Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCIL) will undertake a modernisation programme valued at INR 40 billion under a consortium of four major ports — Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Paradip Port Authority, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, and Deendayal Port Authority. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister during the inauguration of India Maritime Week 2025 in Mumbai.
The investment aims to enhance the company’s dredging capacity, operational efficiency, and competitiveness through the acquisition of advanced dredgers, technological upgrades, and adoption of sustainable practices. The initiative is being implemented under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
The modernisation plan includes procurement of eleven dredgers, comprising three new 12,000 cubic metre Trailer Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHDs), one cutter suction dredger, one water injection dredger, one low-capacity TSHD for shallow draft operations, and six beaver dredgers for inland waterways and canals. The company has already placed an order for one TSHD, DCI Dredge Godavari, launched on 18 October 2025 and expected to be delivered by July 2026.
“The modernisation initiative will transform India’s dredging capabilities, positioning DCIL as a technologically advanced and globally competitive enterprise,” said Dr. M. Angamuthu, Chairman of Dredging Corporation of India Limited and Chairperson of Visakhapatnam Port Authority.
Capt. S. Divakar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DCIL, said the modernisation roadmap would enable the company to execute complex dredging and reclamation projects with greater precision. He noted that DCIL’s current fleet of ten TSHDs, with a combined hopper capacity of approximately 60,000 cubic metres, manages around 50–60 million cubic metres of dredging annually, accounting for roughly 55 percent of India’s total dredging requirement of 110–120 million cubic metres per year. “This strategic investment will strengthen DCIL’s market position in maintenance dredging and expand its presence in capital dredging and inland waterway projects,” he said.
The announcement, made in the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, major ports, shipyards, and global maritime organisations, forms part of the government’s broader Maritime India Vision 2030 framework.
Dredging Corporation of India Limited, headquartered in Visakhapatnam, provides dredging and related services for major and minor ports, shipyards, and other maritime establishments across India.
