DREDGING AN OVERVIEW

M.M.Kamath
Former Chief Engineer NMPT

Dredging is an
Ancient Art
But a Relatively
Young Science

Dredging Process Involves

Dislodging
Raising
Handling and
Transporting

Soil Underwater

Classification of Dredging
Capital Dredging
Maintenance Dredging

Uses of Dredging
Creation of artificial depths for
ports and harbours.
Maintaining the depths in the
existing ports and harbours.

Provide fill materials for protection

and replenishment of beaches.

 Replace unsuitable foundation

materials with suitable materials.
Reclamation of low lying areas.
Improve or maintain the discharge
or flow capabilities of rivers.

 Construction of Artificial Islands.

Construction of sea walls, dykes etc

Mining of aggregates, sand gravel

and minerals such as tin, zinc,
gold etc.

CREATION OF A GRASS ROOT PORT

RECLAMATION BY TRAILING SUCTION DREDGER

CREATION OF ARTIFICIAL ISLAND

PIPELINE LAYOUT IN RECLAMATION AREA

PIPE LAYING AT RECLAMATION AREA

RECLAMATION-CONTAINMENT AREA

Classification of Dredgers
Mechanical
Hydraulic

Pneumatic and
Special Dredging Equipments.

Mechanical Dredgers
Grab Dredger

Dipper Dredger
Bucket Dredger
Rock Breaker
Back-hoe Dredger

GRAB DREDGER

BUCKET DREDGER

ROCK BREAKING CHISEL MECHANISM

BACKHOE DREDGER

Hydraulic Dredgers
Plain Suction Dredger
Cutter Suction Dredger

Bucket Wheel Dredger

Trailer Suction Dredger

CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER

CUTTER SUCTION DREDGER

TRAILER SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER

TRAILER SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER

TRAILER SUCTION HOPPER REDGER

(SPLIT HULL)

Pneumatic Dredgers

PNEUMA SYSTEM

Special Dredging Equipments

Hover Dredger
Amphi Dredger
Amphibious Bull Dozer
Under Water Bull Bozer

Toyo Pump etc.

AMPHI DREDGE

UNDER WATER BULL DOZER

UNDER WATER BULL DOZER

WATER INJECTION DREDGER

Fig 11

Working Principle of Mobile Water-Injection Dredger Jetsed

Fig 10
Bed-Leveller

WORLD WIDE DISTRIBUTION OF

DREDGERS
(in %)

Cutter suction dredgers

50

Trailer suction hopper dredgers

30

Grab & back hoe dredgers

10

Bucket dredgers

Other dredgers

WORLD WIDE DISTRIBUTION

OF DREDGERS
Trailing Hopper Dredgers

431

Cutter Suction Dredgers

443

Plain Suction Dredgers

46

Dust Pan Dredgers

Bucket Wheel Dredgers

Barge Unloaders

23

Backhoe / Dipper Dredgers

63

Bucket Dredgers

104

Grab / Clamshell Dredgers

212

Grab Hopper Dredgers

231

Water Injection Dredger

11

Auger Dredger

ROCK BREAKING
Mechanical
-

Percussion Rock Breaking

Rock Ripping

Direct Dredging

 Chemical
- Surface Blasting
Slab Charges
Shaped Charges

Drilling and Blasting

TYPICAL SLAB CHARGE

SHAPED CHARGE

UNDER WATER DRILLING AND BLASTING

Standards
There are no Indian standards relating

to dredging.
B.S.6349 : Part -5 : 1991 British

Standard Maritime Structures - Code

of Practice for Dredging and Land
Reclamation, is the standard for
dredging and reclamation works.

EAU 1996 Recommendation of the

Committee for Water Front Structures
issued by the society for Harbour
Engineering and the German Society
for Soil Mechanics and Foundation
Engineering,
gives
certain
recommendations regarding dredging
in front of water front structures.

CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
TO BE DREDGED
Cohesive soils such as clay, silt etc.
Non cohesive soils such as sand,

gravel etc.
Consolidated cohesive soils which

are commonly called as Rock.

