Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) laid the keel for India's largest dredger, the "DCI Dredge Godavari," on Friday. This Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD), built for the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), boasts a hopper capacity of 12,000 cubic meters. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, presided over the virtual keel-laying ceremony.

Dignitaries including the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to India, Marisa Gerards, and CSL Managing Director Madhu S. Nair also attended the event virtually. The dredger is being constructed in collaboration with Royal IHC, a renowned Dutch leader in dredger design and construction.

CSL stated that once commissioned, the DCI Dredge Godavari will be the most sophisticated and technologically advanced dredger ever built in India. The vessel is expected to significantly enhance the capabilities of DCI, India's largest dredging company, and support the development of major ports across the country as part of the Maritime India Vision (MIV-2030).

The 127-meter-long and 28-meter-wide vessel is built on Royal IHC's globally acclaimed 'Beagle' platform. Its construction aims to boost India's dredging capabilities and support the growth of the coastal and inland shipping market.

(ET)