Regulatory gaps in the design and operation of mining floating artifacts (MFAs) in tailing dams: a technical review

To enhance the safety and efficiency of tailing dam operations, floating structures are utilized to support the storage and retrieval of tailings. These structures, referred to in this article as Mining Floating Artifacts (MFA), may or may not have their own propulsion system. However, despite performing critical functions for the mining industry, such as serving as supports for the water recirculation pumps in the tailings, aiding other platforms, or acting as rescue or emergency MFA, it is important to note that design of MFAs is carried out without following appropriate regulations. In this article, a comprehensive review of technical literature is conducted, complemented with the search for relevant information in the Google Scholar and Scopus databases in order to identify suitable scientific to technical regulations to guide the design, construction, maintenance, and dismantling of MFAs. As a result of this technical-scientific review, it is concluded that there is no specific technical regulation for MFAs. Currently, MFA safety cannot be warranty. Consequently, potential alternative regulations applicable to tailings dams are explored, and after thorough evaluation, we determined that: (a) in the short term, it is recommended to adopt regulations established by classification societies for barges navigating in protected waters; and (b) in the long term, it is suggested to undertake scientific research activities in basic and applied sciences aimed at establishing specific technical standards for MFAs.