Indian Ports dependence on foreign dredging Cos to decline: Vasan

Chennai

India’s dependence on foreign dredging giants is likely to decrease soon with the Union Shipping Ministry setting up an ambitious target of procuring state-of-the-art dredgers to meet the dredging needs of Indian ports.

Dedicating the second Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger to the nation here on Friday, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan said with the new additions Dredging Corporation of India will continue to play a major role in meeting the dredging requirements in future and will be able to take over 80 per cent of the annual maintenance dredging works of Indian ports.

Interestingly, the procurement of dredgers comes in the wake of Shipping Ministry trying to ensure that draft at Indian ports commensurate with global standards. “Most of the Indian ports have drafts of 13 to 14 metres and plans are to make it up to 18 metres,” said Vasan. Drafts is nothing but depth of water at different tide levels so ships entering the port do not hit bottom.

The government’s Maritime Agenda 2010-2020 envisages enhancing the draft in all major ports because globally size of ship has increased which requires deep drafts.

The first dredger of the three new Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers from Holland was dedicated to the nation on December 22. Interestingly, it was after 12 years DCI had purchased a dredger to aid its aging fleet. The third dredger is likely to be delivered by Holland on February 2014, Vasan said.

He also said that the Dredging Corporation of India has further CAPEX plans for about Rs 1,972 crore in the 12^th plan including placing orders for two more 9,000 cubic metre capacity dredgers. 

Chairman and managing director of Dredging Corporation of India captain D K Mohanty said the now with the addition of the new fleet, DCI can phase out the old dredgers, which are above 35 years old. “We have already phased out one dredger and are on the verge of phasing out other,” he said.

The Memorandum of understanding for the first two dredgers was signed on February 2010 with IHC Merwede, Netherlands and the third one was signed on 2011. The total cost of the three dredgers is worth 1,570 crore.