List of Top 10 Best Mining Ships in the World
Deep-sea mining is the extraction of precious minerals from the seafloor using advanced, specialized vessels. Mining ships are equipped with specialized equipment and systems, including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), for underwater mining or drilling, seafloor mapping, sample collection, and data collection.
Some mining ships mine diamonds off the coast of South Africa. In contrast, others are used to explore for copper, silver, gold, and other minerals used in electric vehicle batteries and other renewable energy technologies. In this article, we will select the top 10 best mining ships in the world, ranked by length.
1. Hidden Gem
Allseas acquired the mining vessel Hidden Gem, formerly known as the drillship Victoria 10000, in 2020. The vessel is 228 meters long, 42 meters wide, has a gross tonnage of 60,331 tons, and a deadweight of 61,042 tons.
Built in 2010, the vessel is ideally suited for conversion into a mining vessel to transport nodules from the seafloor to the surface. The vessel can accommodate 200 people, and the recommissioning began in Norway and ended up in Rotterdam.
After completing the sea trials, it will go into production for the mining company.
The vessel is equipped with an underwater mineral collection system, mainly for the extraction of polymetallic nodules rich in manganese, cobalt, copper and nickel from the seafloor.
These minerals are essential for the electric vehicle battery industry as well as the renewable energy industry.
The company also has a collection vehicle designed and manufactured at its Dutch factory. The 12-meter-long collection vehicle can be deployed using a launch and recovery system and can reach depths of up to 1,000 meters under extreme pressure.
2. Nautilus New Era
China’s Fujian Mawei Shipyard built the world’s first seafloor mining vessel for Dubai-based Marine Assets.
The mining vessel currently sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands and was originally scheduled to be chartered by Canadian deep-sea mining and exploration company Nautilus Minerals.
The company planned to use the vessel as a naval base for its Solwer-1 mining project near Papua New Guinea. The project involves mining copper and gold at a depth of 1,600 meters in the Bismarck Sea. However, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019.
SeaTech Solutions designed this mining vessel to operate even in the harshest conditions. It is equipped with a dynamic positioning system and a lunar dock for efficient deployment of hydraulic lifting and jacking systems.
The vessel is 227 meters long, 40 meters wide and has a gross tonnage of 50,000 tons. It can easily accommodate about 180 people and has a power generation capacity of 31 megawatts.
Two main cranes and advanced mining equipment are installed on the lower deck of the vessel.
Nautilus New Era is equipped with powerful marine pumps, loading and unloading systems, lifting and hoisting systems, ore storage systems, and cargo handling equipment for transferring ore from the ship’s hold to other ships.
It is also equipped with a bulk material cutter and a collector, each weighing about 250 tons, and operates at a depth of 1,500 meters and 2.5 degrees Celsius. These machines are more powerful than land-based machines and run cooler to prevent overheating.
3. Mengxiang
The Mengxiang is the world’s most advanced deep-sea mining ship, known for its ability to reach the deepest underwater drilling depths.
Made in China, the ship was launched in Guangzhou last year with an ambitious mission to drill through the Earth’s crust, which is about 6,000 meters thick.
To achieve this, it boasts unparalleled drilling capabilities, capable of drilling to a depth of 11,000 meters below sea level, surpassing the capabilities of any other ship.
The Mengxiang completed its first trial voyage in December 2023 at the mouth of the Pearl River. It will be delivered this year and will be used for marine research projects.
This powerful ship is 179.8 meters long, 32.8 meters wide and has a gross tonnage of 33,000 tons. It can sail continuously for four months without docking.
It has enough space to accommodate multiple laboratories and equipment. It is also equipped with a storage system and China’s first R.M.R. system, which reduces the environmental impact of drilling and improves efficiency.
The ship operates in two modes and can be utilized for oil and gas exploration as well as scientific research.
4. Gem of Benguela
Designed by Poland and Norway and built in Romania, the Gem of Benguela is a $486 million ship built by Depemarine in Namibia. It is considered the most technologically advanced diamond mining ship in the world, with reliable safety systems and enhanced performance.
The ship’s dynamic positioning system adjusts its performance according to changing weather conditions, thereby reducing energy consumption. It also
The ship’s dynamic positioning system adjusts performance to changing weather conditions, reducing energy consumption. It is also equipped with a heat recovery system to produce fresh water on board.
The ship is also equipped with an entertainment system, gym, hospital, and crew leisure facilities. The ship can accommodate 106 people, measures 177 meters in length, 27 meters in width, and has a gross tonnage of 20,503 tons.
It is equipped with a helipad and other special features not available on similar ships.
The “Benguela Gem” uses seabed crawling technology to mine diamonds from depths of 90 to 150 meters below sea level. After the diamond-containing mixture arrives on board, it will be processed using advanced equipment to extract the purest diamonds.
According to sources, the company anticipates the ship will operate for at least 30 years and is expected to increase its diamond production by approximately 500,000 carats per year.
5. MV Mafuta
This ship is one of the most advanced diamond mining ships, operated by diamond mining company De Beers and flying the Namibian flag.
Operating off the west coast of South Africa, this diamond mining ship, often referred to as the “African Peace”, provides an alternative to the illegal blood diamond trade.
