Dredging Corporation of India Ltd has sought bids for manning, operation and technical management of five of its so-called trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHD’s) for three years which can be extended by two years as the Mumbai-listed dredging contractor owned by four state-owned major ports looks at ways to improve operational efficiencies amidst difficulties in getting competent marine personnel.
A trailing suction hopper dredger is used to maintain the channels of ports and harbours.
The three-year contract is estimated to cost ₹90.40 crore.
Experienced and competent technical manning contractors of ship/dredger having Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) and under the National Maritime Board (NMB) agreement can apply on the tender. The NMB is a collective bargaining agreement between shipowners and seafarers’ unions that covers various aspects of seafarers’ employment, including wages, terms and conditions.
Potential bidders should possess a valid Indian Document of Compliance (DOC) for Indian flag vessels from the Directorate General of Shipping for the vessel type classified as “Other Cargo Ships.” The Document of Compliance must be valid and have remained valid and in force for a continuous period of at least the last five years preceding the bid submission date, DCI wrote in the tender documents.
Foreign ship management companies operating only with Indian representative offices are not eligible to quote.
The bidder quoting the lowest rate for the work will be awarded the contract.
A spokesperson for Visakhapatnam-based Dredging Corp said that the company is adopting the operation and maintenance model followed by port authorities for tugboats to achieve efficiency improvements.
“If the response is good and we see it is working well, then we may also give the other four dredgers on our fleet to O&M contractors,” the spokesperson added.
Dredging Corporation currently runs nine dredgers.
Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Paradip Port Authority, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Deendayal Port Authority together acquired the Union government’s 73.47 per cent stake in DCI for ₹1,056 crore in March 2019 in a strategic disinvestment deal.
“I think it’s a good strategy to outsource manning, operation and technical management of the dredgers to an efficient third party given how the Company is run,” said an industry source.
“If they are not able to run the business efficiently, it is better to hire professionals. As simple as that. Let someone capable do the work instead of ruining the company. It is better,” he said.
“If a private entity can do the work at a lesser rate, it is better to go for that. DCI can stop hiring staff and, hopefully, the dredgers will also be better managed. It’s a win-win,” he added.
The exercise, though, is fraught with challenges.
“All their dredgers are in a terrible state right now and who do they pinpoint this on,” said a second industry source.
For instance, the door of ‘Dredge 16’ fell when it was enroute to Mumbai after dry docking at Kandla. The shaft seal of ‘Dredge 17’ started leaking when it arrived in Kandla after dry docking in Kochi.
When ‘Dredge 19’ went to Pondicherry for work, both anchors broke and had to be taken to Chennai on an emergency. One of the anchors of ‘Dredge 20’ was pulled out to be put on ‘Dredge 19’ while an old anchor is being fitted on it as the second anchor.
Meanwhile, ‘Dredge 21’, working in Kolkata, had to be replaced because its shaft seals started leaking and was dry-docked.
“It’s a daily struggle. Somebody has to be blamed for all the issues that are happening, how all the ports are suffering because of DCI. The plan is being projected in such a way that they will bring someone as O&M operator to run the dredgers, which it is not able to do. Today, nobody is steering DCI in the right direction,” he quipped, while casting doubts on whether anyone will come forward for the work.
“Because, in the past, whoever came to work with DCI through sub-contracting, all of them ended up in disputes, arbitrations or faced blacklisting,” he added.
“The O&M model was tried out in the past also by offering 1-2 dredgers. DCI did not gain anything then. It is one more such exercise, that’s all,” said a third industry source.
Source: ET Infra