Dredging projects at Major Ports encouraged to be taken up on PPP basis

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has prepared the Draft Dredging Guidelines for Major Port Trusts, which envisage the public-private partnership (PPP) model for undertaking channel deepening and maintenance works at the Major Ports. Such a model may be worked out for dredging projects, with the hybrid model of combining capital dredging with maintenance dredging for 10-20 years. The Ministry has emphasised the need to increase depths to 17 metres to handle higher capacity container vessels, which would facilitate a reduction in transportation costs due to economies of scale. The PPP model is a potential option, with limited investment from the Major Ports, the Ministry said, as per a report.