Kenmare Resources is to reinforce its mining operations at the Moma Mine in Nampula province with two new electric dredgers supplied by Royal IHC, a company specialising in the construction of mining equipment. The dredgers, currently under construction at the Royal IHC shipyard in Kinderdijk, Holland, are scheduled for delivery at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025.
According to information from the Club of Mozambique portal, the new equipment, with a total power of 6800 kVA and 1350 kW of cutting power, will be fundamental for the expansion of the new mining site in the Nataka area, a recently expanded mine that is expected to operate for several decades.
According to Hans Greve, director of IHC Mining, the dredgers represent an important milestone in the modernisation of Kenmare’s operations, being the first electric cutter suction dredgers supplied by the company to Mozambique.
Kenmare Resources already has three dredgers previously supplied by Royal IHC for the Moma Mine, the most recent of which, the JULIA dredger, was delivered in 2019.
The new electric dredgers, which are being built simultaneously, mark a new phase in the collaboration between the two companies, reflecting an ongoing commitment to innovation and sustainability in the mining sector.
The Moma Mine, operated by Kenmare, is one of the largest mineral sands operations in the world and one of the main sites for the extraction of ilmenite, zircon and rutile in Mozambique. The expansion of the mine and the introduction of the new electric dredgers aim to increase production efficiency while reducing the environmental impact of the operations.
The dredger keel-laying ceremony, which marked the official start of construction, took place last Friday (30) and was celebrated as a significant moment for Royal IHC and for the future of Kenmare’s operations in Mozambique.
