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Allseas polymetallic nodule collector moment,” says Edward. The collector, measuring 12m- long, 6m-wide and 5m-tall, was designed in house then built at Allseas’s Heijningen yard in the Netherlands. “We know a lot about subsea robotics, so we were able to do a lot of that ourselves. We’ve used underwater trenchers for 25 years. We know the deep sea well, we’ve laid pipe to almost 3,000 m water, so we are in our own ? eld there. We feel comfortable we can solve the outstanding problems.”

Testing has been taking place in the North Sea. Next it will be taken down to 2,500m depths for drive tests off the Canary Islands, followed by tests in 1,500 m depths deploying the riser and the collector, connecting them, then bringing them back onboard. Then, this summer, the system will be taken to 4,500m depth in the Clarion Clip- perton Zone. There, it will perform its ? rst pilot testing of nodule collection.

Part of this will be research into how these operations system for the collector. A deployment system for the col- impact the environment. “We are giving that a lot of atten- lector and the riser system has also been built, as well as an tion,” says Edward. “The Metals Company is conducting umbilical handling reel system. a very intensive research program with the science com-

According to The Metals Company, the piloted system munity and during pilot tests part of it is scienti? c research is expected to be upgraded to a commercial system with while collecting nodules. It’s also part of the preparation a production capacity of 1.3 million tons of wet nodules process to get green light from ISA (International Seabed a year by Q4 2024. The two companies are also already Authority).” There’s also been work looking at the poten- discussing acquiring a second vessel, a Samsung 10000, tial plumes created during collection, which has been a which would be converted to have 3 million ton capacity concern. “What we’ve observed is that when plumes do of wet nodules. form they settle within a few hundred meters. So it looks very favorable. But of course, we are taking all criticism

COLLECTOR TESTING and worries seriously and do a very thorough evaluation of “We have built the collector, and it is being tested at the how we affect the seabed with our system.” march/april 2022 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 25