Key points
- Engineers drove the pilot collector vehicle over 80 km across the seafloor in NORI-D, collecting approximately 4,500 tonnes of polymetallic nodules.
- The system lifted over 3,000 tonnes of nodules up a 4.3-km riser to the surface vessel Hidden Gem.
- The Allseas-designed pilot system achieved a maximum sustained production rate of 86.4 tons per hour.
- TMC plans to scale the system with additional collector heads and a wider riser pipe for Project Zero.
