Ann: GENERAL: CRP: Veteran adventurer scientist h

• Release Date: 29/03/12 10:14
• Summary: GENERAL: CRP: Veteran adventurer scientist hits the high seas again
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CRP
29/03/2012 08:14
GENERAL

REL: 0814 HRS Chatham Rock Phosphate Limited

GENERAL: CRP: Veteran adventurer scientist hits the high seas again

Veteran adventurer scientist hits the high seas again

Thirty years after he first explored the seabed of the Chatham Rise, off the
coast of New Zealand, colourful oceans scientist Dr Hermann Kudrass, now in
his late 60s, is about to voyage to one of the most rugged parts of the
Pacific again.

Dr Kudrass led a joint New Zealand-German government expedition on the German
government research vessel Sonne in 1981 to explore the extent of phosphorite
deposits distributed on the Rise seabed and then wrote a book discussing his
findings.

Now, three decades later he is being hosted by Chatham Rock Phosphate, the
New Zealand company planning to extract some of the rock phosphate to use as
fertiliser, to venture back to the same area.

Dr Kudrass has spent a lifetime exploring the subsea around the world. Known
as 'Herman the German' within the oceans scientific community, he attained a
PhD in geology before joining the Marine Geology Department of the Federal
Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in Hanover.  Since 2005
he has headed the Division of Geophysics, Marine and Polar Research at BGR.

This role has led him to a number of adventurous expeditions in remote parts
of the world including exploring heavy mineral sands off Malaysia and
Mozambique, the history of monsoon in the Bay of Bengal; geology of the South
China Sea and teaching UNESCO courses in several developing countries.

Despite the heavy seas common in that part of the Pacific, Dr Kudrass is
highly excited to be off on another voyage.

This time it will be on the Dorado Discovery, which has already undertaken
three cruises this summer to the Rise to collect a range of environmental and
geotechnical data, and test equipment, for Chatham Rock Phosphate.

"When we first discovered the phosphate rock more than three decades ago, we
could see the potential for it.  Now the rising market value of the resource
and the advances in technology mean the rock phosphate will be used on New
Zealand farms and for export."

Benefits of the project include:

? New Zealand controlled: The project's owner holds 100% of the licence
area estimated to contain a 15-year supply of rock phosphate for the New
Zealand market
? Known costs and technology: Mining concept studies indicate an
extension of existing technology can extract the resource from the seabed for
much less than the cost of buying it and importing it from Morocco
? Economic benefits: This project could significantly reduce New
Zealand's exposure to foreign exchange risk while improving its balance of
payments position by reducing imports and/or generating export earnings.
? Environmental benefits: The phosphate can be applied directly, is
more effective than super-phosphate and very low in cadmium.  The
technologies used will minimise seafloor disturbance, there will be a lower
carbon footprint through reduced transport requirements, and extraction will
intermittently affect a total footprint of less than 1/1000th of the Chatham
Rise seafloor.

Editors note:  Dr Kudrass is available for interview

For further information please contact Linda Sanders on 03 525 9170 or
[email protected]
End CA:00221277 For:CRP    Type:GENERAL    Time:2012-03-29 08:14:19