The Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), India's public sector undertaking based in Vishakhapatnam in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, has shown its interest in pursuing opportunities in the Gulf region by appointing Dubai-based Arabian Ocean Services (AOS) as its exclusive marketing consultant for the MENA.

AOS, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Mumbai and Houston, is today a reputed organization in the area of services to onshore and offshore rigs, and has an extensive inventory list and client base across the Gulf. It is therefore ideally placed to promote DCI in this region.

DCI, India's premier dredging company, specializes in land reclamation, capital and maintenance dredging, beach nourishment, marine construction and project management consultancy.

Its assets include 12 trailer suction dredgers, three cutter suction dredgers, three survey launches, three survey launches, and a shore and floating pipeline and a tug.

DCI has till recently been engaged in executing high value port projects in India, including deepening the channel at Paradip port; dredging at Kandla, Kamarajar, Mormugao, Cochin, Vishkhapatnam and Gangavaram ports; land reclamation projects at Kakinada and Mumbai, and beach nourishment at Vishkhapatnam, Paradip and Gangavaram.

Though busy with Indian projects, DCI has undertaken some projects abroad such as: Dredging and land reclamation in Bahrain, dredging at Taichung harbor in Taiwan, and dredging at Kanakesanthurai harbor in Sri Lanka.

Now, in association with AOS, DCI will compete vigorously for projects in the Gulf.

In his remarks to the media, Joe Mathews, MD of AOS, welcomed DCI's entry into the Gulf, saying: "In spite of the global downturn and low oil prices, the Gulf countries have indicated strong economic resilience and are robustly pursuing important nation-building projects. There is ample scope for DCI to offer high quality technological capabilities, extensive experience and competitive rates to make a mark in this market."