Debmarine Namibia’s new N$7 billion diamond recovery vessel, Additional Mining Vessel #3 (AMV3), has arrived in South Africa ahead of commissioning early next year.
The N$7 billion vessel which was officially handed over by Damen Shipyard in Romania in August 2021 arrived in the Cape Town harbour and is set to get working gear in the country. Construction of the AMV3 started two years ago when Debmarine Namibia signed the contract with Damen Shipyard, followed by the steel cutting ceremony on 15 May 2019. The international project saw components being sourced from various countries, including Namibia.
Mission equipment
The N$7 billion vessel is currently being outfitted with its mission equipment consisting of the bottom crawler that collects sludge and the treatment plant that separates the diamonds from the sludge. This is expected to boost Debmarine’s output by about 500 000 carats and have annual production from 2022. It is expected to contribute 2 billion Namibian dollars ($137.64 million) a year in taxes and royalties to the Namibian treasury in its first five years of production.
“The vessel is nearing completion and will soon sail to Namibia, where she will join the rest of the fleet in recovering marine diamonds safely and sustainably and contribute to building a lasting legacy of marine diamond mining in Namibia,” Debmarine stated.
The AMV3 design complies with environmental standards and has a green passport. The vessel is expected to create 161 new direct jobs, increasing the company’s workforce to over 1000 employees. Debmarine Namibia currently operates five diamond recovery vessels as well as one exploration and sampling vessel.
