DCIL goes on MoU signing spree with 22 ports and organisations
DCIL officials exchanging the MoU in the presence of Minister of State for Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur at the ‘India Maritime Week 2025’ that concluded in Mumbai on Saturday
Visakhapatnam: In a significant move, Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCIL) entered into 22 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with 16 ports and organisations for Rs.17,645 crore.
The DCIL inked pact with Visakhapatnam Port, Paradip Port, Jawaharlal Nehru Port, Deenadayal Report and other major ports including Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Port, Cochin Port, Chennai Port, Mumbai Port to cater to their dredging requirement for the next two to five years.
The agreement with Cochin Shipyard is signed for construction and repair of dredgers as part of the modernisation initiatives under Atma Nirbhar Bharat.
The pact with NMDC, Abu Dhabi is for formation of JV for partnering with foreign major and aims to increase operational efficiency, and global competitiveness and with Bharat Earth Movers Limited for indigenisation of spares, construction of inland dredgers.
The MoU with National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), IIT Madras is for formation of a JV for conducting Bathymetry Survey of all Ports as well as developing a training module related to dredging.
Speaking on the occasion, M Angamuthu, chairman, DCIL expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry for their support.
He stated that a landmark announcement was made by the Prime Minister during the inauguration of India Maritime Week 2025, paving the way for transformative initiatives under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision. One of the major highlights was the announcement of Rs.4,000 crore investment dedicated to the modernisation of DCIL for construction of 11 dredgers apart from upgradation, automation and development of skilled manpower.
He stated that the MoUs would help DCI to continue to cater to the dredging requirements which are the lifeline for ports, upgrade the existing fleet, indigenisation of spares and dredger construction.
Capt. S Divakar, managing director and CEO, DCIL, (A/C) stated that the organisation is the leading dredging company in India and the MoUs would enable it to reaffirm its position further. The DCI’s current dredging capacity is based on a fleet primarily consisting of 10 trailer suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs) with a combined hopper capacity of approximately 60,000 cubic meters. This fleet enables handling of roughly 50-60 million cubic meters of dredging annually, accounting for nearly 55 per cent of India’s total dredging requirement of around 110-120 million cubic meters per year.
The addition of the new vessels would enable the company to increase its foothold in the global market.
The initiative forms a vital part of the Government’s long-term vision to achieve the goals of Maritime India Vision 2030, reaffirming India’s leadership in the maritime and blue economy sectors.