IHC Mining, part of Royal IHC (IHC), has announced that it has become a member of the World Ocean Council (WOC) to add to the growing global industry alliance for “corporate ocean responsibility”. As a leader in responsible dredging and offshore mining activities, it says is expanding its scope as one of the pioneers in deep-sea mining with initiatives such as this.
“Using its extensive mining and ocean expertise”, IHC Mining says it is working towards reaching deep-sea mineral deposits. This is being achieved with the support of a dedicated research and development programme, as well as through its position as a leader of the EU Blue Mining project. It says it is also demonstrating its commitment to understanding and addressing the environmental aspects of seabed mining through its participation in the EU Midas Project and other similar programmes.
IHC Mining’s Managing Director, Henk van Muijen, says, “IHC Mining is pleased to become a WOC member. With activities such as the recent Business Forum on Ocean Policy and Planning, it is creating valuable opportunities for ocean industry collaboration and leadership on issues critical to the future of seabed mining.”
Rodney Norman, IHC Deep Sea Mining Director, adds, “The WOC provides a unique forum that enables IHC Mining to work with other ocean industries on key challenges and opportunities related to the responsible, science-based development of ocean resources.”
Royal IHC (IHC) is focused on the continuous development of design and construction activities for the specialist maritime sector. It is the global market leader for dredging and mining vessels and equipment and a supplier of innovative ships and supplies for offshore construction. IHC has in-house expertise for engineering and manufacturing integrated standard and custom-built vessels, advanced equipment and also providing life-cycle support.
At the De Beers Marine diamond mining operation in Namibia, IHC Mining supplied a subsea crawler mining system, a launch and recovery system, and a mining control system. They are all currently in operation for marine mining in depths up to 150 m.
To further develop the deep-sea mining market, IHC has established a joint venture with DEME, OceanflORE. This provides a total deep-sea mining solution for the extraction of deep-sea minerals at fixed prices per unit. It combines the operational and engineering capabilities of both companies, resulting in the most efficient solution for the customer. The essential technological processes for optimal production performance include deep-sea excavation, vertical transport and power supply over long lengths to achieve great depths. Excavation is essentially the first step of production and therefore largely determines the efficiency and effectiveness of the downstream process. Once excavated, the material needs to be transported over great vertical distances in high volumes to the mining support vessel. Sustainable power supply on the other hand is essential for both the subsea excavation equipment and vertical transport systems. Development and optimisation of these technologies are the focus for IHC’s research engineers