Designing a Deep-Sea Mining System for Seafloor Massive Sulphides in the Norwegian Jurisdiction

The global efforts to develop a greener society through renewable energy development leads to a consequential demand for metals. As the adequacy of future metal supply is debated, marine minerals offer an alternative source yet to be commercially exploited. Norway’s decision to open its jurisdiction for the commercial exploration of marine minerals marks a significant step towards deep-sea mining. Green Minerals, anticipating this decision, collaborates with partners for a conceptual study on a Harsh Environment Deep-Sea Mining system. The study considering local parameters, addresses the technical feasibility of Ship-To-Ship (STS) operations. Methodologically, a general function structure guides the conceptual study, focusing on subsystems such as a subsea mining machine, slurry transportation, and offshore ore offloading. The chosen subsea mining machine, a marinized excavator by SMD, extracts minerals from the seabed as a slurry. A riser pipe system and a subsea pump vertically transport the slurry from the seabed to the surface. Oil & Gas STS fluid transfer methods are examined, presenting shooting lines and a disconnectable turret as potential solutions, with the latter enabling weather-robust transfer and facilitating personnel transfer.