How De Beers’ New Undersea Crawler Could Change the Game for Marine Diamond Mining

Something quietly big is happening off Namibia’s coast. De Beers has just rolled out a new subsea excavator what they call the Next Generation Crawler (NGC), that promises to push marine diamond recovery into a more efficient, more resilient era.

We’ve seen crawler technology from De Beers before. For over 20 years, its subsea crawlers have harvested diamonds from the ocean floor. But this new model, deployed on the Benguela Gem, is something different. It’s the result of almost four years of engineering, testing, automation, and hands-on operational feedback. And according to the project team, it’s not just bigger, it’s smarter.

A Bigger, Smarter Machine

The new crawler is a monster in scale: 370 tonnes in mass, 28 metres long, and about 8 metres high and wide. Its pick-arm sweeps a 21-metre arc in just 25 seconds. That gives the Benguela Gem more ability to match its onboard processing plant, effectively boosting throughput.

But it’s not just size. Key innovations include:

• Track tensioning system that adjusts automatically under changing seabed conditionsthis means less wear, longer life for the tracks, less downtime.

• Forward-looking sonar, letting operators “see” the seabed ahead, so recovery can go right up to the footwall.

• Automation that standardises operations, reduces human error, and improves consistency.

The goal? Lift engineering availability from ~82% in past machines to around 87%  more mining hours, fewer stops.

Why It Matters for Namibia & Beyond

For those of us in southern Africa, marine diamond mining isn’t just an exotic sidebarit’s a strategic resource. Namibia has long benefitted from De Beers’ operations offshore, and increments in efficiency ripple back into economic returns, job creation, and capacity for maintaining these high-cost operations.

Every 1% increase in uptime or efficiency in offshore rigs means less time fighting mechanical breakdowns and more time pulling diamonds. And when the Benguela Gem can push more volume at minimal extra cost, the revenue model improvesnot just for De Beers, but for supporting infrastructure, local suppliers, and coastal communities.

From Cape Town Workshop to Deep Sea Depths

What’s fascinating is how much the innovation process drew on lessons from the past. At De Beers’ Upstream Technology facility in Cape Town, engineers didn’t just build something new, they listened. Feedback from the existing crews aboard the Benguela Gem shaped design tweaks. Workshop teams verified every connection (over 10,000) and ran full-scale land simulations before the crawler ever hit the water.

Even the lifting of the large dredge motor (47 tonnes!) into the frame used two synchronised overhead cranes, a detail that doesn’t make headlines often, but makes a difference in safety, precision, and long-term maintenance ease.

What to Watch Out For

No technology is magic. The NGC reduces some risk, but marine mining still operates under harsh conditionsstrong water currents, abrasive seabeds, corrosion, logistical challenges. Downtime is never fully avoidable. What this crawler offers is more predictability, and less of the surprises that kill production.

Also, environmental oversight will be under scrutiny. When deeper seabed material is moved, sediment disturbance, marine life impact, and ecological footprint become more visible to regulators, NGOs, and coastal communities. De Beers will need to show that this boost in extraction is matched by responsibility.

A New Chapter for Marine Diamond Recovery

The NGC is not just another machine. It’s a milestone for De Beers, for Namibia, and for marine mining in Africa. It points to a future where big-scale underwater extraction can be more reliable, less wasteful, more tuned to both return on investment and environmental stewardship.

If all goes well, we’ll start seeing its ripple effects soon more consistent yields, possibly lower costs, and a sharper edge for companies operating offshore. For local economies, that could translate into steady employment, more stable supply chains, and a stronger positioning in the global diamond trade.

{Source: African Mining Market}

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