COMPARATIVE COSTS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF

DREDGERS Vs MATERIALS
Type of Dredger
Cutter Suction
Trailing
Bucket
Suction
Cost Factor
Material
1.00
1.30 - 2.00

Fine Silt
Sand

Sand
Fine Silt

Soft Clay
Sand

2.30 - 2.70
2.70 - 3.50

Soft Clay
Medium Clay
Medium Gravel

Soft Clay

Medium Gravel
Coarse Gravel
Stiff Clay

3.50 - 4.00

Hard Clay

Medium
Gravel
Coarse Gravel Chalk

6.00 - 10.00
15.00 - 25.00

Chalk
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
(with blasting)

Hard Clay
Stiff Clay
Soft Rock
Hard Rock
Hard Rock
(with blasting) (With Blasting)

Environmental Impacts of Dredging

Environment can be defined as all the physical,
chemical, biological and social factors likely to

have an effect directly or indirectly, immediately or

later on all living beings.

Any alteration to this

system is defined as an impact and environmental

impact surveys should aim at identifying the
-

Areas of impact
Types of impact and
Measurement and its control.

Capital and Maintenance

Dredging Scenario
in Indian Ports

India has a long coast line of about

7640 km, out of which 2650 km is on the

East

Coast

and

3360

km

on

the

West Coast and the balance in Andaman

Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands.

There are 12 major ports, 6 on the

West Coast and 6 on the East Coast.

The Capital and Maintenance Dredging of

these ports involve huge expenditure.

Inland Water Transport Sector is another

area where there is a large requirement of
Capital and Maintenance Dredging.

Capital Dredging
Plan Period

Quantity
(in million cum)

Ninth Plan (1997-2002)

36

Tenth Plan (2002-2007)

144

Maintenance Dredging
Plan Period

Quantity
(in million cum)

Ninth Plan (1997-2002)

285

Tenth Plan (2002-2007)

330

The maintenance dredging quantities of

the Indian major ports vary from year to

year. The average annual quantity of

maintenance dredging is of the order of

about 56 million cum and the approximate

cost of maintenance dredging is of the
order of

Rs.5000 million .

The dredged materials are disposed off

in off shore areas, which are located at
a distance of about 4 to 10 km. The
disposal grounds are located based on
the model studies confirmed by Radio
Active Tracer Studies

Average Quantity and Cost of Maintenance

Dredging in Indian Major Ports
Port

Quantity
(in million cum)

Cost
(in Rs. million)

Kandla

4.5

500

Mumbai (Average)

5.0

250

JNPT

1.5

150

Mormugao

3.5

120

New Mangalore

5.0

300

Cochin

11.0

350

Calcutta

21.0

3000

Paradip

2.5

200

Visakhapatnam

1.5

150

Chennai

1.5

150

Tuticorin

Nil

Nil

Total

57

4990

Mobilisation and

De-mobilisation
of Dredging Equipment

SEMI SUBMERSIBLE TRANSPORT BARGE

SEMI SUBMERSIBLE BARGE MIGHTY SERVANT

SEMI SUBMERSIBLE TRANSPORT BARGE

Case Studies

PALM ISLAND CONCEPT DUBAI

LOCATION PLAN OF OFFSHORE ISLANDS (DUBAI)

PALM ISLAND ZUMEIRAH

PALM ISLAND - ZUMEIRAH - 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD

SATELLITE PICTURES OF PALM ISLAND SHOWING THE

PROGRESS AT APPROXIMATELY 3-MONTH INTERVALS

TWO FRONDS OF PALM JUMEIRAH, WITH VILAS,

TOWNHOUSES, AND APARTMENTS

TRAILING SUCTION HOPPER DREDGER VOLVOX ATALANTA FEEDING

THE PALM WITH THE BURJ-ARAB HOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND

THE PALM ISLAND JUBEL ALI AND WATERFRONT DUBAI

THE WORLD

WORLD PROJECT CONSISTS OF 250 MAN-MADE ISLANDS

SURROUNDED BY A CIRCLE OF BREAKWATERS

PALM ISLAND DIERA

COASTAL PROTECTION WORKS

RICHARDS BAY PORT CONSTRUCTION

PORT OF LAEMSHADANG CONSTRUCTION

LULU ISLAND PROJECT

WIDENING AND DEEPENING OF SUEZ CANAL

WORKING AT THE ENTRANCE CHANNEL TO

THE PANAMA CANAL

SINGAPORE - CHANGI AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT

SEDIMENTATION INSIDE ZEEBRUGGE PORT