Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) emerged as the lowest bidder on a tender floated by Deendayal Port Trust. The company placed a price bid of Rs.3.10 billion for the three-year deal and bagged the dredging contract on March 10.The port major's price quotation was 21 per cent lower than the Rs.3.93 billion estimated for the work. Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), owned by four major port trusts, including Deendayal Port Trust, quoted Rs.3.8789 billion for the work, just 1 per cent lower than the port trust's estimates.Ports located on India's western coast such as Deendayal are prone to silting and need annual maintenance dredging to facilitate the smooth movement of ships. Last July, the tender was issued to finalise a new three-year dredging contract, mostly to maintain the port's channel at the prevailing water depth, when the term of the existing three-year deal – for Rs.3.47 billion – given to Van Oord India, the Indian unit of Dutch dredging firm Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contracting Co, ended. Security clearance for the key requirements of bidders before awarding dredging works in ports was delayed by several months and was finally granted in early March.