Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works (KMEW) has secured its largest-ever dredging order, worth Rs 303.17 crore, from the New Mangalore Port Authority, according to a company statement reported by Moneycontrol on November 2.
The company said it emerged as the lowest bidder for the contract, submitting a bid approximately 10.16 per cent below the bid submitted by competing bidders. The order covers maintenance dredging across several operational areas of the port.
The project includes dredging of the outer approach channel, lagoon, dock areas, turning circle, designated berth faces and pump-house areas. These locations are central to the movement and handling of vessels within and around a port, making the contract directly linked to the upkeep of navigable and operational port infrastructure.
KMEW said the work will require the deployment of a suitable Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger, or TSHD, along with specialised equipment for dredging at berth faces and pump-house areas. A TSHD is designed to remove sediment from the seabed and transport the dredged material, although the company statement did not provide details of the project’s execution schedule, dredging volumes or disposal arrangements.
The contract is significant for KMEW because the company described it as its largest dredging order to date. The statement did not disclose the names of the competing bidders or provide further details about the tendering process beyond identifying KMEW as the lowest bidder.
Maintenance dredging is carried out to manage the accumulation of sediment in channels, basins and other port areas. At New Mangalore Port, the stated scope spans both approach infrastructure and internal operating zones, including the turning circle and berth faces. The work will therefore cover areas used for vessel access, manoeuvring and berthing, as well as the pump-house locations identified in the contract.
The award also illustrates the role of specialised marine equipment in maintaining port infrastructure. The requirement for a TSHD and additional equipment for berth-face and pump-house dredging indicates that the project involves different site conditions and operational areas rather than a single dredging location.
KMEW’s statement, as reported by Moneycontrol, did not specify when mobilisation would begin, the expected completion date, the precise contract period or the authority responsible for monitoring execution. Those details will determine the immediate implementation timeline for the New Mangalore Port maintenance programme.
The next steps are expected to involve deployment of the required dredging vessel and specialised equipment under the contract awarded by the New Mangalore Port Authority.
