Diamond Mining Vessel

A diamond mining vessel recovers diamond-bearing gravels from the shallow continental shelf, mainly off Namibia and South Africa, using either a seabed crawler that pumps sediment to the ship or a large-diameter drill that cuts the seabed. The mmv SS Nujoma and the mv Mafuta operate for Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture of De Beers and the Namibian government, on the licensed marine concession off the Orange River mouth. Onboard plant screens, separates, and concentrates the gravel; recovery is by dense-media separation and X-ray sorting, with dynamic positioning holding the ship over the mining block.