INGENIEUR
TT5: Engineering Marvel in
the Tin Mining Industry
By Ir. Dr Oh Seong Por
Chairman, IEM Negeri Sembilan Branch
Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge TT5
T
in mining is one of the oldest and successful
industries in this country. It began to flourish
when tin was in high demand with the
increasing use of tinplate cans for preserving
food. Large deposits of tin were first found in
Kedah, Selangor and Perak, particularly in the
Kinta valley. Over the years, various techniques
were applied to extract tin ore including; dulang
washing, gravel pump, open cast, underground
mining and dredging. The gravel pump was
introduced by Chinese immigrants. Using this
method, the ore bearing ground is broken down
by a high pressure water jet. The resultant slurry
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is washed into the pit floor and later pumped up to
an elevated palong where the tin ore is separated
from debris. This technique was widely adopted by
the Chinese, who by around 1912 managed 80%
of the tin industry.
In the late 1800s, the Europeans came
to realize the potential of the tin industry and
started to invest and develop new technologies
and expertise to mine it in a more effective way.
After decades of research, they finally invented a
mechanical bucket line dredge or kapal korek in
Malay. It was designed for mass mining to achieve
economies of scale and lucrative profits.