Debmarine Namibia, a 50/50 joint company owned by the Namibian government and diamond miner De Beers, will build “the world’s first ever custom-built diamond recovery vessel”, according to a press release.
At a cost of $468 million, the ship represents “the largest ever single investment in the marine diamond industry”. It will be Debmarine Namibia’s seventh vessel, and will commence operations in 2022 and add 160 new jobs to the company’s current roster of 975 employees. Once operational, the vessel is expected to add half a million carats annually to Debmarine Namibia’s production – 35% increase on current production.
Bruce Cleaver, De Beers’ CEO, said: “Some of the highest quality diamonds in the world are found at sea off the Namibian coast. With this investment we will be able to optimise new technology to find and recover diamonds more efficiently and meet growing consumer demand across the globe”.
