Debmarine unveils ‘mother of all vessels’

Debmarine Namibia had the perfect birthday gift for Namibia on the eve of the country’s 32nd Independence anniversary - a gigantic diamond recovery vessel which is expected to further cement the country’s position as a trendsetter in the global marine diamond recovery arena.

The mining vessel (MV) Benguela Gem, unveiled at the port of Walvis Bay on Friday, was officially commissioned by President Hage Geingob and ready to set sail on the glistening waters of the mineral-rich Atlantic Ocean. The vessel is also home to a 310-tonne underwater mining mechanism known as a crawler, which will be dispatched onto the seabed to recover diamonds.

This brings Debmarine’s vessel fleet to seven.

The N$7 billion, 177-metre Romanian-built vessel with a gross tonnage of 19 000, is dubbed the most technologically-raised mine vessel in the world. There is no doubt that this is the new god of marine mining vessels.

The vessel’s unique Dynamic Positioning System, which incorporates a learning system to optimise the vessel’s station and steadiness, will also make it easier for Vessel Master, captain Philip Koa, and his team to withstand the harsh conditions of the Atlantic while carrying out their deep-water diamond mining activities.

Perfect execution

With Namibia being a pioneer in the marine diamond mining arena, it comes as no surprise that the new vessel is the largest diamond recovery vessel ever built, it is also the most environmentally-friendly vessel, hence it comes with a “Green Passport”. The passport is used in the maritime world as proof of eco-friendly ship design and equipment.

While it took almost a decade of planning and execution to turn the dream into reality, Debmarine CEO Otto Shikongo was delighted with the results and indicated that the megaproject was executed three months ahead of schedule and 17% under budget.

In her test run in Namibian waters last month, the Benguela Gem recorded 103 hours of non-stop operation at name plate capacity and recovering 30 000 carats.

Shikongo said the vessel will create 160 high-skilled jobs for Namibians and will produce over 500 000 carats annually - with revenues expected to exceed N$3 billion. This will further cement Debmarine as the largest private sector contributor to the Namibian fiscus.

"This makes her the single biggest contributor to Debmarine Namibia and Namdeb Holdings' income," Shikongo said. Debmarine Namibia belongs to Namdeb Holdings, which is an equal partnership between Namibia's government and world diamond giant de Beers joint venture.

The chief executive officer of the De Beers group, Bruce Cleaver, said Debmarine Namibia has been “brilliant for the past twenty years”.

Mines minister Tom Alweendo was delighted with the realization of such a “meaningful investment”.

"Diamonds have always been crucial as part of our economy, and are therefore regulated differently. It is extremely important that we manage industry in such a way as not to pollute the image of diamonds," he said.

Hold hands

President Hage Geingob, who spoke off the cuff, savoured the moment and called for increased collaboration between the government and the private sector.

"As Namibians, we must hold hands and work with Harambee with the private sector." He says process, systems and institutions need to be established and used. "I don't have to be here anymore, but what we decided must continue to exist. It cannot depend on individuals," he said.

Geingob said Covid-19 has made it clear that everyone is equal.

"People started dying. People we grew up with, people we know, white, black, yellow. The disease taught us that we are one and can survive only by holding hands. Now we are holding hands to build the economy on diamonds,” he said.

Additional reporting by Augetto Graig.