Key points
- Rolls Royce Marine of Norway will supply the main engines, azimuth and tunnel thrusters for the vessel.
- The order is the first major package awarded by shipyard Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Ltd, which is building the vessel under contract with Marine Assets Corp.
- The vessel will measure 227 metres by 40 metres, house up to 180 people and generate about 31 megawatts of power.
- The vessel will serve as the operational base for the Solwara 1 project in the Bismarck Sea, Papua New Guinea, and is expected to be delivered by the end of 2017.
The order for the engines and thruster packages for Nautilus Minerals Inc.’s production support vessel has been awarded 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 Ltd.
Last year Nautilus announced it had entered into an agreement with Marine Assets Corp. 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’s specifications.
Mike Johnston, Nautilus’s chief executive officer, commented, “We are excited to see the first order being placed for this high-specification machinery as we work towards the completion of our first vessel.”
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 227 metres in length and 40 metres in width with accommodation for up to 180 people and generate approximately 31 megawatts of power. All of the below-deck mining equipment will be installed in the vessel during the build process to minimize the equipment integration to be completed following delivery of the vessel. The vessel is expected to be delivered by the end of 2017.
