The Hindu Business Line : Dredging at NMPT may be completed by Dec

Taking to newspersons on a visit to the dredging site today, Mr P. Tamil Vanan, Chairman of New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), said that it is an unique occasion for the port as both the capital and maintenance dredging are being taken up simultaneously.

Capital dredging: Stating that the port has constructed a multipurpose deep-draught berth, Mr Tamil Vanan said the capital dredging in front of the berth has been awarded to Jaisu Shipping Company Ltd.

The berth will help accommodate vessels up to 90,000 DWT. The capital dredging work, which began on November 9, is likely to cost around Rs 8 crore.

Mr Suresh Jaisu of the Jaisu Shipping Company Ltd, who was present at the dredging site, said that Dredger `Kamal XXVI' has adopted bucket-dredging methodology here. This dredger is capable of dredging in soil, sand and clay, and to a limited extent in the rock having low strength.

The dredged material from the bucket dredger is filled in the self-propelled hopper barges - Apsarika, Sahayak, and Kamal XXIV. These barges take the dredged materials to the dumping place located at 13 km from the baseline of NMPT.

The output of the dredger is expected to be 12,000 cubic metres a day. However, the quantity of dredging per day depends on the nature of the dredging material, he said.

Maintenance dredging: Mr Tamil Vanan said that the maintenance dredging contract has been awarded to the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). The maintenance dredging will cost around Rs 25 crore.

He said that every year maintenance dredging is to be carried out to maintain the navigational depths in the harbour area to cater to the vessels of draughts from nine to 14 metres, by dredging an average 2-metre depth of siltation in outer approach channel and lagoon. He said that DCI is using Trailer Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) for the maintenance dredging. The TSHD is dredging 1.10 lakh cubic metres a day. The maintenance dredging at the port began on October 20.

Mr Vanan said that both the capital and maintenance dredging activities are expected to be completed by the end of December. "Not a single ship is delayed by these activities", he added.

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