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By Tae-kyeong Yeu

KIOST has developed the pilot mining robot, named MineRo ?? from early-2011 to mid- 2012. The robot consists of two unit-modules having an identical mechanical structure and hydraulic system. One unit-module has two track systems, two pick-up devices, two crushers, one lifting pump and one thruster. The pick-up device is fitted on the frame of the track device. All actuators are driven hydraulically, which are manipulated by valves and the controllers. Each unit-module is equipped with one dual HPU of 250kW / 4,000V. PWM-16 (INNOVA AS) as hydraulic valve controller is adopted, which outputs PWM signals of 16 channels and can be used under pressure in oil-filled box. To measure angular velocity or displacement of hydraulic actuator, turbine-type flow-meters are adopted. The flow-meter has RF (Radio Frequency) type pulse detector, which extends the flow range by eliminating drag on the rotor. Two track motors, two crusher motors, lifting pump, one thruster can be controlled their velocities through feedback of the measured flow-rates. As well as the flow-rates, the states of the hydraulic system such as hydraulic pressures, temperatures, leakages are measured through a self-developed flow-pressure canister. In that canister, multi-channel amplifier boards are installed, through which the vast amount of data is acquired and transmitted to the main controller using serial communication.

Sep 14, 2011

By S. Kim Juniper

The discovery of chemosynthetic-based ecosystems at hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean was arguably one of the most important findings in biological science in the latter half of the 20th century. More than 100 vent fields have been documented along the 60,000 km global mid-ocean ridge system. Over 500 new animal species, over 80% of which are endemic to the vents, have been described from this environment. Unusual, highly evolved symbioses between invertebrates and chemolithautotrophic bacteria are common at vents, producing concentrations of biomass that rival the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Hydrothermal vents ecosystems, because of their very limited area and the presence of endemic species, are highly vulnerable to human disturbance. Mining for polymetallic sulphide deposits poses the greatest future physical threat to hydrothermal vents and their biological communities. However, there is more immediate concern about the impact of concentrated scientific research activities. Some sites have been revisited by several research expeditions per year for more than a decade. As vent sites become the focus of intensive, long-term research, oversight organizations are discussing mitigative measures to avoid significant loss of habitat or oversampling of populations. Canada recently became the first national jurisdiction to set aside a hydrothermal vent site as a Marine Protected Area.

Jan 1, 2001

By S. Rajendran

India?s interest in the resources of the deep seabed particularly the manganese nodules in the Indian Ocean can be traced back to the Indian Ocean Expedition of 1960 ? 65. The collection of Manganese Nodule samples from the Indian Ocean in January 1981 aroused considerable interest within the scientific community. Following several surveying expeditions, the Central Indian Ocean was identified as the most promising area for exploitation. India was accorded ?Pioneer Investor? status and further research and development programs were launched to establish the techno-economic viability of deep seabed mining. India has also shown considerable progress in the field of development and testing of methods for processing the nodules. The Department of Ocean Development manages the program.

Jan 1, 2003

By Sukumar Bandopadhyay

The Marine Mining Technology Center (MMTC) was authorized by an act of the United States Congress in 1996. The act established several marine minerals research centers in the U.S., including one at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Alaska MMTC is funded through the Minerals Management Service of the Department of the Interior and concentrates its research in the Artic seas region. Recent research projects at the MMTC include, among others, a geographic information system (GIS) application to the gold placer deposits offshore Nome, Alaska, a marine gold placer reserve definition model using a neural network, and development of an expert system model for submarine tailings disposal (STD) planning and decision-making. Although geostatistics remains the most prevalent method used today for ore grade estimation, researchers have made numerous improvements over the years for accurately predicting grades of ore using various other estimation techniques. As a result, the neural network has recently emerged as an alternative to geostatistics for grade estimation purposes. A neural network is a non-linear, model-free estimator that is well-suited for noisy and/or sparse data environments. Neural networks perform best with non-linear spatial data, contrary to the stationary assumption of ordinary Kriging techniques. In the marine placer ore reserve definition model, the neural network technique was used to estimate placer gold reserves offshore Nome. This study demonstrated the utility of neural network modeling over other traditional ore reserve estimation methods, especially for high cut-off grades. Some of the relevant issues of neural network modeling were also addressed in the study. In testing, the neural network produced results that were close to those from geostatistical techniques including Kriging, polygon, and inverse distance methods.

