Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works (KMEW) has secured a significant dredging contract worth ₹303.17 crore from New Mangalore Port Authority. According to the company's exchange filing, this represents the company's largest-ever dredging order in its operational history. The contract was awarded after KMEW emerged as the lowest bidder in the competitive bidding process, as confirmed in the company's official statement on Saturday. The NMPA bundled channel, berth-face and pump-house dredging into one package, creating a comprehensive scope that only contractors with owned mixed fleets could reach KMEW's competitive pricing.
The company demonstrated strong competitive positioning by submitting a bid that was approximately 10.16% below the bid submitted by competitors. As reported by the company, this substantial margin in cost competitiveness contributed to their successful selection as the preferred contractor for the project, with the company emerging as the lowest bidder in the competitive process. The tender functioned as a fleet-completeness test, requiring contractors to own specialized equipment for berth-face and pump-house dredging that pure hopper operators cannot charter alone.
The comprehensive dredging project encompasses maintenance dredging across the outer approach channel, lagoon, dock areas, turning circle, designated berth faces and pump-house areas. According to the company statement, the project will involve deployment of a suitable Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD), along with specialized equipment for berth-face and pump-house dredging. This equipment configuration is designed to handle the diverse dredging requirements across the port's operational areas, as confirmed in the latest company update. The TSHD carries the channel and lagoon work, while berth-face and pump-house dredging require specialized plant that pure hopper operators cannot own.
