Offshore vessel owner Solstad Offshore has been awarded a contract with Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR), part of DEME Group, for its construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Reach.
The contract will commence in 4Q 2018 and has a duration of 4-6 months. The vessel will be mobilized from Europe with the mining vehicle “Patania II”, support equipment and containers, before sailing to San Diego (USA).
Patania II is a Pre-Prototype remotely operated mining vehicle designed to collect polymetallic nodules in water depths down to 5000m below surface.
The vessel will work side-by-side with the German Research Vessel Sonne under the JPI Oceans project “Mining Impact II”, to perform an independent scientific assessment of the environmental impacts, generated during the Patania II tests in the Belgian and German License Areas in the Pacific Ocean.
The aim of the consortium is to perform a State-of-the-Art independent scientific assessment of the environmental impacts, generated during the Patania II tests in the Belgian and German License Areas. This experiment will be a first of its kind
GSR is looking forward to the fruitful collaboration with Solstad Offshore ASA and a successful 2019 offshore expedition, said a release from the company.