Jan 1, 2004

By Valcana Stoyanova

Data and information for this study were collected in June-July 2009 onboard the RV Yuzhmorgeologiya in the area covers about 7000 km2 in the eastern part of the CCFZ between 10º05? - 10º55?N and 119º25? ? 121º08?W. In accordance with the IOM research program the cruise was intend to acquire both geological and environmental data and information necessary for delineation of nodule deposits and also data for identification of the baseline of benthic ecosystem. Having implementation of its 15-year plan of work for exploration under the contract with ISA, current activities of IOM were focused on nodule fields within prime areas that could be mined in the future. Bottom photographs obtained by towed deep-sea vehicle NEPTUN along 6 profiles with common length about 300 km (Fig. 1). In total, about 11,500 digital photographs (what cover approximately 40,000 m2 of the ocean floor) were analyzed for assessment of nodule coverage and investigation of megafauna (animals, visible in photographs, the dimension more than 2 cm). The giant single-cell organisms Xenophyophorida were the most multiple animals in seabed photographs. Their number on the site area averaged 1187 ind/ha. However, the vertical camera position does not allow counting all xenophyophorids, therefore their valid number is represented 10 times more. According to all available information these protozoans play the relevant role in assemblage of deep-water environment, giving for other animal groups an [ ] additional source of nutrition and a substratum for settlement and attachment. The ophiuroids are found in assemblage with xenophyophorids in many cases, standing on a sediment at their base.

Jan 1, 2010

By Sukumar Bandopadhyay

The Marine Minerals Technology Center (MMTC) was authorized by an act of the United States Congress in 1996. The act established several marine minerals research centers in the U.S., including one at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Alaska MMTC is funded through the Minerals Management Service of the Department of the Interior and concentrates its research in the Arctic seas region. Recent research projects at the MMTC include, among others, application of a geographic information system (GIS) to the gold placer deposits offshore Nome, Alaska, development of a marine gold placer reserve definition model using a neural network, and development of an expert system model for submarine tailings disposal (STD) planning and decision-making. Although geostatistics remains the most prevalent method used today for ore grade estimation, researchers have made numerous improvements over the years for accurately predicting grades of ore using other estimation techniques. One such technique, the neural network, has recently emerged as an alternative to geostatistics for grade estimation purposes. A neural network is a non-linear, model-free estimator that is well-suited for noisy and/or sparse data environments. Neural networks perform best with non-linear spatial data, contrary to the stationary assumption of ordinary Kriging techniques. In the marine placer ore reserve definition model, the neural network technique was used to estimate placer gold reserves offshore Nome. This study demonstrated the utility of neural network modeling over other traditional ore reserve estimation methods, especially for high cut-off grades. Some of the relevant issues of neural network modeling were also addressed in the study. In testing, the neural network produced results that were close to those from geostatistical techniques including Kriging, polygonal, and inverse distance methods.

Jan 1, 2005

By Tetsuo Yamazaki

Seafloor massive sulfides have been a subject of interest for profitable commercial mining these ten years. Because of the higher Au, Ag, and Cu contents, they have received much attention as immediate commercial mining targets by private companies and nations. Some of them already proposed the technologies necessary for the commercial mining. However, the technologies for survey, excavation, lifting, and ore dressing have not yet well been examined from viewpoint of the economy. In this presentation, the authors present some key factors and improvements for better economy in the mining.

Jan 1, 2010

By Tetsuo Yamazaki

The importance of cobalt-rich manganese crusts on the Pacific seamounts for possible future rare metal sources has currently been recognized. The thin layer-type deposit characteristics affect not only the excavation efficiency but also the economy of mining venture. Considering the thin layer-type distribution and the utilization of some rare metals in cobalt-rich manganese crusts, a preliminary economic feasibility of the mining venture is evaluated. Under some preliminary technical assumptions, the possibility of cobalt-rich manganese crusts for future rare metal sources for Japan is examined. The important role of utilization of rare metals in the crusts is highlighted.

