van Hetten]], handled much of its crane and excavator work. Henk began helping there in 1975, when he was 12. He started by sorting reusable material and later did basic equipment maintenance. Wijnand taught him construction work, while Ewald introduced him to heavy machinery.


Henk van Hetten was born in Paramaribo, [[Suriname]], on 23 July 1963. He is the son of [[Wijnand van Hetten]] and [[Rosalie Kenswil]].<ref name="wijnand-personal"/> His father managed the Van Hetten family dump site in Paramaribo, where Henk's uncle [[Ewald van Hetten]] worked as a heavy equipment operator.
Van Hetten completed secondary school and obtained a vocational qualification in motor-vehicle mechanics before 1981, although he never worked professionally as a mechanic. In 1980, Ewald allowed the 17-year-old Van Hetten to operate a used Kobe Steel 10KT truck crane. He used it to load scrap and reusable construction material before later moving on to the dump site's Kobelco 300-series lattice-boom crawler crane.
 
Van Hetten began helping at the dump site in 1975, when he was 12. He first sorted reusable material and later helped maintain equipment. Wijnand taught him construction work. Ewald introduced him to the cranes and excavators used on the property.
 
After completing secondary school, Van Hetten obtained a vocational qualification in motor-vehicle mechanics. In 1980, aged 17, Ewald began training him on a used Kobe Steel 10KT truck crane. Van Hetten used it to load scrap and reusable construction material before moving on to the dump site's Kobelco 300-series lattice-boom crawler crane.


From 1981 until 1984, Van Hetten worked as a parcel courier. He moved alone to [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]], in 1984 to gain more construction experience. There he worked for a Dutch construction company on precast concrete piling and steel sheet-pile installation. During his six years in Rotterdam, he completed SOMA training and qualified to operate mobile piling installations and mobile cranes.
Between 1981 and 1984, Van Hetten worked as a parcel courier because it was the easiest employment available to him. He moved alone to Rotterdam in 1984 to gain more construction experience and worked for a Dutch construction company on precast concrete piling and steel sheet-pile installation. During his six years in the [[Netherlands]], he completed SOMA training and qualified to operate mobile piling installations and mobile cranes.


== Career ==
== Career ==
Van Hetten returned to Paramaribo in March 1990 intending to start his own construction company. Wijnand and Ewald lent him machinery from the dump site while he arranged his first contracts. They kept running the dump site and did not join the company. Van Hetten founded Paramarbo on 1 October 1990. Its first major project was a group of private houses in Paramaribo that needed pile foundations. The company later took on small commercial buildings and employed 12 permanent staff.


Van Hetten returned to Paramaribo in March 1990 intending to establish his own construction company. Wijnand and Ewald continued operating the family dump site and lent him machinery while he arranged his first contracts.
Paramarbo's first major machine of its own was a used Sumitomo LS-118RH-5 crawler crane bought in 1996 for pile-driving work. A Kobelco CKE800 followed in 2006 and became the crane most associated with Van Hetten's work. The company added a Kobelco BM700HD-2 in 2012, which Van Hetten still operates on selected projects. [[Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic)]] has occasionally assisted him on construction jobs.<ref name="patrick-construction"/>


He founded [[Paramarbo]] on 1 October 1990. One of the company's first major projects was the construction of private houses in Paramaribo that required pile foundations. Paramarbo later took contracts for small commercial buildings and developed a permanent workforce of 12 employees.
Van Hetten continued using material recovered from his father's dump site for Paramarbo projects. Corrugated metal sheets and structural steel were reused when suitable for construction, while sound timber or concrete components could also be taken back into use. Van Hetten summarizes the practice with the phrase "afval is ook goud" ("trash is also gold").


The company bought a used Sumitomo LS-118RH-5 crawler crane in 1996. Configured for pile-driving work, it was the first major machine Paramarbo owned outright. Van Hetten later added a Kobelco CKE800 to the company's crawler-crane fleet in 2006. A Kobelco BM700HD-2 was acquired in 2012 and remains one of the machines he operates on selected projects. [[Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic)|Patrick van Hetten]] has occasionally joined him on construction jobs in Suriname.<ref name="patrick-career"/>
Wijnand retired from management of the dump site on 10 April 2026 and transferred the property to Van Hetten. Van Hetten made it Paramarbo's construction yard. The property continues to accept household waste and construction debris, while Paramarbo uses it to store machinery and recovered building material. Van Hetten's cousin, [[Rinaldo van Hetten]], remained at the yard and continues to operate its Hitachi WS100 wheel loader on selected days.<ref name="rinaldo-career"/>


Van Hetten continued using reusable material from the family dump site for construction work. Material suitable for later use was removed from the waste brought to the property and kept for Paramarbo projects. Van Hetten referred to this practice with the phrase ''"afval is ook goud"'' ("trash is also gold").
== Personal life ==
Van Hetten lives in Paramaribo and has never married or had children. Dutch is his primary language, and he also speaks [[Sranan Tongo]].


On 10 April 2026, Wijnand retired from daily management of the dump site and transferred the property to Van Hetten. He incorporated the site into Paramarbo as its construction yard. The property continued accepting household waste and construction debris while Paramarbo began using part of it for its machinery and recovered building material.
Van Hetten speaks slowly and is similarly unhurried in how he walks. He rarely becomes angry and smokes regularly. At work, he usually wears a faded Kobelco shirt with orange work trousers. Orange is his preferred colour and is also used on his equipment.
 
