The world’s first deep-sea mining robots are ready to start collecting copper, gold and silver at a depth of 1600 feet in the Novogvinean Sea (Bismarck Sea) near the Papua New Guinea. Massive machines will begin to be tested in 2016, and two years later they can go to real tasks. Technique Opening a mining company from Toronto – Nautilus Minerals.
Nautilus minirals cars were ready to join the work in 2012, but disputes between the company and the government of Papua Nova Guinea flared up. But in 2014, the company offered this state a certain intellectual property from a mining project. The transaction allowed Nautilus Minerals to receive funding for the construction of the ship worth 127 million euros (it is the first one of its kind – the ship was built specifically to expand underwater robots). At the moment, the ship is in the Chinese shipyard, and it will be ready to go to Papua-New Guinea in early 2018.
Deep mining robots were built on Nautilus Minerals by Soil Machine Dynamics (a British company that supplies construction equipment for laying underwater cables, servicing sea oil platforms and other heavy deep -sea works). Robots look like a couple of road trains with excavators.
In fact, in the 1870s Glomar Explorer was built, which was supposed to be used for deep -sea production. In fact, it was used for shipping work.
Nautilus Minerals is still negotiating to access the place where they will test robots. The company hopes to start tests in 2016. If everything goes well, then soon the robots will finally develop the Solware 1 field.
Some marine biologists warn that it is necessary to evaluate the environment and deep -sea ecosystems before launching robots there. Nautilus company says that he is going to do this and will protect the ecology of the region as much as possible.