Jan 1, 2010

By Anthony T. Jones

Deep seabed mining requires technology to collect materials and transport them to the surface. An international patent search was conducted to define the state of the art in seabed mining technology. Over 350 patents were identified from 12 patent systems. The majority was from the United States, Japan, and the former USSR. Patent activity in this field peaked in 1983 when 34 patents were issued. Since 1984, on average 6 patents have been issued annually. The technology represents ten major classifications. With the exception of Deepsea Ventures, Kawasaki and International Nickel, it appears that much of the technology developed and tested in the 1970s by consortia active in seabed mining was never patented. Over the past two decades, identifiable trends in marine technology could influence seabed mining application such as more sophisticated communication systems, advances in hydraulic manipulators, improved computational technology in navigation, modeling of vessel ? ocean interactions, and improved materials. The most significant recent activity has been in European applications, which disclose remotely controlled subsea vehicles for mining diamonds.

Jan 1, 2001

By Wilfred Lus

Meaningful and real time environmental monitoring of marine tailings placement is a clear sign of deeper commitment to the people of PNG in regard to impacts of mining on coastal environment and marine life. Today daily mine wastes and tailings are increasingly being delivered to the seabed offshore of project sites in Misima and Lihir islands. Ramu and Simberi mining projects also plan to dispose tailings out at deep sea. As tailings leave the tailings pipe and come out into the seabed, concentrations of the cations and other potential harmful particles in the tailings stream need to be quantifiably monitored each day during the life of the refinery. For continuous monitoring of the tailing?s true chemical characteristics submarine cables connected with ocean floor observation systems consisting of deep-sea underwater video, and cation sensors and electrodes will be laid. Power transport to the tailings site and data transfer from the tailings site will be via opto-electric cables. Various data center instruments will record and manage the collected data. Observation data will be transferred in real time to stake holder?s data centers via a dedicated line from on-land stations, and then distributed to company offices and government establishments. Japan Marine Science and Technology Center, Telikom PNG, and Australian Institute of Marine Sciences will be the key advisers in this project. The main role of the observatories is to monitor and collect background seabed geochemical data prior to start of tailings disposal, during tailings disposal period, and after the life of the refinery.

Jan 1, 2001

By Keith Gordon

The recent discoveries of hydrothermal activity in the ocean off New Zealand have created interest in the business community in the commercial possibilities of mining associated marine polymetallic sulfides. This interest is more so, as this hydrothermal activity is in much shallower depths, between 120 ? 1800 meters, than the typical 2400m in other parts of the oceans. Mining for other ocean deposits around NZ, such as phosphate nodules and off-shore deposits from gold bearing river beds is also attracting interest. The question is: - how can these deposits be mined without spending the enormous sums of money required for specialized mining technology? There are no dedicated off- the-shelf systems designed exclusively for underwater mining. Such systems require expensive development and manufacturing processes and then, are most probably designed for only one specific purpose. The costs involved place such equipment beyond the means of smaller entrepreneurial groups and only the big companies have the resources required. However, large companies are normally reluctant to take the risk of investing large sums of money into deep ocean projects. Australia and New Zealand, until recent times, have been somewhat isolated from European and North American technical resources - especially in the field of underwater technology. Over the past century such isolation has often led to solving problems with what has become locally known as ? ?the number 8 gauge wire method?. This approach to problem solving entails using whatever is available to get the job done and keep costs down. In the old days with NZ technology being mainly based around farming, a piece of No. 8 gauge fencing wire, although not designed for the purpose, was often used to fix various problems ? hence the term.

Jan 1, 2002

By Andreas Kaede

INTRODUCTION Due both to the political history of UNCLOS and the sensitivity of the ocean floor and environment to man made impacts, both the Convention (including also the 1994 Amendment) and subsequent codification (such as the ISA draft code on Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Area) put a focus on information about, and conveyance of, technology employed by interested deepsea mining companies, to inter alia the Authority and developing countries. In contrast, companies usually are (or by their nature should be) interested in safeguarding their technology and business secrets in order to secure unique selling propositions in a competitive environment. On the background of the meanwhile maturing regulatory régimes on deep sea mining, the presentation will look into some of the key regulatory provisions mirroring these apparently antagonistic interests, how the players involved could deal with them, and how they might in some cases be reconciled. Progress of Presentation The presentation will start by briefly examining some classical methods of protection of technology, such as patents, copyrights, and (not the least) secrecy. It will be found that some of the statutory means of protection due to their territorial character may face problems in being implemented in areas outside national jurisdiction, such as the Area, but that, thinking globally, they nevertheless retain much of their value for the purpose of protection. Depending on available presentation time, a model case may be used to illustrate the above – and also some of the following – findings.

