Posted on November 6, 2026
Knowledge Marine & Engineering Works (KMEW) has secured a Rs 303.17 crore maintenance dredging order from the New Mangalore Port Authority, the company said in a statement released on Saturday. The contract is the largest dredging order secured by the company, according to KMEW.
KMEW said it emerged as the lowest bidder for the project, submitting a bid approximately 10.16 per cent below the bid submitted by competing firms. The order covers maintenance dredging across several operational areas of New Mangalore Port.
The work includes dredging the port’s outer approach channel, lagoon, dock areas and turning circle. It also covers designated berth faces and pump-house areas, according to the company’s statement.
For the main dredging work, KMEW will deploy a suitable Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger, or TSHD. The vessel type is used to remove and transport sediment from navigable channels and port basins. The contract will also require specialised equipment for dredging along berth faces and around pump-house areas.
Maintenance dredging is carried out to manage sediment accumulation in navigational and operational zones. At a port, the work can involve approach channels used by vessels, turning areas, docks and berths where ships manoeuvre or remain alongside. The supplied information does not specify the contract period, the quantity of material to be dredged or the project’s completion schedule.
New Mangalore Port Authority has not been quoted separately in the supplied statement. The available details also do not disclose the names of the competing bidders, the tender timeline or the operational arrangements that will apply while dredging is under way.
The order expands KMEW’s involvement in port-related marine infrastructure and represents a significant contract for the company by value. Its selection as the lowest bidder means the award followed a competitive tendering process, although the supplied material does not provide the full tender evaluation or award document.
The next publicly stated step is the deployment of the TSHD and specialised equipment required to undertake maintenance dredging across the identified areas of New Mangalore Port. Further details on mobilisation and implementation were not provided in the company’s statement.
