3 minute read
Successful deepwater commissioning
In May, The Metals Company (TMC), an explorer of the world’s largest estimated undeveloped source of critical battery metals, announced the successful deployment of a riser system and fexible jumper hose which, alongside the robotic nodule collector vehicle, represent key components of the pilot nodule collection system designed by the company’s strategic partner and shareholder, Allseas Group.
The Hidden Gem during the deepwater trials of the nodule collector vehicle in the Atlantic Ocean.
Gerard Barron – CEO & Chairman of TMC.
Engineers prepare to deploy the fexible jumper hose over the side of the Hidden Gem, before connecting it to the base of the riser.
Engineers aboard the vessel Hidden Gem deployed the fexible jumper hose, connected it to the base of the riser and then launched the pilot riser, lowering the assembly to a depth of around 650m. Using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) installed on the Hidden Gem, engineers then made a sub-sea connection between the jumper hose and collector vehicle which was previously deployed to the seafoor in 745m water depth. Allseas used the derrick onboard the former drillship for between the collector and the riser successfully under our belts, we look forward to applying the lessons learned as we hook up and deploy the prototype collection system in the Pacifc later this year.”
at-sea construction of the pilot riser system which will ultimately extend to 4km deep when deployed later this year in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacifc Ocean.
Basis
The pilot system being tested by Allseas will be the basis for TMC’s frst commercial production system, and in March the companies announced a nonbinding term sheet outlining the terms for developing and operating the world’s frst commercial system to collect deepsea polymetallic nodules to meet surging demand for critical battery metals. “Straight of the back of our collector trials, Allseas have once again shown why nobody else in the ofshore business can think as big, or move as fast,” says Gerard Barron, CEO & Chairman of TMC. He continues, “With the frst deep-water deployment of the riser system and subsea connection
Performing beautifully
Since 2019, Allseas and TMC have been working together to develop a pilot system to responsibly collect unattached polymetallic nodules from the seafoor and lift them to the surface for transportation to shore. Nodules contain high grades of nickel, manganese, copper, and cobalt – key metals required for building electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies. Earlier this year, successful completion of initial deep-water trials of the polymetallic nodule collector vehicle took place in the Atlantic Ocean. Engineers successfully lowered the Allseas-designed collector vehicle to >>
The Allseas-designed nodule collector vehicle awaiting launch from the Hidden Gem.
the seafoor at depths of 2,470m, marking the frst time the vehicle had been subjected to ultra-deep-water temperatures and pressures. Engineers then subjected the vehicle to extensive testing of its various pumps and critical mobility functions, driving 1,018m across the seafoor. “The pilot nodule collection system is so far performing beautifully throughout these trials and getting the collector vehicle into the deep water in the Atlantic has given the team the opportunity to really pressure-test critical components,” Mr Barron elaborates. Also, harbour wet-test commissioning and shallow-water drive tests in the North Sea were executed successfully.
Full system trials
All trials to date are in preparation for full pilot nodule collection system trials later this year over an 8km2 section of the NORI-D contract area in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacifc Ocean. The trials are an integral part of the International Seabed Authority’s regulatory and permitting process and the environmental impact data collected both during and after the upcoming nodule collection test work, together with many terabytes of existing baseline data collected by TMC, will form the basis of the application for an exploitation contract by its wholly owned subsidiary, Nauru Ocean Resources. (NORI).
Regulatory framework
Development of technologies to collect polymetallic nodules frst began in the 1970s when oil, gas, and mining majors including Shell, Rio Tinto (Kennecott), and Sumitomo successfully conducted pilot test work in the CCZ, collecting over ten thousand tons of nodules. In the decades since, the International Seabed Authority was established to develop the regulatory framework to govern mineral extraction in the high seas while technology development eforts have largely focused on scaling proven nodule collection technologies and optimising for minimal seafoor disturbance and environmental impact.
