IIT Madras, the Indian Maritime University, and the Dredging Corporation of India have joined hands to launch an MTech program in Dredging Engineering as there is a dire need for qualified dredging professionals in the country.

This is a collaborative exercise. The students who are registering for this program will be regular students. They will spend time at IIT Madras and IMU learning the relevant subjects. They will also be going to the DCI to take on-board training and on-board learning on dredging-related activities. They will spend time on the dredging vessels, said K Murali, Head, the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways & Coasts, IIT Madras, and Faculty, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras.

The agreement for the development of this program was signed by all the stakeholders at IIT Madras, IMU and DCI today in Delhi on Friday. It is expected that, after the relevant approvals, the course will be launched for the next academic year of 2024-25.

Ten students will be taken in the first batch. There will be BTech / BE in Civil, mechanical, and marine engineering. The graduates coming out of this program will be qualified to take dredging-related jobs overseas as well, he told businessline.

Murali said there is a dire need for highly-qualified dredging professionals in India. They take up dredging-related jobs onshore and offshore in dredging vessels. In India, every year there is a need for dredging 120 million cubic metres. At any given point of time, there are around 20 dredging projects running across the country, he said.

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