Royal IHC and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together in order to provide a world class trailing suction hopper dredger to be locally built for Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). The agreement aims at designing and building an advanced 8,000m3 and/or 12,000m3 trailing suction hopper dredger for DCI to meet the increasing demand in India for port maintenance and dredging services. With this new dredger, DCI will extend their fleet of currently ten trailing suction hopper dredgers. All of them have been built by Royal IHC in the Netherlands.
The MoU incorporates Royal IHC’s intention to deliver the design and engineering package for the vessel. Furthermore, it includes the hardware delivery of IHC-designed, state-of-the-art dredging installation. Throughout the building process, Royal IHC will assist CSL to make sure that the installation of the dredge equipment package is executed at the best level.
High capacity dredgers in the range of 8000m3 to 12,000m3 are complex equipment and have never been built in India before. With this MoU three major companies within the ‘Make in India’ campaign are joining forces to have the first dredger of this size locally built in India.