Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) and Underwater Mining Solutions (UMS) are teaming up to offer customers the full scope of mining equipment required for underwater mining projects, both offshore and inland, and in all territories.
Their combined expertise, and the strength of each of their parent companies, enable SMD and UMS to provide customers with proven, de-risked solutions to deep-sea, near-shore and inland underwater exploration, mining and processing.
SMD have over forty years of experience in subsea engineering and remote intervention, having delivered over 400 subsea systems to date. The company, who have unrivalled experience in the marinization of earth moving equipment for use in deep water, have recently delivered the world’s first three commercial deep-sea mining vehicles for Nautilus Minerals.
SMD’s deep-sea mining vehicles. Photo credit: SMD
UMS have delivered commercial shallow water mining solutions and have capability to provide a complete system including mining vehicles and corresponding launch & recovery systems, vessel conversion, ore processing, transportation, separation and ancillary ore handling equipment.
SMD and UMS’ complementary product portfolio, means customers can spread risk across the supply chain, and benefit from integration of this complementary equipment and services from an early stage and throughout the life cycle of the mining projects.
Robert Denovan, UMS: “The minerals industry is currently in a ‘belt-tightening’ period. We are now in the perfect position to offer larger mining houses the solutions they need to help them get through this period, and to help them emerge into the next growth phase with a competitive edge.”
Toby Lambooy, UMS: “We can now offer our inland customers exactly what they want and need – a safely delivered mining and mineral processing solution at a price below that of conventional mining techniques, with a much smaller environmental footprint.”
Stefan Kapusniak, SMD: “We’re delighted to be able to offer the emerging underwater mining market, both inland and offshore, an unrivalled capability from a group that provides the experience and ability to deliver market-leading solutions.”
SMD are also the Technical Manager on the ¡Vamos! Project which is a consortium funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
The ¡Vamos! project team are developing a submerged mining solution to exploit existing inland mines which are no longer economically viable by conventional mining methods. The program will develop processes and technology, such as mining navigation, sensing and awareness systems, to be exploited in this new and emerging market.
