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The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
40% of ‘India's largest, most advanced dredger' completed at Cochin Shipyard
About 40% of 'DCI Dredge Godavari', said to be India's largest dredger, has been completed at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), sources from the Visakhapatnam-headquartered Dredging Corporation of India Limited (DCI) said on Sunday (May 18). The keel of the vessel, being built in collaboration with Royal IHC, the Netherlands, was laid in September 2024. As per the provisional schedule, CSL is likely to launch the vessel on July 20. This means that it will now start making the vessel ready for trial by installing the needed machinery. Once this is completed, the vessel will be ready for delivery to the owner (DCI-Visakhapatnam) for its operations. Once commissioned, the dredger would be the most technologically advanced dredger ever built in India. Built for DCI, this Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD), with a hopper capacity of 12,000 cubic metres, is a major initiative under the Government of India's 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative, thereby increasing the capacities of all major ports in India as envisaged under the Maritime India Vision (MIV-2030). TSHD is a self-propelled ship designed to dredge materials from the seabed while sailing. It utilises a trailing suction pipe with a drag-head at the end to suck up material and transport it in a hopper. TSHDs are versatile and used for various projects like deepening waterways, land reclamation and port construction. 'About 40% of the construction work has been completed at the CSL-Kochi. The provisional commissioning of the vessel [will be done on] July 20, 2025. We expect the vessel to be handed over to us by December 2025 or January 2026. The cost of the vessel is around ₹950 crore,' a DCI official told The Hindu on condition of anonymity. The DCI Dredge Godavari will be a prestigious asset of the country and an important milestone in India's maritime capabilities, the official added. The keel for DCI Dredge Godavari was laid virtually by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in 2024. The event was also attended virtually by a team of Royal IHC of the Netherlands, a world leader in dredger design and construction, which provided design and technical support. 'The 127-metre-long and 28-metre-wide vessel is being built on the globally acclaimed 'Beagle' platform of Royal IHC. It is being customised to meet all Indian requirements and is expected to be a great help for the Centre's port-led development initiatives,' the DCI official said.
Reuters
16-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
India extends auction for deep-sea blocks containing critical minerals
NEW DELHI, April 16 (Reuters) - India has extended an auction of deep-sea blocks containing critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and other products until May 1, a spokesperson at India's Ministry of Mines said on Wednesday. China is a top global producer of 30 of the 50 minerals considered critical by the U.S. Geological Survey, but has been curtailing exports recently amid trade tensions with the United States. India in November launched the first tranche of an auction of 13 offshore deep-sea mineral blocks, including three lime mud blocks, three construction sand blocks, and seven polymetallic nodule blocks. The blocks contain critical minerals including cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel. An initial bid deadline of February 27 was bumped to April 2 and has been extended again, the ministry spokesperson confirmed. "We have received queries from companies that want to study the blocks and have asked for time," a source told Reuters, declining to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Another source said the move was aimed at encouraging wider participation from potential bidders. Opposition parties have called for the auction to be cancelled citing risks to the environment and local media have reported protests led by fishermen in the southern state of Kerala. Earlier this month, the mines minister in a written reply to parliament said the ministry had consulted the environment ministry, department of fisheries and others before launching the auction. India currently lacks the seabed mining expertise to extract minerals, experts say. Some Indian mining and cement companies have approached Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC for technical assistance as they prepare to bid for deep-sea blocks, Reuters reported last month. New Delhi has also had limited success in its onshore critical minerals auction, with only about half of the 48 blocks awarded to bidders. Yet India is keen to accelerate seabed mineral exploration to boost the supply of raw materials critical for its energy transition. The world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it aims to add 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030, up from 165 GW currently, while aiming for net zero emissions by 2070.
Zawya
20-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Indian firms seek help from Dutch Royal IHC for deep-sea mineral exploration
Some Indian mining and cement companies have approached Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC for technical assistance as they prepare to bid for deep-sea mineral blocks up for auction, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. In November, India launched the first tranche of auction for 13 offshore deep-sea mineral blocks, including three lime mud blocks, three construction sand blocks, and seven polymetallic nodule blocks. The blocks contain critical minerals, including cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel, which are vital for electric vehicles and solar panels. Bidding for the first tranche of the auction is expected to conclude by the end of March. Unlike countries like China, India is not yet prepared to extract minerals from the ocean's depths due to a lack of seabed mining expertise, experts say. Anticipating a surge in demand, India, the world's fastest-growing major economy, is keen to accelerate seabed mineral exploration to boost the supply of raw materials critical for energy transition technologies. India, the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, aims to add 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030, up from 165 GW currently, while also aiming for net zero emissions by 2070. IHC has assisted with knowledge of mining techniques and helping Indian companies estimate costs for extracting minerals from offshore blocks, one of the sources said. "The company is also open to providing mining equipment to its clients should the opportunity arise," the source said. Both sources did not wish to be identified as talks were confidential. India's Ministry of Mines did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment, while Royal IHC declined to comment. About 14 foreign miners from France, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden participated in a government-sponsored virtual seminar aimed at explaining opportunities in offshore mining in India, according to the second source. India has also offered financial incentives to encourage miners to participate in the country's first-ever attempt to explore seabed minerals, the sources said. New Delhi has had limited success in its onshore critical minerals auction, with only about half of the 48 blocks successfully awarded to bidders. (Reporting by Neha Arora; editing by Mayank Bhardwaj and David Evans)
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indian firms seek help from Dutch Royal IHC for deep-sea mineral exploration
NEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) - Some Indian mining and cement companies have approached Dutch shipbuilder Royal IHC for technical assistance as they prepare to bid for deep-sea mineral blocks up for auction, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. In November, India launched the first tranche of auction for 13 offshore deep-sea mineral blocks, including three lime mud blocks, three construction sand blocks, and seven polymetallic nodule blocks. Get a look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets with the Morning Bid U.S. newsletter. Sign up here. The blocks contain critical minerals, including cobalt, copper, manganese, and nickel, which are vital for electric vehicles and solar panels. Bidding for the first tranche of the auction is expected to conclude by the end of March. Unlike countries like China, India is not yet prepared to extract minerals from the ocean's depths due to a lack of seabed mining expertise, experts say. Anticipating a surge in demand, India, the world's fastest-growing major economy, is keen to accelerate seabed mineral exploration to boost the supply of raw materials critical for energy transition technologies. India, the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, aims to add 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030, up from 165 GW currently, while also aiming for net zero emissions by 2070. IHC has assisted with knowledge of mining techniques and helping Indian companies estimate costs for extracting minerals from offshore blocks, one of the sources said. "The company is also open to providing mining equipment to its clients should the opportunity arise," the source said. Both sources did not wish to be identified as talks were confidential. India's Ministry of Mines did not respond to a Reuters email seeking comment, while Royal IHC declined to comment. About 14 foreign miners from France, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden participated in a government-sponsored virtual seminar aimed at explaining opportunities in offshore mining in India, according to the second source. India has also offered financial incentives to encourage miners to participate in the country's first-ever attempt to explore seabed minerals, the sources said. New Delhi has had limited success in its onshore critical minerals auction, with only about half of the 48 blocks successfully awarded to bidders.
