Soil Machine Dynamics News

Marine minerals are coming under sharp focus offshore Norway. Analysts suggest it could be a $20 billion annual revenue industry by 2050, which is why many are taking an interest and developing the technology to make it happen. Marine mineral mining has been something of a slow burner in the wider marine world. It has some clear challenges, not least location and depth of these potential resources, but also concerns around its environmental impact.Yet it now appears to be coming into a distinctly sharp focus…

Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) announces that a deep-sea Quasar Work Class Remotely Operated Vehicle (WROV) has successfully completed sea trials.The 6000-meters-rated WROV, complemented with an electric drive dual-purpose winch and launch and recovery system (LARS), reached the seabed at 5,760 meters during the trials.The complete turnkey solution was recently delivered to Shanghai Salvage and has undergone extensive testing at various depths. The system was supplied with interchangeable winch drums which can be changed out on deck to achieve operational service at depths up to 3000m or 6000m when required.By making use of electric motors powered via a Low Harmonic Variable Speed Drive application…

Damen Dredging Equipment is well known for its deliveries of standard dredging components. Usually, deliveries of items such as dredge pumps and dredge valves are for hopper dredgers or cutter suction dredgers. Recent deliveries were for a more exotic use: the Damen dredge pumps and valves have been fitted in remote operated deep sea mining vehicles. These deep sea mining vehicles, also called Seafloor Production Tools (SPTs), have been manufactured by Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD). This UK-based company designed and built three SPTs, each for a specific task.

Nautilus Minerals Inc. announces that the order for the supply of the entire electrical installation for the production support vessel has been awarded to Siemens International Trading (Shanghai) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens AG. Nautilus CEO, Mike Johnston, commented, “The electrical package marks the fourth major long lead time package to be awarded by the shipyard, Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding. We are especially pleased to be partnering with another world class, global company such as Siemens. Their involvement with our first seafloor production system, along with other industry heavyweights such as GE Oil and Gas, Sandvik, Soil Machine Dynamics, Rolls Royce, Bedeschi and McGregor highlights the quality of the system that we are building.

Nautilus Minerals Inc. will begin assembling its third and final Seafloor Production Tool (SPT), the Auxiliary Cutter (AC), this week at Soil Machine Dynamics’ (SMD) facility in Newcastle in Tyne, UK. Nautilus' CEO, Mike Johnston said “we are pleased that the assembly of the AC, the third and final of the three SPTs has now commenced, with the arrival of the chassis at the SMD facility. The next milestone for the SPTs will be the commencement of Factory Acceptance Testing on the already assembled Bulk Cutter (BC). We look forward to reporting on this progress next month”.

The opening of the world's first mine in the deep ocean comes closer to reality as Canadian mining company, Nautilus Minerals, signs an agreement with the Papua New Guinea Government to start excavating an area of seabed. The project will extract ores of copper, gold and other valuable metals from a depth of 1,500m, The mine will target an area of hydrothermal vents where superheated, highly acidic water emerges from the seabed, where it encounters far colder and more alkaline seawater, forcing it to deposit high concentrations of minerals. The result is that the seabed is formed of ores that are far richer in gold and copper than ores found on land.

The world's first deep sea mining robot sits idle on a British factory floor, waiting to claw up high grade copper and gold from the seabed off Papua New Guinea (PNG) - when a wrangle over terms is solved. Beyond PNG, in international waters, regulation and royalty terms for mining the planet's subsea wealth have also yet to be finalised. The world waits for the judgement of a United Nations agency based in Jamaica. "If we can take care of the environment we have a brand new day ahead of us.

Soil Machine Dynamics & Seebyte announce successful integration of SeeTrack CoPilot to SMD's work-class ROV system. The integration and trials, which took place in Fort William, Scotland, in mid-January, saw SeeByte’s SeeTrack CoPilot Software system for dynamic positioning and real-time monitoring of work class ROVs, successfully carry out a number of survey missions using the software’s easy to use, point-and-click interface. The software provides advanced features such as flight-modes…

Aberdeen-based subsea installation contractor Bibby Offshore has announced investment of around £11million in Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) systems for its latest division, Bibby Remote Intervention Limited (BRIL). Initial investment of close to £4million has been made in ROV systems for Bibby Offshore’s fleet of Diving Support Vessels (DSVs) to bring the service provision in-house, while 46 jobs have been created on and offshore within the division already this year. BRIL has installed Sub Atlantic Comanche ROVs on all three of Bibby Offshore’s North Sea fleet of DSVs…

Kongsberg Maritime awarded two contracts by SMD to supply cameras for subsea trenching & mining vehicles. The first contract is for cameras and accessories for a new generation high powered deep water Trencher, recently delivered and currently undergoing sea trials. The Trencher is capable of operating in water depths of up to 3000 meters and jet trenching in soils of up to 100KPA and chain cutting of soils up to 250KPA. The second contract is for an extensive package of cameras…

Toronto, Ontario, April 13, 2011 - Nautilus Minerals’ plan to open a new frontier of seafloor resource production has taken a major step forward, with the formation of a strategic partnership with German shipping company Harren & Partner (“Harren”). A joint venture company (the “Vessel JV”) is to be formed to own and operate a production support vessel which will serve as the operational base for Nautilus to produce high grade copper and gold ore at its first development project, Solwara 1, in the Bismarck Sea of Papua New Guinea (“PNG”).