The Hindu Business Line : Jaisu Shipping bags dredging contract from Kochi port

THE Kandla-based Jaisu Shipping has bagged the maintenance-cum-capital dredging contract in the Kochi Port channel for the financial year 2005-06 following the re-tendering by the port authorities.

The Board of Trustees of the port, which met last week, had resolved to approve the proposal of Jaisu Shipping - the lowest bidder in this regard. The work has been awarded at Rs 44 crore and the company has to complete the dredging operations within eight months.

The dredging operations involve deepening of the outer and inner channel leading to Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) for providing a draught of 12.5 metres as well as annual maintenance of the port channel for the current fiscal, sources in the port said.

As part of the agreement with the Dubai Ports International, which had taken over the RGCT operations, the port had to provide a draught of more than 11 metres for the smooth movement of vessel.

As against Rs 28 crore dredging contract last year, the cost this year had gone up as it involves capital dredging so as to maintain a comfortable draught of 11 metres in RGCT.

The Board had earlier in May rejected the bid of Jaisu Shipping on the ground that it was the single tender received for the purpose. Even though the port had received four tenders during the period, three of them were technically disqualified. Following that, the Board had gone for re-tendering after modification of pre-qualification criteria suitably in a time bound manner so as to award the work at the earliest.

The port had also incorporated necessary modifications in the tender document for enabling more parties to participate in the re-tendering process.

There were also certain apprehensions among Board members with regard to re-tendering of the work in view of the fact that it would delay the maintenance in the channel especially in the monsoon season.

However, the port authorities succeeded in finalising the contract in a short span following the decision of the Board to go in for re-tendering the work.

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