According to reports from the Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI), which is based in Visakhapatnam, over 40% of “DCI Dredge Godavari,” reportedly the biggest dredger in India, has been finished at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). In September 2024, the ship’s keel, which is being constructed in partnership with Royal IHC in the Netherlands, was laid. According to the tentative schedule, the vessel is expected to be launched by CSL on July 20.
This implies that it will immediately begin installing the necessary machinery to prepare the vessel for trial. The vessel will be prepared for delivery to the owner (DCI-Visakhapatnam) for use in operations after this is finished. The dredger would be the most technologically sophisticated dredger ever constructed in India when it was put into service. With a hopper capacity of 12,000 cubic meters, this Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD), built for DCI, is a significant project under the Government of India’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative, enhancing the capabilities of all major Indian ports as envisioned by the Maritime India Vision (MIV-2030).
The self-propelled vessel TSHD is built to dredge materials from the ocean floor while at sea. It transports material in a hopper by sucking it up with a trailing suction pipe that has a drag-head at the end. Because of their versatility, TSHDs are employed in a variety of tasks, including port development, land reclamation, and deepening canals.
The DCI Dredge Godavari would be a distinguished national asset and a significant turning point in India’s marine capabilities. In 2024, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal virtually laid the keel for DCI Dredge Godavari.