Jan 1, 2018

By Maria Thornhill, Rolf Arne Kleiv

INTRODUCTION The last decade has given rise to an increasing number of deep-sea mining concepts (DSMCs) outlining technical solutions for the production chain from seafloor mining to mineral or metal extraction. The vast technological and logistical challenges coupled with immature but rapidly evolving technology has spawned a great variety in proposed concepts, and the exact implications of the phrase ‘best available technology’ is very much an open question. DSMCs differ significantly with respect to choice of technology, technological readiness level, degree of resource utilization, logistics, OPEX and CAPEX requirements, overall profitability, legal and political implications, not to mention environmental impact. Hence, a system for classifying concepts could provide a useful identification and structuring tool when performing economic, judicial or environmental assessments of DSMCs, as well as offering a general terminology to describe concepts sharing fundamental traits. This abstract proposes a DSMC classification system based on how a concept makes use of mineral separation at the different stages in the ore’s journey from the deposit to the ocean surface and ultimately to onshore facilities. Mineral separation, as a process step, is the key factor in determining both the state and mass flow of materials along the production chain and has, as such, a decisive effect on economy and environmental impact of any deep-sea mining project. A DSMC that is based on bringing the entire volume of broken ore to onshore facilities for processing will look very different from a concept based on pre-concentration (i.e. mineral separation) at the seafloor. Whereas the latter offers savings in the form of reduced energy cost for vertical transport, it also represents a substantial additional technological challenge. Furthermore, whether or not a concept relies on mineral processing at the seafloor or on a floating facility at the ocean surface above the deposit also determines the point at which mineral separation waste (i.e. tailings) must be managed. Different concepts offer different opportunities for tailings deposition, and are at the same time bound by different requirements.

Jan 1, 2018

By Sally Philpot, Siân E. Boyd, Hubert L. Rees, Emma Bee, Carla Houghton, Ceri James, Silvana N. R. Birchenough, S. Limpenny David, A. Coggan1 Roger, Koen Vanstaen

Every year approximately 22 million tonnes of marine sand and gravel are dredged form British waters. The eastern English Channel (EEC) contains substantial reserves, a proportion of which have been identified by the aggregates industry for potential future exploitation. The main aim of this study is to produce broadscale marine habitat maps of the EEC area. The UK aggregates industry has formed a consortium of representatives (the eastern English Channel Association), and have sponsored an initial baseline survey and follow-up sampling programmes as part of a Regional Environmental Assessment (REA) covering a patchwork of aggregate prospecting areas. To complement this effort, a large-scale geophysical survey was conducted in 2005 to place the REA in a wider spatial context and, thereby, to help assess the environmental significance of any future impacts arising from commercial aggregate extraction over the broader region of the EEC.

Sep 24, 2006

By S. Naidu, J. Kelley, Roger Amato

The Alaskan Continental Shelf covers 76 % of the total shelf area of the United States. There are a lot of potential gravel deposits in the Alaskan offshore region. The gravel resources are currently not feasible for mining for the following reasons (U.S Congress, 1987): 1. Much of the glacial gravel is poorly sorted. 2. Gravel deposits are overlain by sandy and muddy layers. With the sea level expected to rise 70 cm in the next 100 years (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, 2001; Day, 2004), erosion of coastlines will be a major problem not only in Alaska but worldwide. Hence beach nourishment projects designed to minimize erosion will require large volumes of sand and gravel. Offshore areas will become a logical source for the fill material because of their proximity and ready availability. It is likely that future supply of coarse aggregate in Alaska may involve exploitation of marine deposits. The Chukchi Sea is a potentially favorable region for this type of mining because of extensive deposits of paleo beach and other relict gravel found in the near shore region (Stauffer, 1987). However a systematic analysis of potential gravel resource has not yet been conducted and it is the purpose of this research to estimate the size, extent and variability of gravel material that may be available in the continental shelf, offshore Kivalina.

By Jerry Hanua Naime

Papua New Guinea has permitted its first underwater mine. Nautilus Minerals (PNG) Limited is the company permitted to operate the Solwara 1 project. The project is located 30km off the nearest island of New Ireland in the Bismarck Sea. The successful permitting of the activity was due to the existence of a broad legislative framework and the collaborative efforts of stakeholders. Challenges faced included the lack of specific guidelines or policies for underwater mining; lack of existing technology and/or mining method; lack of benefit sharing mechanism for such a project and management of the perceptions of local communities that fear environmental degradation by the mining project. This presentation shares the experience of Papua New Guinea?s first under water mine. A background of the country, the project and the legislative framework are presented. Followed by the challenges and approach taken to permit the project.

