Marine & Coastal

Offshore mining presents many challenges and the undersea hoisting of ore from the sea bed to mining vessels is crucial to such operations. We have done extensive work on the design of offshore pumping systems using air lift pumps, remotely operated vehicles and conventional centrifugal pumping.

Dredging, sand bypass systems and beach replenishment require a thorough understanding of the material transport requirements and correct equipment selection for the marine environment. Our extensive test facilities provide the necessary information needed for the design of robust marine slurry transport systems. The ability to conduct appropriately scaled hydraulic models ensures that the full scale systems are designed based on sound dimensional analysis of measured data.

Notable Projects

Durban Harbour Sand Bypass System, South Africa

Design, engineering, specification and commissioning of a temporary sand bypass system for the Durban Harbour Widening Project. In addition, Paterson & Cooke completed a pre-feasibility study and detailed design for the new sand hopper and beach feeding system for implementation after the completion of the harbour widening project. The scope of work included process and control, pumps, piping, valves and instrumentation design and specification. The project was commissioned in 2017.

Ngqura Harbour Sand Bypass System, South Africa

Commissioning of water pumps, jet pumps, sand transport pumps and pipeline as well as modification of the control system. We provided further design and engineering services for system modifications, improvements and maintenance issues. We also conducted a study for the expansion of the existing system.

Nautilus Minerals, Australia

Analysis and review of the high pressure pump and pipeline requirements for the Solwara deep sea mining project at depths of up to 2000 m.