The work for maintenance dredging was awarded to DCI at a cost of Rs 319.50 crore. To reduce costs, the port this time has decided to go for maintenance dredging for three consecutive years. The DCI had quoted Rs 104.40 crore for 2011-12; Rs 105.30 crore for 2012-13 and Rs 109.80 crore for 2013-14. The work was awarded to Mercator for the removal of four million cubic meter for an amount of Rs 60.80 crore. As against the original estimate of quantity to be dredged at two million cubic meter, the Tender Committee has brought out that they expect an additional siltation of 1.5 million on account of the monsoon in the ICTT berth basin. The capital dredging contract initially stipulated completion of the work by January 31, 2010. The required depth could not be achieved in the ICTT berth basin even though the contractor had been given several extensions up to March 31, 2011. The terminal operator had also informed the port that mother ships could not be brought to the terminal due to lack of draught in the ICTT berth basin. The port spends heavily on annual maintenance dredging, which is a drag on its resources. The figures show that the port had spent Rs 29.21 crore for maintenance dredging in 2000, which had gone up to Rs 75.08 crore last fiscal. Earlier an estimated 11 million cubic metres of silt used to be removed every year. This is expected to touch 70 million cubic metres shortly with
the commissioning of various projects in the port area.
The Board of Trustees of India's Kochi Port awarded a three year contract for maintenance dredging
