Page 32: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2024)

FEATURE SEABED MINING by a sea? oor plume from its pilot collection system test. pact, nodule collection system that utilizes mechanical and

The Metals Company recently signed a binding MoU with hydraulic technology.

Paci? c Metals Corporation of Japan for a feasibility study on The company’s SMD Q-Collector range is available in a vari- processing 1.3 million tonnes of wet nodules per year, and the ety of sizes to suit vessel and client requirements. Engineered company is also exploring opportunities for the construction to have a low submerged weight, these vehicles are made with of a U.S. re? nery - the Pentagon is expected to deliver an ac- light plastic tracks and buoyant syntactic foam. The collec- tion plan on nodules by March 2024. tion vehicle uses sonar to identify the position of the nodules

UK-based Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) designed, devel- and has attained collection ef? ciency rates of at least 97% in oped and delivered the mining machinery planned for the recent university trials.

Solwara 1 Sea? oor Massive Sulphides project some 15 years Ian Maskell, principal engineer, says: “The eyes of the ago, and it is now developing a patent pending, least im- world will be on these projects, and this will be the most

From a dedicated control room aboard the Hidden Gem, Allseas engineers successfully drove the pilot collector vehicle over 80 km across the sea? oor in the NORI-D During its 2022 pilot collection system trials, TMC subsidiary exploration of the Clarion Clipperton NORI uplifted 3,000 tons of nodules from depths of four km and

Zone of the Paci? c Ocean. transferred them to the hold of the Hidden Gem.

All images this page courtesy of TMC

Engineers attach ? oat sections to the ? exible jumper hose that connects the four-km-long airlift riser pipe to the collector vehicle on the sea? oor. 32 March/April 2024

MTR #3 (18-33).indd 32 4/4/2024 9:16:09 AM