Mineral Dredging

Mineral Dredging involves the extraction of minerals that may have a substantial economic value from underwater deposits. A variety of material can be extracted from the seabed which include gold, tin (cassiterite), aluminium (bauxite), mineral sands (ilmenite, rutile, zircon), diamond deposits and rocks salts as well as more standard material such as sand and gravel for use as aggregates in the construction industry. The dredged aggregates are an attractive alternative to land based sources such as quarries. When compared with onshore quarrying activities extraction and emissions were less than 50% while transport costs were less than 15%. Overall, it has been estimated that 1 tonne of onshore material costs the same as roughly the equivalent of 6 offshore tonnes. Today approximately 21 per cent of the sand and gravel used in England and Wales is supplied by the marine aggregate industry.

Anthony D Bates Consultants can aid the client in assessing the feasibility of any proposed scheme. We can assist in the sourcing of suitable mineral sites as well as in the selection or design of an appropriate dredger. The dredgers that are used for this type of dredging are usually specially built or modified dredgers to suit the custom properties of the project and are privately owned usually with an on board processing facility. The economics of the proposal can be established with sensitivity analyses used to determine to the optimum solution to both maximise the clients value for money and minimise the impacts on the environment. Anthony D Bates Partnership LLP has worked on projects of all sizes and can match the design of any project to the clients specific needs.