Diamond mining vessel to get new gensets

The Debmar Pacific

AUGUST 22, 2018 — This past May, Wärtsilä and De Beers Marine inked a deal for the replacement of generating sets aboard De Beers’ diamond mining ship Debmar Pacific. The vessel, originally built at Levingston Shipyard in Orange, TX, in the 1970s, will be outfitted with four new Wärtsilä W8L32 gensets with an output of 4,450 kW each to extend their lifetime and improve reliability.

The 9,048 grt Debmar Pacific is used in diamond mining operations off the coast of Namibia. With modern gensets, the lifetime of Debmar Pacific is extended and its specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC) is reduced. Additionally, the new equipment is more reliable and needs less maintenance, reducing disruptions in operations and OPEX expenditure.

Debmar Pacific is owned and operated by Debmarine Namibia, a joint venture between De Beers Group and the Namibian government.

“Offshore mining operations require reliable, cost-effective power. By investing in efficient, modern generating sets, we can significantly improve the availability of Debmarine Namibia’s vessels and thereby increase productivity. In addition, we are unifying the engine base to Wärtsilä engines on some vessels, including a recently completed newbuild,” says Domingos Valbom, General Manager, De Beers Marine.

Serge Begue, Vice President, South Europe & Africa, Services at Wärtsilä, says the new Wärtsilä gensets will “improve the reliability of one more vessel in their fleet. In addition, its fuel consumption will be lower, contributing to both better environmental performance and reduced total cost of ownership.”

In 2017, De Beers Marine and Wärtsilä signed similar type of agreements to outfit new Wärtsilä gensets to Debmarine Namibia’s diamond mining vessels Grand Banks and Debmar Atlantic. Additionally, Wärtsilä is currently carrying out an engine control system upgrade project in Debmarine Namibia’s diamond-mining vessel Mafuta.