Nautilus Minerals awarded the order for the engines and thruster packages for the company’s production support vessel to Rolls Royce Marine of Norway. The order secures the main engines, azimuth and tunnel thrusters and is the first major package to be awarded by the shipyard, Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding.
Last year Nautilus announced it had entered into an agreement with Marine Assets Corporation (MAC), for the charter of a vessel to be first deployed for use at the Solwara 1 Project and that MAC had entered into a contract with Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding, to design and construct the vessel in accordance with Nautilus’ specifications. The vessel will first serve as the operational base to extract and to transport high-grade copper and gold material from the Project site, in the Bismarck Sea of Papua New Guinea.
When completed, the vessel will measure 227m in length and 40m in width with accommodation for up to 180 people and generate approximately 31MW of power. All of the below deck mining equipment will be installed in the vessel during the build process to reduce the equipment integration to be completed following delivery of the vessel. The vessel is expected to be delivered by the end of 2017.
