| DCI currently has 12 dredgers and an order has been placed recently with Mazagon Dock Limited for a cutter suction dredger at a cost of Rs 275 crore. The dredging corporation also plans to acquire four to five vessels in near future. |
| In order to use its dredgers to their full capacity, DCI is planning to enter into international dredging works. |
| To face the challenges posed by the new dredging policy, the corporation has sought expert advice from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) to explore possibilities for joint ventures/tie-ups with foreign dredging companies to take up projects both in India and overseas. |
| After five-six months study, PwC has recommended two foreign companies "� Dredging International and Boskalis. Of the two, DCI is showing interest in the Belgium firm. |
| "We have taken an in-principle decision to enter into a tie-up with Dredging International, but we have not yet worked out the modalities for the proposed joint venture. Nevertheless, from next fiscal onwards both the companies will jointly bid for major works in the country and abroad," Neerav Kumar Gupta, chairman and managing director of DCI, told Business Standard. |
| PwC is also chalking out a corporate plan for DCI. To spell out the vision of DCI for future to compete with the other dredging companies in the wake of the new policy, PwC is preparing a corporate plan to cater to DCI's needs up to 2009-10. DCI will get the papers on the proposed corporate plan very shortly. |
| DCI has dropped the earlier proposal to bid for the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) works. DCI, which is one of the stakeholders of this project, has already got 13 million cubic metres dredging work on nomination basis. |
| For the remaining works, the government has called international bids. Initially, DCI had planned to participate in the bid by collaborating with some foreign dredging companies, but has dropped the idea later due to lack of response from foreign companies to work with DCI. |
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