Nautilus Minerals Inc. announced Thursday that the Company's Production Support Vessel (PSV) was floated in the dry dock last week to allow the launch of two adjacent vessels. The PSV is to be used by Nautilus and its PNG partner, Eda Kopa (Solwara) Limited, as the base for its seafloor operations planned at the Solwara 1 Project site, in the Bismarck Sea of Papua New Guinea.
Mike Johnston, Nautilus’ CEO commented: "The Company was very excited to see the PSV floated in the dry dock last week, as it shows the fantastic progress the team at the Fujian Mawei Shipyard Ltd (FMSL) and Marine Assets Corporate (MAC) have made over the past three months. When you consider the first block for the PSV was laid on the 10th of June this year, to having a 220 meter hull able to be floated some 14 weeks later, it is a huge achievement by FMSL and a significant milestone for our Company. We have worked with FMSL, MAC and others on the PSV for over two years now. During this time we have established a very good working relationship, with very capable stakeholders. We are now looking forward to continuing that strong working relationship as we progress the final build phase and fit out of the vessel."
Subject to further financing, Nautilus’ objective remains to develop the world’s first commercial high grade seafloor copper-gold mine and launch the seafloor resource production industry.
Nautilus is the first company to explore the ocean floor for polymetallic seafloor massive sulphide deposits. Nautilus was granted the first mining lease for such deposits at the prospect known as Solwara 1, in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea, where it is aiming to produce copper, gold and silver. The Company has also been granted its environmental permit for this site.
Nautilus also holds highly prospective exploration acreage in the western Pacific (granted and under application), as well as in international waters in the Central Pacific.
A Canadian registered company, Nautilus is listed on the TSX:NUS stock exchange and trades on the OTCQX:NUSMF, and is also a member of the Nasdaq International Designation program. Its corporate office is in Brisbane, Australia. Its major shareholders include MB Holding Company LLC, an Oman based group with interests in mining, oil & gas, which holds a 27% interest and Metalloinvest, the largest iron ore producer in Europe and the CIS, which has a 15% holding (each on a non-diluted basis, excluding loan shares outstanding under the Company’s share loan plan).
Source: Nautilus Minerals