The keel of the ship was laid in 1982 and launched in 1983. The ship is a heavy-duty ship, 169.5 meters long, 24.2 meters wide, with a draft of 8.9 meters and a speed of 12.5 knots. The gross tonnage is 15,851 tons, and the summer deadweight is 14,361 tons.
It was originally named “Dock Express 20”. After being acquired by De Beers in 2005, the ship was converted into a diamond mining ship within a year. In 2013, it was renamed “MV Mufaata”.
It has undergone several conversions, first becoming a cable-laying ship and later a dredger. In 2011, it was operating off the coast of Mamakwaland, mining diamonds.
After being converted into a diamond mining vessel, it was equipped with a 240-ton crawler dredger for mining and an onboard extraction unit.
It can process 250 tons of water and gravel mixture per hour to find diamonds and has found about 60 diamonds in an hour. The Muffata also appeared in the Discovery Channel documentary “Mighty Ships”.
6. MV Ya Tuifo
This is the largest diamond mining vessel owned by Trans Hicks Marine. The ship is 149 meters long and 24 meters wide, consuming more than 14,000 kilowatts of electricity to power all mechanical equipment and other systems. Its gross tonnage is 9,111 tons and its summer deadweight is 2,124 tons.
The “Ya Toivo” is also one of the largest offshore mining vessels in the world.
The ship was built in 1984 and converted into a diamond mining vessel in 2000. Since then, the ship has undergone several modifications and upgrades to keep up with the latest marine technology.
Its mission is to locate diamonds on the seabed. To do this, it uses a 280-ton remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of drilling to a depth of 150 meters. The ROV is operated through various advanced control systems on board.
The vessel can mine more than 1,000 square meters of land in 60 minutes, delivering about 1,600 tons of diamond-bearing sand to the processing plant. It is equipped with powerful pumps to suck out the sand, as well as a powerful jet system that easily dissolves sediments.
The ROV can stay underwater for more than a week and operates around the clock.
At the processing plant, several machines separate the diamonds from the gravel and crushed stone; however, ultimately, humans are needed to complete the process.
The MV Ya Toivo can accommodate at least 90 people. When the ship is conducting mining operations, supply ships or helicopters will deliver fuel, foo,d and other supplies to the ship. This means that the ship does not need to visit any port for resupply for more than 12 months.
7. Debmar Pacific
De Beers Offshore Namibia owns this mining vessel and currently sails under the Namibian flag. The vessel has an overall length of 137.01 meters and a beam of 21.95 meters.
The Deepmar Pacific was built in 1977 by Livingston Shipyard in Orange, Texas, USA. The vessel is ABS-classified and homeported in Lüderitz. It has had several other names, including the Deep Sea Pacific in 1992 and the Glomar Pacific in 1989.
The vessel has a gross tonnage of 9,048 tons and a deadweight of 6,667 tons.
8. MV Garib
This diamond mining vessel is part of the De Beers Offshore Namibia diamond mining fleet. Currently sailing under the Namibian flag, the vessel has a length of 113 meters, a beam of 24.56 meters and a gross tonnage of 8,471 tons.
In 2021, the vessel underwent a comprehensive refit by Pabock, with engineering and design work carried out in Rosyth. The refit was necessary due to the ageing of Gariep’s equipment and the need to extend its service life.
The vessel’s old engines were replaced with new ones from Wärtsilä, and a new propulsion system and generators were subsequently installed. While De Beers had already selected the equipment they wanted installed on the vessel, BABOK had to find a way to seamlessly integrate it into the existing design and structure.
In addition, the HVAC system, wiring and other pipes were also installed seamlessly, which is a remarkable achievement considering that more than a kilometer of pipes needed to be laid in a limited space.
After the upgrade, the MV Garieb has become safer and more environmentally friendly, while also reducing carbon emissions during operations.
9. MVSS Ngoma
This diamond exploration and sampling vessel is 113 meters long and 22 meters wide. It operates off the coast of Namibia and is a highly specialized ship. It was built by the Kleven Verft shipyard in Norway.
The $157 million sampling vessel “Nujoma” can accommodate 80 people and has a gross tonnage of 7,971 tons.
MV SS Nujoma
Image credit: De Beers Group
Named after Namibian President Dar Sam Nujoma, this sampling vessel is able to collect more comprehensive samples and data than any other sampling vessel. It also travels faster than similar vessels, which makes it unique.
The vessel has a helipad and can stay at sea for three years. Launched in 2016, Nujoma arrived in Cape Town equipped with mission equipment, including launch and recovery systems, sampling equipment and an onboard processing plant. The processing plant specializes in mineral processing and is designed to minimize carbon footprint.
10. Fugro Voyager
This geotechnical drilling ship conducts oceanographic research, surveys, seafloor mapping, mineral resource assessments and other work in the Asia-Pacific region.
The research vessel currently sails under the Bahamian flag. The ship is 82.9 meters long, 21.8 meters wide, and has a gross tonnage of 4,644 tons.
Fugro Voyager
Image source: Fugro
The vessel features a mid-ship drilling tower overlooking the Moon Basin. For safety reasons, the vessel is also equipped with an automated tool handling system. In addition, it is equipped with a seafloor sampling system and other equipment to sample the seafloor at a depth of 3,000 meters.
The vessel can accommodate 60 people and has a soil laboratory staffed by technicians. In addition, there is a gym, meeting room and crew office on board.
