Canada’s The Metals Company (TMC) has signed a contract with Swiss-based marine construction specialist Allseas for the development, commissioning, and operation of the first commercial nodule collection system. The agreement was signed in preparation for the commencement of nodule recovery operations in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean. Following the successful 2022 pilot nodule recovery test in which 3,000 tonnes of nodules were lifted to the surface, Allseas will complete the procurement, integration, and operation of what TMC expects will be the world’s first commercial nodule production system. The system will comprise two nodule-collector vehicles and their launch-and-recovery systems, a riser system, the surface production vessel Hidden Gem, and a transfer vessel. Collected nodules will be transferred to bulk carriers at sea and then transported to designated ports for processing. The offshore production system is designed for a nameplate production capacity of 3.0m wet tonnes per annum. The system is expected to operate with two tracked collector vehicles working in parallel on the seafloor, delivering nodules to the surface production vessel before transport to shore for processing. Under the new Agreement, Allseas will fund a significant portion of the development costs, with the costs recoverable from production revenues. “Together, we are moving from firsts in deep-sea science and engineering towards first commercial recovery operations,” said Gerard Barron, chairman and CEO of The Metals Company. In preparation for offshore production, Allseas has completed conceptual and basic engineering for several key long-lead components, including the four-kilometre-long riser pipe, LARS, the umbilical connecting the collector vehicles to the Hidden Gem, and other key components. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsCanada Switzerland