Govt to auction dredger barge even as critical ferry routes await desilting

Panaji: The captain of ports department is auctioning off a govt-owned hopper barge, one of its primary dredging assets, even as requests from the river navigation department for desilting and dredging of critical ferry routes remained unaddressed for over five years.

The department has moved to sell the MV Hopper Barge COP II PNJ 693 along with a grab dredger. Currently docked at the Marine Slipway at Britona, the vessel is being sold on an “as is, where is, what is, and no complaint basis”.

The move has sparked consternation within some quarters of govt as the hopper barge was barely used.

“The captain of ports procured the hopper barge but did not put it to use. The ferry boats are used for at least 30 years. This hopper barge was bought in 2014 and the Priestman Grab Dredger was bought in 2016,” said a govt official.

The hopper barge, built at Mandovi Dry Docks Pvt Ltd, is a 46-metre self-propelled inland vessel powered by twin 270 HP Cummins engines. The Priestman Grab Dredger II, built in 2016, is fitted with an ACE hydraulic crane. Both are restricted to operation in Goa’s inland waters.

Captain of ports Octavio Rodrigues said that govt has granted permission to sell the hopper barge and the grab dredger.

According to department officials, the river navigation department, which oversees Goa’s network of ferry crossings, requested the captain of ports for assistance in desilting the Marcaim-Cortalim ferry route and the Sao Pedro-Divar route.

Ferry boats plying on these routes often end up grounding due to the shallow depth of the water along the routes.

The grab dredger is used to pick up silt from the bottom of the river bed, which is then deposited on the hopper barge. The hopper barge has a hull that can open from underneath to dump the silt and debris out at sea.

Officials said that the winch mechanism to open the hull of the hopper barge malfunctioned some years earlier. “They also don’t have the crew to operate the vessel,” said a captain of ports employee.

In 2025, the department sold the ML Saligao, a dual-engine, diesel-powered vessel, which was purchased in 2018 for Rs 1 crore.