Allseas to Convert Drillship to Deep-Sea Metals Collection Vessel
https://gcaptain.com/allseas-to-convert-drillship-to-deep-sea-metals-collection-vessel/March 2, 2020
A former Petrobras drillship will be repurposed to harvest deep-sea metals needed to unlock the full potential of electric-powered vehicles and other ‘green’ technologies.
Swiss-based Allseas announced Monday it has acquired the former ultra-deepwater drillship Vitoria 10000 for conversion to a polymetallic nodule collection vessel.
Found on the ocean floor, polymetallic nodules contain high grades of nickel, manganese, copper and cobalt, the key metals required for building electric vehicle batteries and other renewable energy technologies.
Allseas said it is working with DeepGreen Metals, Inc. to develop a deep-sea mineral collection system to responsibly recover polymetallic nodules from the Pacific Ocean and transfer them to the surface for transportation to shore. The ship will be converted to accommodate the pilot nodule collection system currently being engineered by Allseas....