Company selected for detailed design of rock phosphate project

Thursday 2nd June 2011

Integrated dredging company Royal Boskalis Westminster has been selected to carry out detailed design of a project aimed at extracting rock phosphate nodules from the Chatham Rise.

Chatham Rock Phosphate, which has an exploration licence covering 4726sq km for an offshore area 450km east of Christchurch, today said it had chosen Boskalis after a review of scoping studies from it and three other large international dredging companies.

The Boskalis system proposal was based on a recovery and separation system for the phosphate nodules designed around proven commercial technology.

Chatham Rock Phosphate was now negotiating with Boskalis to carry out detailed design, production testing and to be closely involved in associated environmental studies which were now starting.

That overall phase was expected to take 12 to 18 months.

NZPA

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