AXTech Supplies LARS for Debmarine Namibia’s New Vessel

AXTech has signed a contract with De Beers Marine for design and supply of a Launch and Recovery System (LARS) for a subsea diamond recovery tool.

The subsea tool named the ‘Crawler’ is a 310 ton purpose-built machine for subsea diamond recovery.

The LARS will launch the Crawler from the vessel to the seabed as well as handle the Crawler’s production riser hose and the umbilical cable, the company explained.

LARS and Crawler will be installed on Debmarine Namibia’s new offshore diamond recovery vessel (AMV3) now under construction at Damen’s Mangalia shipyard in Romania.

De Beers Marine in Cape Town South Africa has been appointed to manage the project on behalf of Debmarine Namibia.

“For AXTech this is a great achievement and we are looking forward to the cooperation with De Beers on this exciting project,” said Richard Myhre, CEO of AXTech.

The new vessel will be part of the Debmarine Namibia fleet, planned for operation off the coast of Namibia.

“For AXTech this is a significant order, confirming AXTech’s position as a world leader in Launch and Recovery Systems for the subsea mining industry,” said Kjell Odegaard, sales director AXTech.

“It is important for us to find an experienced supplier with a proven track record to build our new Launch and Recovery System for the AMV3,” added Michael Curtis, head of the AMV3 Project for De Beers Marine.

“We are pleased to contract AXTech after successfully winning a Global Tender for the construction of the equipment. Given the complexity of the project, it is critical to work with the best equipment supplier who has a reputation for performance and on-time delivery.”

Delivery is scheduled for early 2021. After delivery comes a period with installation, commissioning and testing.