Debmarine plans world’s biggest offshore diamond mining vessel
The new vessel is expected to start operations in 2021.
Anglo American's diamond unit De Beers has ordered a new US$142 million diamond mining ship as part of its strategy to grow its offshore operations, the firm said on Tuesday.
De Beers said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian firm Kleven Verft AS to build what it said would be the world's largest custom-built diamond mining vessel.
The new vessel, an investment of about N$2 billion, is expected to commence operations in 2021.
It will work alongside the five other mining vessels in the Debmarine Namibia fleet, enhancing the business’s ability to recover diamonds off Namibia’s Atlantic coastline. At 176 metres long, the vessel will be two metres longer than the largest vessel currently in the fleet, the mv Mafuta.
Debmarine Namibia is a 50/50 joint venture between the Namibian government and De Beers Group.
“This is an exciting undertaking not only for the business, but also for the wider Namibian industry. We will remain focused throughout on safety, quality, timely delivery and cost containment,” said Otto Shikongo, CEO of Debmarine Namibia.
"There is a great amount of potential in Namibia’s marine diamond deposits and this new vessel will support our strategy to continue to grow our offshore operations," said Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group.
Diamonds, particularly marine diamonds which are generally more valuable than land-based stones because lower quality gems are washed away by waves, are an important commodity in Namibia and make up around 20% of its foreign export earnings.
In June, De Beers launched the world's largest diamond exploration vessel, the SS Nujoma, in a move to maintain high production levels until 2035. – Nampa/Reuters and own report
De Beers said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian firm Kleven Verft AS to build what it said would be the world's largest custom-built diamond mining vessel.
The new vessel, an investment of about N$2 billion, is expected to commence operations in 2021.
It will work alongside the five other mining vessels in the Debmarine Namibia fleet, enhancing the business’s ability to recover diamonds off Namibia’s Atlantic coastline. At 176 metres long, the vessel will be two metres longer than the largest vessel currently in the fleet, the mv Mafuta.
Debmarine Namibia is a 50/50 joint venture between the Namibian government and De Beers Group.
“This is an exciting undertaking not only for the business, but also for the wider Namibian industry. We will remain focused throughout on safety, quality, timely delivery and cost containment,” said Otto Shikongo, CEO of Debmarine Namibia.
"There is a great amount of potential in Namibia’s marine diamond deposits and this new vessel will support our strategy to continue to grow our offshore operations," said Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group.
Diamonds, particularly marine diamonds which are generally more valuable than land-based stones because lower quality gems are washed away by waves, are an important commodity in Namibia and make up around 20% of its foreign export earnings.
In June, De Beers launched the world's largest diamond exploration vessel, the SS Nujoma, in a move to maintain high production levels until 2035. – Nampa/Reuters and own report
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