Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Dutch shipbuilder Damen have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly design and build advanced dredgers in India, the companies announced at SMM Hamburg.
What does the MoU cover?
The agreement sets up a technical and business collaboration framework between the two companies to explore dredger design and construction in India. GRSE said the tie-up combines its own shipbuilding capabilities with Damen’s globally proven expertise in trailing suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs) and water injection dredgers (WIDs).
The MoU identifies five areas of cooperation: advanced dredger design and technology, transfer of technical know-how, joint design and construction proposals, development of indigenous dredger-building capabilities, and long-term cooperation on future dredging requirements.
Why does this build on an existing relationship?
GRSE and Damen already work together on a 1,000 cubic metre dredger currently under construction for the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). The new MoU extends that collaboration into a broader framework aimed at Indian dredger-building capacity rather than a single vessel order.
What does this mean for India’s dredging capabilities?
Officials from both companies said the MoU is expected to strengthen GRSE’s position in the specialised dredger segment and support India’s growing demand for modern dredging capacity, as the country expands port capacity and undertakes large-scale capital and maintenance dredging programmes.
The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the SMM Hamburg Maritime Trade Fair in Germany.
