Mumbai to Host “Dredging in India” Conference

The 4th Annual Conference on Dredging in India named Trends and Outlook – Challenges and Opportunities is scheduled for September 5-6,2013, in ITC Maratha, Mumbai.

The mission of the conference is to highlight the key trends and opportunities in the dredging sector. The conference will focus on strategies and solutions to meet the future dredging requirements and address the key challenges. It will also showcase some of the noteworthy dredging projects.

The demand for dredging in India continues to remain strong, driven not only by the dredging requirement at ports, but also those of inland waterways, oil and gas, etc.

The Twelfth Plan targets reflect this growing demand. The dredging requirements of Indian ports are assessed at over 1,100 million cubic metres with plans to Increase draught levels at major ports to at least 14 metres. Major ports alone are targeting an investment of over Rs 88 billion in dredging during the plan period.

There have been several positive developments In the past year. New guidelines for granting security clearance to bidders have been released. New types of contracts and funding sources are being explored. The industry profile has changed with a number of foreign players entering the sector. Also, public-private partnerships for dredging projects are being planned.

However, the actual achievement in dredging has not kept pace with demand growth. In the Eleventh Plan, only 50 per cent of the dredging target was met and draught levels continue to be low.

This is because the dredging capacity is inadequate to meet the demand. The Dredging Corporation of India is operating over the optimal level of capacity utilisation. Both domestic and foreign private players are plugging the gap.

Moreover, there are lingering issues such as slow project implementation, lack of standardised documents, delays in policy formulation, absence of a level playing field, financial constraints, and delays in procuring environmental and security clearances.

That said, the opportunities in the next few years are substantial, driven by a focus on the development of ports, inland waterways, etc. The sector offers significant potential for the introduction of new technologies and equipment.

[mappress]

Dredging Today Staff, June 24, 2013