Jan 1, 2010

By Brian D?Olier

Much of the aggregate that is being exploited at present from these areas is a ?relic? deposit. It was originally eroded from primary source rocks and transported to a depositional centre by processes that are now either greatly reduced in effectiveness or are largely absent at the present time. Following the retreat of the Devensian ice sheet, the subsequent rise of sealevel and the drowning of large areas of the continental shelf along with the lower reaches of many rivers, a fresh sequence of sediment sources, pathways and sinks now exist. Sediment is being eroded from several, pre-existing source areas and transported along different, well - defined pathways to a number of new depositional sinks. Some of the present, licenced, aggregate dredging areas lie close to these sources, pathways and sinks with the consequent dredging activity being perceived by some as interfering with the ?natural process? that links the offshore and the coastal / littoral zones. With this perception in mind, the principal, sources, pathways and sinks between Flamborough Head and Beachy Head will be highlighted and the relationship of dredging activity upon them, evaluated. It will be demonstrated that offshore dredging activity has no effect upon supplies of sediment to coastal beaches.

Jan 1, 2004

By S. Rajendran

Much advance has been made in offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation in India. But the same amount of success could not be achieved in the case of other offshore minerals which are amenable for mining. However, employing present technology, there should not be any difficulty in successful exploitation with minimum environmental hazards. A demonstration is provided by considering the conditions prevailing in the Kerala offshore (southwest coast of India) scenario of monazite, ilmenite, phosphatic mud and calcareous deposits. Mud banks are unique phenomenon of the Kerala coast during monsoon season. Acting as barriers to waves, mud banks protect portions of the beaches from being eroded and trap sediments from either side facilitating growth of adjacent beach. The easy minable possibilities of the phosphatic mud during non-monsoon season with less pollution hazards and dumping back the waste material after processing for phosphate at the breaker zones to reduce the erosional effects on the coast make the exploitation economic and ecofriendly unlike the benefication of the lowgrade phosphate ores on land on a comparatively larger area and subsequent crushing, transport and resulting pollution.

Jan 1, 1993

By Youngtak Ko

The northeastern Pacific shows the highest nodule abundance among the oceans in the world, and thus has been drawing international attention for deep-sea manganese nodule development. The objectives of this study are to construct database using geostatistics and geographic information system (GIS), to quantify rating value using probability and statistical methods, to suggest suitable sites for manganese nodule development, and to verify results using three statistical approaches. The copper and nickel contents of the nodules were determined by chemical analysis. Factors related to slope, aspect, water depth, and topography were obtained from multi-beam echo sounding data. The transparent layer thickness was determined using a sub-bottom profiler. The probability method was used to calculate each factor's rating, and the layers for different factors were summed to produce the development potential index (DPI). Result maps were constructed for manganese nodules development. The distribution pattern of DPI showed to be controlled of nodule abundance and metal contents. Verification was performed by comparing the results with sampling data in three ways: success and prediction rate, linear regression, and test of independence.

Sep 14, 2011

By Yannick Beaudoin

The source of base metals in modern seafloor hydrothermal systems can be attributed to leaching of host rocks by hydrothermal fluids and/or potentially by direct degassing of magma. From an economic perspective, metal grade is the most important consideration for seafloor deposits. Tectonic setting appears to be a key factor influencing the development of high grade seafloor base metal sulfide deposits. Back-arcs have a clear advantage over other settings in producing large and rich polymetallic sulfide ores. Microinclusions of magma or so-called melt inclusions trapped in phenocrysts of lavas have contributed to our understanding of the ore-forming process. n this study, we present data from 103 melt inclusions mainly in plagioclase crystals hosted in basaltic to rhyolitic lavas from 9 modern seafloor tectonic settings: oceanic back-arcs (Manus Basin including an ODP Leg 193 drill hole, Bransfield Straits), continental back-arc (Okinawa Trough), mid-ocean ridges (Explorer, MAR), seamounts (Foundation, Axial, Pito), and a transform (Garrett). Most sites host active hydrothermal systems that are producing polymetallic sulfides.

Jan 1, 2005