Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an investment of ₹4,000 crore for the modernisation of Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCIL) during the inauguration of India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai, according to an official statement issued by the company on Friday. The investment will focus on fleet modernisation and capacity enhancement to strengthen India’s dredging infrastructure.
DCIL Chairman and Chairperson of Visakhapatnam Port Authority and Mumbai Port, M. Angamuthu, expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) for their visionary support.
Managing Director & CEO of DCIL, S. Divakar, said the company currently operates 10 Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHDs) with a combined hopper capacity of about 60,000 cubic metres. The existing fleet enables DCIL to handle around 50–60 million cubic metres of dredging annually, accounting for nearly 55% of India’s total dredging requirement of 110–120 million cubic metres per year.
The Ministry has already approved procurement of three new TSHDs, with DCI having placed an order for one 12,000 CuM vessel, DCI Dredge Godavari, in March 2022. The vessel was recently launched and is scheduled for delivery in July 2026 at Visakhapatnam. Orders for another 12,000 CuM TSHD and an additional dredger will follow soon.
DCI also plans to acquire one Cutter Suction Dredger, a water injection dredger, a smaller-capacity TSHD for shallow draft operations, and six beaver dredgers of varying capacities for inland waterways and canal dredging.
The total investment for procuring these 11 dredgers and other modernisation initiatives is pegged at ₹4,000 crore. “This expansion will strengthen DCI’s leadership in maintenance dredging and help it establish a strong foothold in capital dredging as well,” Divakar said.
DCIL operates under a consortium of four major ports — Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), Paradip Port Authority (PPA), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), and Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) — all functioning under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.