Equipment testing in PNG

[DeepBlueMarine]

Excuse my ignorance but from a quick Google search it appears that Motukea Island is essentially a man-made peninsula that is used for ship construction and repair with what appears to be a functioning graving dock and another rail-style dry-dock (this based on the most recent photos I can find). Also from the images I came across it appears there may be another 1 or 2 graving docks that were started and not completed for whatever reason. Is the assumption that the wet testing will occur in one of these un-finished graving docks? Just curious is all; seems shallow and unrealistic (relatively flat bottom, relatively clear water compared to at depths, different operating environment pressures and different temperatures not to mention being sheilded from any subsea currents that may exist). Also, it doesn't appear that they intend to test the RALS which I thought to be a much more critical test than that of the mining eqiupment based on potential interface issues. Has anyone heard how Nautilus intends to test the riser and sub-sea lifting pump?

[saitham]

Overview Motukea Island Dockyards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPRJA-O72K4

[KingKongFong]

Excuse my ignorance but from a quick Google search it appears that Motukea Island is essentially a man-made peninsula that is used for ship construction and repair with what appears to be a functioning graving dock and another rail-style dry-dock (this based on the most recent photos I can find). Also from the images I came across it appears there may be another 1 or 2 graving docks that were started and not completed for whatever reason. Is the assumption that the wet testing will occur in one of these un-finished graving docks? Just curious is all; seems shallow and unrealistic (relatively flat bottom, relatively clear water compared to at depths, different operating environment pressures and different temperatures not to mention being sheilded from any subsea currents that may exist). Also, it doesn't appear that they intend to test the RALS which I thought to be a much more critical test than that of the mining eqiupment based on potential interface issues. Has anyone heard how Nautilus intends to test the riser and sub-sea lifting pump?

Yea, I would not consider these full trials, from the excerpts from eariler posts and other news sources, these trials will occur in;

"The machines will not be deployed into the ocean so there will be no impact on the seafloor around Motukea Island Instead the machines will operate in an existing fully enclosed excavation on the island,” the CEO said.

So these will not be full sea trials, they will only be testing;

Mr Wright told the Post-Courier the equipment would undergo a series of trials over a four to five month period at Motukea island.

He said the four things that the Canadian miner will be testing are the stability of the machine, how efficiently they can cut rock, how efficiently they can collect rock and how well the operator can control and monitor submergible using visualization technology.

I agree with the speculation that this was a concession to PNG. Nautilus will have to undergo full quality assurance/sea acceptance trials somewhere, but it wont happen at this port. Unfortunatly all of this could have happened in Oman...

[GGGGG]

With limited financing, you get what? Limited testing.

Testing the whole equipment package would be much more expensive, and require ships and putting together a crew. I am going to guess the crew will need to be top people, which will be expensive. I could be wrong but expensive type specialists will not relocate to PNG unless financing for at least a year is in place. Until they manage to put together about $200 million that can't happen. BTW, I personally think the equipment is safer in PNG than Oman. Next door in Yemen there is a civil war, and a bit to the north is Syria/Iraq. Oh yeah US vs Iran. Oman is fine, but their neighbors are a mess.