The ₹800 crore TSHD used to maintain the channel of ports is the culmination of the Ministry’s efforts to bring the best-in-class global technology into India under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative. Hitherto, all such dredgers owned and operated in were procured from abroad. The dredger based on globally acclaimed Beagle Platform of IHC Holland will be customised to meet all Indian requirements. According to official sources, Cochin Shipyard and IHC Holland B V have signed MoU for collaborating on technology and design for high capacity, complex dredgers.
Replying to the question raised by the member Kalanidhi Veeraswamy whether DCI lacks machinery to compete with private players, the Minister said that DCI has vessels fleet consisting of 10 Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers of 59,513 cubic meter cumulative hopper capacity, two Cutter Suction Dredgers, one Backhoe Dredger and other ancillary crafts. DCI has major market share in the field of maintenance dredging in India.
The company is carrying out maintenance dredging at major ports and has been participating in bidding process of dredging contracts, the Minister said while DCI is currently under the administrative control of four major ports such as Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Paradip Port Authority, Deendayal Port Authority and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority with shareholding of 19.47, 18, 18 and 18 per cent respectively.
