Thread Rating:
  • 2 Vote(s) - 3 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
EU-funded underwater mining system - SMD involved?
#1

I am slightly confused - the photos and and graphic art shown on Damen's website look like those taken inside Soil Machine Dynamics' workshop, i.e. the images of Nautilus' equipment. Given that SMD is part of the EU-funded project, this might well be the case.


HORIZON 2020 PROGRAMME TO DEVELOP REVOLUTIONARY UNDERWATER MINING SYSTEM


As part of the Horizon 2020 programme, a new 42 month Research & Development Project....The aim of the ¡VAMOS! (Viable Alternative Mine Operating System) project is to design and build a robotic, underwater mining prototype with associated launch and recovery equipment, which will be used to perform field tests at four EU minesites. Three of these are inland inactive submerged mineral deposits and the other is offshore. Building on successful deep-sea excavation techniques, this prototype will provide a safer and cleaner option for extracting currently unreachable and/or uneconomic mineral deposits.

Moreover, it says:

Under the coordination of BMT Group Ltd and the Technical management of Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd, a consortium of 17 project partners from nine EU countries will collaborate, including: Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd; Damen Shipyards Group; Instituto de Engenharia Sistemas e Computadores; Fugro EMU Limited; Zentrum für Telematik e.V.; Montanuniversität Leoben; Minerália, Lda; Marine Minerals Ltd; Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro SA; Sandvik Mining and Construction G.m.b.H; Geological survey of Slovenia; La Palma Research Centre for Future Studies; European Federation of Geologists; Trelleborg Ede Bv; Federalni zavod za Geologijo and Fondacija za obnovu I razvoj regije Vareš.

Clearly, the European Union has recognised the strategic importance of deep sea mining and this project represents a concerted effort to join or overtake the leading players in the field.

http://www.mininginnovationnews.com/2015/03/26/eu-horizon-2020-to-develop-underwater-mining-robot/

The prototype is scheduled to be used during field tests at four EU mine sites, three of which are inland inactive submerged mineral deposits and the fourth is offshore.

More info on vamos: http://vamos-project.eu/

This is interesting news. On the one hand, Nautilus can and should try to spin it to reinforce investor and analysts' confidence in Soil Machine Dynamics, one of its key tech partners.

Reply

#2
Previously discussed here:
http://shareholdersunite.com/mybb/showth...p?tid=8354
http://shareholdersunite.com/mybb/showth...p?tid=8366
Reply

#3

'maui4marko' pid='58869' datel Wrote:Previously discussed here: http://shareholdersunite.com/mybb/showth...p?tid=8354 http://shareholdersunite.com/mybb/showth...p?tid=8366

Thanks, and sorry for the redundant content. I am scratching my head wondering why the EU is limiting itself to inland and shallow sea waters. Presumably, this only represents a first step. If the project yields encouraging results, the ultimate aim, one would think, would be a system that performs in deep sea conditions. It seems that Nautilus curremtly still enjoys a lead of many years over any potential competitor, which coulld be a blessing and a curse at the same time. It is a blessing for us, as it means that Nautilus' position is not under threat. However, if a greater number of competitors were seen to be actively working towards a solution, this would drive home the point to investors that deep sea mining is broadly viewed as being not only technically feasible but also economically viable. At this point in time, the predominant view in industry and science is still that there is no business case for deep sea mining. In my view, these doubts are the fundamental reason which explains why it has been so hard for Nautilus to raise the cash needed and why its venture still has the aura of an experimental project.

Reply



Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)