NMDC Group Adds 148-Metre Dredger Abu Al Bakhoush to Fleet

NMDC Group has inaugurated the Abu Al Bakhoush, a heavy-duty cutter suction dredger that travels under its own power, at a ceremony in Nantong, China. The 148-metre vessel adds 30,040 kilowatts of installed power to the group's dredging capacity, the company said on Friday.

The dredger is built for cutting rock and can operate at depths of up to 38 metres, which the company says suits it to precision trenching as well as work on navigation channels and harbours. Its cutter is rated at 7.8 megawatts. Jiangsu Haixin Shipping Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. constructed the vessel.

The ship holds a Green Passport certification. NMDC Group links that to its environmental standards and to the UAE's Net Zero targets.

A fleet past 170 vessels

The Abu Al Bakhoush joins a fleet of more than 170 vessels and sits inside NMDC Dredging & Marine's ongoing build-out. The group frames the addition as part of a longer-term push into markets outside the UAE.

"Abu Al Bakhoush combines Chinese shipbuilding expertise with the marine experience of a UAE national champion, reflecting the mutual benefits of our strategic partnership with China. As NMDC marks 50 years, this milestone demonstrates how Emirati companies are turning strong economic ties into tangible results and strengthening the UAE's position as a global economic hub."

That was the assessment of Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Trade.

Yasser Zaghloul, chief executive of NMDC Group, said the vessel reflects the company's plan to expand carefully and to enter more international markets. Eng. Niels de Bruijn, who leads NMDC Dredging & Marine, said the ship pairs high installed power with the rock-cutting capability that demanding marine environments require. In his account, it lifts the group's ability to take on complex coastal, port and offshore infrastructure work at greater scale, with better efficiency and reliability.

Capital committed in January

The delivery follows a January 2026 commitment of $168.3 million, or AED 618 million, to enlarge the dredging fleet as the group diversifies further into overseas markets beyond its home base.

NMDC Group's standing in regional business rankings has moved alongside that expansion. It placed second on a 2026 list of the Middle East's top 10 construction companies, and 93rd in a 2026 ranking of the region's 100 most valuable companies. Zaghloul was named 13th in a 2026 ranking of the Middle East's 100 leading chief executives.

The Abu Al Bakhoush is the group's newest hull, but not its last addition to the water: the fleet expansion programme it belongs to remains open.