The advanced physical exploration research vessel 'Tamhae No. 3' has set sail for rare earth element exploration in the South Pacific seabed.
The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) announced that Tamhae No. 3 will set sail for the high seas of the South Pacific from the second dock of Jinhae Port at 2 p.m. on the 14th for the 'Seabed Rare Earth Element Exclusive Exploration Project.' This exploration marks the first step toward discovering areas with high concentrations of rare earth elements.
Seabed rare earth elements have several advantages over land rare earth elements. They are distributed within 10 meters of the upper seabed, making extraction easier, and the average content of medium rare earth elements is more than twice as high, providing economic viability. The low ratio of radioactive elements means that seawater can be used in the marine SUN KWANG process, resulting in less environmental pollution.
The KIGAM has secured rare earth concentration distribution data from 159 sea areas across the Pacific through four years of basic research from 2020 to 2023. This process scientifically confirmed that near the equator in the central ocean and some areas of the South Pacific are regions rich in high concentrations of rare earth elements.
This exploration is based on the research results accumulated through basic research, focusing on precision exploration of the actual site. Over the next six years, Tamhae No. 3 will conduct three-dimensional verification of rare earth element deposits through seabed cores, elucidate deposit mechanisms based on multidisciplinary research, and perform resource prediction analysis using AI.
Kim Yoon-mi, head of the Submarine Geology Research Center, noted, 'While we have been conducting analysis-centered basic research with samples obtained through international seabed drilling projects (IODP), this exploration marks a shift to directly operating South Korea's Tamhae No. 3 to confirm and analyze seabed rare earth element distribution in three dimensions through our pure research technology.' She emphasized, 'Given that China and Japan have already moved to stake their claims, the symbolic and strategic significance of this seabed rare earth exploration is substantial.'
Tamhae No. 3 is a high-function 3D/4D physical exploration research vessel constructed with a total project cost of 177.7 billion won. It is equipped with the world's top-level exploration equipment that visualizes underground resource distribution in three dimensions using marine seismic waves (sound waves). It can precisely explore an area of 4.2 square kilometers, equivalent to 590 soccer fields, in a single survey.