The Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCIL), headquartered in Visakhapatnam, recently signed 22 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth approximately Rs 176.45 billion with 16 key organisations during the India Maritime Week 2025.

The agreements were concluded with major ports such as the Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Paradip Port Authority, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, Deendayal Port Authority, the Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (formerly Kolkata dock system), the Cochin Shipyard Limited, Chennai and Mumbai ports. Key strategic collaborations include: • A pact with Cochin Shipyard for construction and repair of dredgers under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. • A joint venture with NMDC Abu Dhabi to partner foreign majors and enhance global competitiveness. • An agreement with Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) to manufacture inland dredgers and localise critical components. • A tie-up with IHC India for modernising dredger fleet capacity. • Collaboration with the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways & Coasts (under Indian Institute of Technology Madras) to undertake bathymetry surveys and develop training modules for the dredging workforce. • An MoU with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to ensure consistent fuel and lubricant supply to DCIL’s fleet. DCIL’s current operational fleet includes ten trailer-suction hopper dredgers (TSHDs) with a combined hopper capacity of about 60,000 cubic metres. The corporation handles approximately 50–60 million cubic metres of dredging annually, representing nearly 55 per cent of India’s total dredging requirement.