Fertimar is currently licensed to produce 120 kilotonnes of lithothamnion per year and is in the process of applying to increase the permitted volume to 240 kilotonnes per year. Fertimar’s industrial plant is located approximately 50 km from the city of Salvador (population: 2.7 million), State of Bahia. The plant has a processing capacity of about 36,000 tonnes of lithothamnion (powder and ground) per year; nonetheless, current production is limited at 24,000 tonnes of per year, which is the yearly capacity of Fertimar’s specially designed ship, named Litho One, that is used for the extraction of the material under the sea. It is expected that installed capacity will increase following the growth of sales to reach a processing rate of 120,000 tonnes per year by 2022. Litho One has the following features: x Proprietary oceanic technology and suction pumps x Proprietary high sea raw material washing technology (better product quality, higher transport efficiency) x Nominal capacity of up to 600 tonnes per trip (with the company operating at 80% average of nominal capacity; or about 500 tonnes per trip) o On average, there are 4 trips per month, which at 500 tonnes per trip equals 24,000 tonnes per year. x Sustainable extraction, providing zero environmental impact to its deposits x Extraction is monitored on a quarterly basis by an independent environment firm, Biomonitoramento e Meio Ambiente Ltda, that also interfaces with the Brazilian environmental agency, IBAMA, on all environmental and license matters A typical voyage time is approximately 6 days, including travel to the extraction area, operations, return to port and product discharge. The extraction process is carried out by dredging, generally at a depth of 22-30 meters. On this basis, annual dredging capacity is approximately 25,000 tpa based on 50 voyages per year. The ship’s journey involves sailing 25 nautical miles (approximately four hours in normal weather conditions) to the area of the deposits, including 20 miles which are in waters sheltered by the Baia de Todos os Santos (All Saints Bay). The extracted material is separated from sand and other elements, washed and stored in the ship’s hold. Upon returning to port, the ship’s cargo is unloaded through a conveyor belt, where is it subsequently trucked to Fertimar’s plant. The extracted lithothamnion is processed and bagged at the plant.
Not a Joke