Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has chalked out an aggressive ship acquisition plan for 2010-11, and will be floating fresh global tenders for 8-10 vessels by next month.

The company is reviving its plan for acquisition by buying a mix of new as well as second-hand bulks carriers, tankers and container ships. It expects an excellent participation from domestic and global shipyards for the tender, which would open in the second or third week of April 2010.

“We got a very good response for the Geological Survey of India tender last month, where 22 shipyards participated. We expect even better response for the tenders to be floated next month,” UC Grover, director technical and offshore, told Financial Chronicle.

The company may give priority to domestic shipyards as it would help the company to save on the customs duty and other import expenses even as many domestic companies like Pipavav Shipyad, ABG Shipyard and Bharati have bagged major orders from companies like ONGC, improving their prospect, Grover said.

He also said the acquisition drive is largely to refurbish SCI’s ageing fleet of 77 ships. In the process SCI is also deposing some of its ships to give it a fresher look. “This year we are taking deliveries of 13 ships ordered earlier, while deposing four ships.”

The capital expenditure planned for the 13 deliveries is in excess of Rs 2,500 crore, while for any new order 20 per cent upfront is paid, which would be over and above the planned capex. However, the official did not disclose the exact cost it is looking at for the new acquisitions.

“We are flexible as far as the cost for new vessels are concerned, we would wait for bids to arrive before we comment on that,” Grover said. The company had a target of buying 62 ships under the XI th Five Year Plan, however due to recessionary conditions and lack of price points the company could order only four ships in 2009 with the Cochin Shipyard.

It has at least six orders pending from the tenth Five Year Plan.

Overall the company has 30 orders pending out of which 13 would be delivered this year.