Dredging as an industry has gained importance over the years due to the expansion works at ports, the development of greenfield ports and the deepening of waterways. The increased focus on dredging has resulted in rapid growth of the dredging equipment market as well. At present, the equipment needs of the Indian dredging market are largely met by foreign players. These players have set up their subsidiaries to meet the specific requirements of the domestic dredging market. Some of the players have also set up workshops and service centres in the country for providing technical assistance and after-sale services, besides meeting the demand for dredging components.
Innovations in the dredging market
The Netherlands-based Royal IHC is one of the leading suppliers of dredging equipment and dredgers in the country. Key dredging equipment provided by the company include trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) dredge pumps, trailing suction pipe systems, TSHD dredge line components, drag heads, overflow systems, excavation equipment, dredging control and monitoring systems, and training simulators. In addition to this, the company offers a number of auxiliary vessels required to transport dredged material to the final site, assist the dredger or increase its overall production rate. These auxiliary vessels include backhoe dredgers, grab hopper dredgers, and split hull vessels. IHC designs and builds a variety of standardis-ed and custom-built cutter suction dredgers (CSDs). These customised dredgers are capable of dredging compacted soil types and materials, and are ideal for a number of dredging jobs, including land reclamation and construction of new harbour basins and canals.
In particular, the IHC Beaver® 40 is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, which provides optimal presentation of the swing width/cutter depth. The key features of the IHC Beaver® 40 CSD are that it requires low maintenance, is equipped with environment-friendly solutions such as LED lighting, ensures efficient power distribution with a single diesel engine, and guarantees safe operations using programmable logic controller-based controls and interlocks.
Damen Dredging, another company from the Netherlands, has built more than 300 dredgers and over 6,500 vessels at its own yards and those of its partners. The company has a vast experience in maintenance dredging, capital dredging, environmental dredging, and offshore and inland mining, etc. It also offers a broad range of vessel types, ranging from stationary dredging equipment (CSDs, DOP dredgers and booster stations) to self-propelled dredgers (TSHDs, marine aggregate dredgers), dredge pumps and equipment (trailing suction pipes, water injection dredgers, dredging components and dredging instrumentation). Damen has designed a heavy-duty versatile dredge tool, the DOP® submersible dredge pump, which can be easily used for small dredging projects or for dredging through hard surfaces. The dredge pumps have high efficiency level, are wear resistant and can operate in challenging environments. Besides, its mechanical shaft seal does not require grease or gland water.
Meanwhile, technology providers are developing innovative methods for monitoring dredging projects. For example, Russia-based Nonius Engineering specialises in 3D positioning and monitoring systems for all dredger types and provides services such as production monitoring for suction dredgers and remote monitoring for dredging projects. The company’s Nonius SlurryMeter specialises in on-the-fly logging of the productive output of a dredge pump. This system helps to find the most effective mode for a CSD and in record-keeping only useful and clean material.
Indigenous manufacturing of dredgers
Of late, there has been an increased focus on indigenous manufacturing of dredgers. Indian shipyards have an edge over foreign yards in the manufacture of dredgers due to cost advantages. In India, the initial cost of manufacturing a trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) of 5,500 cubic metres (cum) capacity is estimated to be one-third that in Europe and the United States, and almost half that in China. Howbeit, domestic shipyards lack the technical know-how for dredger construction.
In the past decade, a number of technology-transfer agreements have been signed with foreign suppliers for the construction of dredgers in India. Generally, two types of technology-transfer models are in practice:
- Supply of dredging equipment: Under this model, the design is prepared by domestic shipyards while equipment and components are provided by foreign players. This model has not gained much acceptance in India so far. A case in point is the technology-transfer agreement signed between Vosta LMG and BEML Limited in 2011 for the design, construction and delivery of various types of dredgers in India.
- Complete engineering package: Till date, most of the technology-transfer agreements entered into in India have been based on this model, wherein the complete engineering package including production, drawing, machinery and dredging equipment is provided by the foreign technology partner. The role of the domestic shipyard, meanwhile, is confined to assembling the dredger on the basis of the production drawing. Dredgers like CSD Dredge XVIII for DCI, “Vivek” for Mumbai Port Trust, grab hopper “Bagha Jatin” for Kolkata Port Trust, and TSHD for Chennai Port Trust are key examples.
In order to secure the benefits of indigenous production, it is imperative to identify specific areas where indigenisation is feasible and profitable. To begin with, domestic shipyards should focus on developing expertise in the design and manufacture of dredgers with technical assistance from a foreign technology partner.
In a recent development, in February 2021, Cochin Shipyard Limited signed an MoU with Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) for the supply of two high-end and large-capacity dredgers for DCI. This is the first time that a high-end, complex dredger will be constructed at an Indian shipyard with international standards. Estimated to cost Rs 20 billion, TSHDs will have a hopper capacity of 12,000 cum each. The scope of the deal includes the option of constructing a third dredger through technology collaboration with a Dutch firm. However, it would be contingent upon the gap viability analysis of the dredging market in 2025 to achieve the dredging requirements at Indian ports visualised under the Maritime Vision 2030.
In sum
The continued emphasis on the deepening and widening draught levels at ports to handle bigger vessels, various government initiatives, such as the flagship Sagarmala programme, and the development of inland waterways and navigational channels, will help expand the market size of dredging equipment in the coming years. This, in turn, will further augment the demand for spare parts and auxiliary equipment. Furthermore, the demand for more advanced dredging equipment, keeping in mind the environmental aspect of dredging activity, has opened the doors of opportunities for dredging equipment providers. In this regard, advanced tracking and monitoring technologies are expected to gain traction in the coming years. Besides, the 3 billion cum of dredging envisaged under the Dredging Guidelines 2021, over the next decade provide significant opportunities to both domestic and foreign dredging players.