SHAFT SINKING
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Getting in sink
The mining industry is demanding deeper shafts, faster project execution, improved safety performance and reduced project risk, according to Redpath’ s Kevin Melong
An increased prevalence of mechanised sinking methods and technologies bodes well for the plethora of projects in the long-term mine development pipeline, Dan Gleeson says
The industry is demanding more of its shaft sinking partners, and these companies are responding.
More projects – regardless of location – are featuring adaptations to the labourintensive, asynchronous cut and slash process, all predicated on accelerating development rates and improving safety on site.
And the results are starting to prove that these tweaks and technological leaps are working, with records flowing and sinking rates rising.
IM spoke to some of the sector’ s major protagonists to find out more.
Redpath commits to changing status quo
There has been a lot of talk about mechanising the shaft sinking process over the last decade – a lot of it covered in these pages in IM – yet there are only a few proponents to have put action behind the words. Redpath Group is one of them.
Redpath Deilmann – through its use of the Herrenknecht Shaft Boring Roadheader( SBR) – has arguably led the charge, sinking two shafts in Belarus at the Nezhinsky potash project, and making inroads at the Woodsmith project in the UK( see Woodsmith learnings continue boxout).
It has also – in collaboration with Redpath Group global teams – developed the RDS-100 large-capacity, stage-mounted telescopic hydraulic mucking system engineered for concurrent shaft operations. Many years in development, the integrated system could fundamentally reshape shaftsinking project productivity, safety and execution, according to the company.
And, even in the hard-rock sinking space, it is eyeing use of the Shaft Boring Extension Machine( SBE), which was developed by Herreknecht for the expansion of shafts with pilot holes in hard rock. This could be used in tandem with large-diameter raiseboring systems the company has much experience of in projects with shaft-bottom access.
Redpath understands not all sinking projects will fit such mechanised means, but it is committed to changing the shaft sinking status quo across mining, which is where the RDS-100 comes in.
“ When it comes to, let’ s call them conventional drill and blast shafts, whether it’ s in Australia, South Africa or North America, the entire group is planning on using the RDS-100 for all future projects,” Jochen Greinacher, Managing Director of Redpath Deilmann, told IM.
This commitment will be on display at the 5th International Conference on Shaft Design and Construction in London next year where a large delegation from Redpath, including Greinacher’ s colleague, Frank Otten( Senior Vice President of International Projects for Redpath Deilmann), will be introducing this new shaft-sinking system concept.
The RDS-100 is designed for the attachment of a shovel, double drill feed, cutting drum or other tools for mucking, drilling, ripping, cutting and cleaning to take place on a teleremote basis. One such attachment is the compact RSJ-103 highcapacity drill jumbo, which can integrate directly beneath the sinking stage, creating a fully coordinated bottom-of-shaft operating system, according to the company.
All these attachments are connected to the galloway within the shaft via a telescopic boom that reduces the need to continuously lower the galloway during mucking. The simultaneous operations create the potential to recover substantial productive time throughout each cycle – a key metric for any shaft sinking company.
Offering a maximum working radius of
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2026