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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Is typically used in coarse ore bodies with slabs of sandstone or claystone. Horizontal, or crawler, mining involves using crawlers that move along the seabed pumping gravel or sediment that contains diamonds up to the Production Support Vessel. Excavation techniques include the use of power water jets, cutter heads, and/or hydraulically power digging arms. Active Offshore Diamond Mining Operations Debmarine Namibia is currently the most active offshore diamond mining company. They currently operate 7 Production Support Vessels, plus a diamond exploration and sampling vessel, and produce around 500,000ct of diamonds per year. Investment in Offshore Diamond Mining Increasing complexity and difficulty of mining terrestrial diamond resources means that offshore diamond mining is an interesting investment opportunity for investors. The industry is relatively mature, with several operators, service companies and associated contractors. Kenzoll Capital, a Dutch private equity firm, recently acquired the Adamastor offshore diamond mining vessel, and there are reports that this vessel will commence diamond mining in the Namibian EEZ. Offshore Diamond Mining Deposit Evaluation One of the main challenges of exploring for offshore diamonds is the incredibly low stone density. Typically only one diamond is found in every cubic metre of gravel and sand excavated. This means that potentially huge volumes of sediment need to be sampled in order to make a statistically significant determination of where diamonds are to be found. Sampling consequently effectively becomes trial mining, and exploration vessels are comparatively large. --> Conclusion Deep-sea mining is often regarded as a pioneering yet somewhat hypothetical industry, where only a handful of real-life tests and experiments have been carried out. Conversely, the offshore diamond mining industry is large, active, mature and profitable. Various operators are actively exploring, sampling and mining offshore diamonds, and are doing so in difficult environmental conditions along a remote part of the African coast. The deep-sea mining industry can potentially learn from the offshore diamond mining industry; particularly around operations, personnel, safety and best-practises. It's an industry to watch and learn from! Further Resources: Debmarine Namibia corporate site "Offshore Diamond Mining in South Africa", by Richard Garnett "A case study in the development of the offshore diamond mining industry in Namibia", by Ian Corbett "Offshore Diamond Mining" by Charlie Heyes of Diamond Fields
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