India to attain self-reliance in building dredgers; CSL, DCI, IHC Holland ink pact: Mansukh Mandaviya

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) and IHC Holland have joined hands to make world-class dredgers at CSL

NEW DELHI : India is set to attain self-reliance in manufacturing of dredgers with CSL and Dredging Corporation collaborating with IHC Holland BV to locally build world-class equipment, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday.

Currently, India depends on foreign dredgers for dredging work worth about ₹2,000 crore per annum, he said.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) and IHC Holland have joined hands to make world-class dredgers at CSL.

“High capacity dredgers in the range of 8000 Cu Meter to 12,000 Cu Meter will be built for the first time in India through this collaboration. So far India has been dependent on foreign dredgers for dredging work ranging from ₹1,500 crore to ₹2,000 crore,”the Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister said.

Mandaviya was addressing media after CSL, DCI and IHC Holland, a global leader in design and construction of dredgers, signed a Memorandum of Understanding here.

The minister said cost of an indigenous big dredger will come to about ₹800 crore and will result in India attaining self-reliance in this sector besides creating jobs.

He said, earlier even in the bidding for dredgers only foreign companies participated but now locally manufactured dredgers will be “to our advantage and give a fillip to the sector.”

The minister said DCI has been in talks with CSL which has expressed willingness to construct Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger and accordingly collaboration was made with IHC Holland under Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

CSL Chairman and Managing Director Madhu S Nair said indigenous content in the dredger manufacturing will be at least 50 per cent initially.

Ambassador of Netherlands in India Marten ven den Berg, who was also present on the occasion, said both countries have huge coastlines and this collaboration has a lot of potential in strengthening their capabilities.

This global collaboration will help promote Make in India initiative and Dutch companies are looking forward to enhancing their collaboration with India.

Joost Geijner, Economic Counsellor for Netherland Embassy was present on the occasion while Gerben Eggink, CEO Royal IHC participated in the event through video conference.

DCI controls majority of the maintenance dredging market in the country and dredging services for major ports.

Capital and maintenance dredging is required in a country like India with a coastline of more than 7,000 km. DCI has been contemplating augmenting its fleet capacity to meet the enhanced requirements.

CSL, India’s leading shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Waterways and Shipping, can build ships up to 1,10,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) and repair ships up to 1,25,000 DWT.

The yard has delivered two of India’s largest double hull Aframax tankers each of 95,000 DWT.

It emerged as the lowest bidder for a ₹10,000-crore contract by the Indian Navy on Tuesday, to build Next Generation Missile Vessels.

Sources