Ok Tedi Tailings Dredging

Dredge Nu Explorer was specifically built to enable simple and cost effective transport to the most remote locations. Able to fit into two standard 40 foot open top containers, Nu Explorer was dispatched to the Ok Tedi mine, situated at an elevation of 1700m in the remote Western Highlands of PNG.

The task of mobilisation involved road transport, shipping, transhipment and further road transport for the final leg up to the site. The dredge’s relatively light weight and standard containerisation made the logistics of this exercise far cheaper and simpler.

The dredging task involved shifting a large volume of pyritic concentrate which had been temporarily stored in two dams. The material was pumped by the dredge into a circuit for further handling.

Nu Explorer is fitted with a 240hp Cummins diesel, an efficient and robust GIW slurry pump, and a hydraulically operated winching system.  The dredge’s straightforward mechanical design coupled with essential instrumentation such as slurry flow meter make it an efficient and cost effective slurry pumping unit.