== Personal life ==


Van Hetten lives in Paramaribo and has never married. He has no children. Dutch is his primary language, while he also speaks [[Sranan Tongo]]. He smokes regularly.
In 2012, Patrick van Hetten taught him to pilot Van Hetten [[unidentified flying object|UFOs]]. Van Hetten occasionally uses the craft for recreational flights around Suriname.


Van Hetten drives an orange 2006 [[Jeep Wrangler]] that he rebuilt during the year he acquired it. He assembled its three-cylinder diesel engine from modified parts recovered from discarded engines. Van Hetten fabricated the engine mounts and adapted the drivetrain himself, while parts of the interior were lined with scrap-metal panels.
Van Hetten drives an orange 2006 [[Jeep Wrangler]], which he rebuilt during the year he acquired it. He assembled its three-cylinder diesel engine from modified parts recovered from discarded engines, then fabricated the engine mounts and adapted the drivetrain himself. Parts of the interior were lined with scrap-metal panels.


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 58: Line 51:
== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="wijnand-personal">"[[Wijnand van Hetten#Personal life|Personal life]]". ''Wijnand van Hetten''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="patrick-construction">"[[Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic)#Career|Career]]". ''Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic)''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="patrick-career">"[[Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic)#Career|Career]]". ''Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic)''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="rinaldo-career">"[[Rinaldo van Hetten#Career|Career]]". ''Rinaldo van Hetten''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
}}
}}



Latest revision as of 16:39, 7 October 2026

Henk van Hetten
Born (1963-07-23) 23 July 1963 (age 63)
Occupations
  • Construction contractor
  • Crawler-crane operator
Years active1975–present
EraVriend Era
Known forFounder of Paramarbo
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
FatherWijnand van Hetten
Relatives
FamilyVan Hetten family

Henk van Hetten (born 23 July 1963) is a Surinamese construction contractor and crawler-crane operator. He founded Paramarbo in Paramaribo on 1 October 1990 after working at his family's dump site and spending six years in Rotterdam gaining construction and crane experience. Since 10 April 2026, he has operated from the former Van Hetten family dump site, which his father, Wijnand van Hetten, transferred to him for use as Paramarbo's construction yard.

Early life

[edit | edit source]

Henk van Hetten was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, on 23 July 1963. His father operated the Van Hetten family dump site in the city, while his uncle, Ewald van Hetten, handled much of its crane and excavator work. Henk began helping there in 1975, when he was 12. He started by sorting reusable material and later did basic equipment maintenance. Wijnand taught him construction work, while Ewald introduced him to heavy machinery.

Van Hetten completed secondary school and obtained a vocational qualification in motor-vehicle mechanics before 1981, although he never worked professionally as a mechanic. In 1980, Ewald allowed the 17-year-old Van Hetten to operate a used Kobe Steel 10KT truck crane. He used it to load scrap and reusable construction material before later moving on to the dump site's Kobelco 300-series lattice-boom crawler crane.

Between 1981 and 1984, Van Hetten worked as a parcel courier because it was the easiest employment available to him. He moved alone to Rotterdam in 1984 to gain more construction experience and worked for a Dutch construction company on precast concrete piling and steel sheet-pile installation. During his six years in the Netherlands, he completed SOMA training and qualified to operate mobile piling installations and mobile cranes.

Career

[edit | edit source]

Van Hetten returned to Paramaribo in March 1990 intending to start his own construction company. Wijnand and Ewald lent him machinery from the dump site while he arranged his first contracts. They kept running the dump site and did not join the company. Van Hetten founded Paramarbo on 1 October 1990. Its first major project was a group of private houses in Paramaribo that needed pile foundations. The company later took on small commercial buildings and employed 12 permanent staff.

Paramarbo's first major machine of its own was a used Sumitomo LS-118RH-5 crawler crane bought in 1996 for pile-driving work. A Kobelco CKE800 followed in 2006 and became the crane most associated with Van Hetten's work. The company added a Kobelco BM700HD-2 in 2012, which Van Hetten still operates on selected projects. Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic) has occasionally assisted him on construction jobs.[1]

Van Hetten continued using material recovered from his father's dump site for Paramarbo projects. Corrugated metal sheets and structural steel were reused when suitable for construction, while sound timber or concrete components could also be taken back into use. Van Hetten summarizes the practice with the phrase "afval is ook goud" ("trash is also gold").

Wijnand retired from management of the dump site on 10 April 2026 and transferred the property to Van Hetten. Van Hetten made it Paramarbo's construction yard. The property continues to accept household waste and construction debris, while Paramarbo uses it to store machinery and recovered building material. Van Hetten's cousin, Rinaldo van Hetten, remained at the yard and continues to operate its Hitachi WS100 wheel loader on selected days.[2]

Personal life

[edit | edit source]

Van Hetten lives in Paramaribo and has never married or had children. Dutch is his primary language, and he also speaks Sranan Tongo.

Van Hetten speaks slowly and is similarly unhurried in how he walks. He rarely becomes angry and smokes regularly. At work, he usually wears a faded Kobelco shirt with orange work trousers. Orange is his preferred colour and is also used on his equipment.

In 2012, Patrick van Hetten taught him to pilot Van Hetten UFOs. Van Hetten occasionally uses the craft for recreational flights around Suriname.

Van Hetten drives an orange 2006 Jeep Wrangler, which he rebuilt during the year he acquired it. He assembled its three-cylinder diesel engine from modified parts recovered from discarded engines, then fabricated the engine mounts and adapted the drivetrain himself. Parts of the interior were lined with scrap-metal panels.

See also

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ "Career". Patrick van Hetten (UFO mechanic). Vrienden Universe Wiki.
  2. ↑ "Career". Rinaldo van Hetten. Vrienden Universe Wiki.