Dredging for Tin Facts
By: Thomas Klein
Tags: Malaysia, Tin, Perak, Journaling

5Sc1 class photo at Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No.5 (TT5)

After that, our journey continued to the Tin Dredge in Tanjung Tualang. First, we visited the museum where we learned about the history of the tin dredge. We captured pictures for evidence. There was a ship made from rubber bands inside the museum. I also bought a tin of Nescafe to avoid thirst. After that, we went to a small pond. There were many golden fish around the pond. Then, a guide began to explain the ship to us. To me, the dredge looked like a giant crane floating on water.

This dredge is the last one in Malaysia. Back when it was built, it cost RM 40 million to build a dredge but now it would cost USD 50 million (RM ~200 million) to build a similar one. The first part of the dredge (front) is called the head. It is the part where ‘bijih timah’ is dug. The second part (middle) is called the body. The filtration process happens here. The third part (back) is where waste products are disposed of. The dredge has humongous buckets. Each bucket can dig up to 1.5 tonnes of minerals from the earth. There are approximately 115 buckets.

(Kathiresan Sivarajah, 5Sc1)

Crossing the bridge onto the tin dredge

Our first destination is Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No.5 (TT5). Tanjung Tualang was one of the major tin-mining towns in Malaysia around the early 1900s.

TT5 is the last tin dredge in Malaysia. Its designer was FW Payne and Sons. TT5 weighs 4500 tonnes, supported by the pontoon 75-metre length, 35 metre width and 3-metre depth. TT5 was first built in England in 1938, then sent and re-built in Malaysia, and then re-built again in 1963. Its last operation was in 1982. In TT5, there are ‘pontoon holes’. Its length is 75 metres and 35 metres deep. There are 115 buckets on it.

I certainly noticed the huge buckets on TT5. Their size is 5 times as big as me. The sum weight of the buckets are 500 tonnes and 1 bucket is 2 tonnes and each of it can fill with 1.5 tonnes tin. The buckets can reach 100 feet underground.

I feel working on the Pontoon Hole is a very focusing job. There must be no air inside it and it must be filled with water. There are 20 holes in TT5. The workers will check them once a week.

During the journey, we heard an explanation by our guide. He explained how the TT5 functions and how it deals with the tin. The tin from the underground will transfer to the middle of TT5 to process and the other things will leave from the tail of TT5.

(Tuck Seng, 5Sc1)

Students pose jovially next to a winch on the tin dredge

Then, we went to the Tin Dredge in Tanjung Tualang. The dredge looked huge and it floated on water. It is the last dredge in Malaysia. En. Azman gave us a briefing about the dredge. The dredge costed about RM 40 million to build. The dredge has three parts. There is an ancient bell in the dredge. Its sound was quite loud. The dredge contains a place to store air which is known as a pontoon. We also got to know some parts of the dredge such as the bucket, ladder and more. The dredge even contained a canteen. We also learned about the process of panning for ‘bijih timah’.

(Pirranesh Paramasivan, 5Sc1)