The MV Namakwa has commenced mining at Diamond Fields’ Marshall Fork feature near Luderitz today. The MV Namakwa replaces the smaller mv Ivan Prinsep and is the first mining vessel specifically dedicated to the Diamond Fields/Trans Hex group joint venture operations offshore Namibia. The Ivan Prinsep will now be reassigned to Trans Hex’s own concessions.
For the past two weeks, the Namakwa has undergone and successfully completed sea trials off Cape Town and the southwest coast of South Africa. All of the crew and certain equipment were transferred from the Ivan Prinsep to the Namakwa. The transfer of trained personnel to the Namakwa is important in that downtime and production losses associated with start-up training and familiarization are reduced. Furthermore, the Namakwa will use proven airlift technology with a more powerful 20-inch airlift system and an aggressive high-pressure water jetting system, both of which will enable greater throughput and should result in increased diamond recovery.
Roger Daniel, Diamond Fields’ operations director, states that, “With the knowledge we have gained about the distribution of diamonds and the geological terrain in the highly mineralized Marshall Fork feature, and with the improved capability of the newly outfitted mv Namakwa, we expect a very successful mining program commencing immediately.”
WARNING: The company relies on litigation protection for “forward-looking” statements.
