Partnership Opportunities
There’s More Than One Way
to Partner With Shell
We’re not looking for a single type of deal. If you’re a mining operator with a property, a vision, and a need for the right equipment and expertise — there’s likely a structure that works for both of us. Let’s find it.
50+
Years in Placer Mining
4
Partnership Models
.006
Fine Gold Recovery
400
Cu Yd / Hr Peak Capacity
How We Think About This
We’re Looking for the Right Fit — Not a Fixed Formula
Most operators who reach out to Shell Dredging have something real: a property with placer gold potential, mining experience, and the drive to build a serious operation. What they need is the right equipment, the right technical backing, and a partner who understands the business from the inside.
That’s where Shell comes in. We’re not a passive equipment supplier and we’re not looking to take over your operation. We want to work alongside operators who know their ground — contributing our proprietary dredge technology, decades of placer mining experience, and in many cases, a direct financial stake in the equipment itself.
How we structure that depends entirely on your situation. We’ve outlined four common starting points below — but if none of them fit exactly, call us anyway. We’ve been at this for over 50 years and we’ve structured deals a lot of different ways.
Shell Has Skin in the Game Too
How We Can Work Together
Four Ways to Partner With Shell Dredging
These are starting points, not rigid contracts. The right deal is the one that gets a good operation in the water.
Model 01
You Operate. We Co-Invest & Oversee.
Best for: Experienced Operators
You have the property, the permits, and the team. You want to run your own operation — you just need the right equipment and a technical partner who’s been there. Shell co-invests in the dredge (typically a 50/50 split on equipment cost), provides technical oversight and support, and lets you run the show. We’re available when you need us — not looking over your shoulder every day.
Shell Brings
You Bring
Model 02
Shell Co-Invests & Co-Manages.
Best for: Operators Who Want a Hands-On Partner
You have the property and the drive — and you want Shell more involved than just technical backup. Shell co-invests in the equipment and takes an active co-management role alongside your team. We’re on the ground with you, helping make operational decisions, optimizing recovery, and working through the challenges that come up in any serious mining operation. Shared investment, shared work, shared upside.
Shell Brings
You Bring
Model 03
You Fund the Dredge. We Back You Up.
Best for: Well-Capitalized Operators
You’re in a position to fund the equipment yourself and want full ownership of the dredge from day one. Shell’s role is to configure the system for your specific property, train your team, and be available as a technical resource throughout the life of the project. You own the iron — we make sure it works the way it’s supposed to and you have someone to call when questions come up.
Shell Brings
You Bring
Model 04
You Bring the Ground. Shell Brings the Know-How.
Best for: Property Holders
You have a placer property with real potential — gold in the ground, water access, and the basics in place — but you need the right equipment and technical partner to work it. Shell contributes the dredge technology and expertise; you contribute the property and your involvement in the operation. Equipment cost and production arrangements are worked out based on the specific project and what each side is bringing to the table.
Shell Brings
You Bring
None of These Fit Exactly?
That’s fine. Most deals end up looking a little different once both sides get on the phone. If you have a legitimate project and you’re serious about working it, call us. We’re not attached to any particular formula.
The Spectrum
From Full Operator to Active Co-Manager — We Fit Anywhere in Between
There’s no single right answer for how involved Shell should be in your operation. It depends on your experience, your team, your property, and what you actually need from a partner.
You Run It
You fund the dredge, you operate it. Shell configures the system and stands by as your technical resource.
50 / 50
Shell co-invests in the equipment. You operate the mine. Shell provides technical oversight and support throughout.
Shell Co-Manages
Shell takes an active co-management role alongside your team — hands-on, not just on call.
Custom Deal
Your property, your situation. We work out a structure that fits what both sides are actually bringing to the table.
What You Get
What Shell Dredging Brings to Every Partnership
Regardless of how the deal is structured, every Shell Dredging partnership comes with the same core advantages — the technology, the expertise, and a genuine commitment to making the operation work.
Proprietary Technology
Shell’s jet suction dredge system is not available anywhere else. The 5,000 PSI cutter-head, integrated concentrator/classifier recovery to .006 fine gold, and no-sand-pump design represent 50+ years of engineering refinement that can’t be replicated off the shelf.
Technical Oversight
Shell’s involvement doesn’t end at delivery. Whether we’re co-managing day-to-day or available as a resource when you need us, we’re in your corner throughout the operation — troubleshooting, optimizing, and making sure the system performs the way it should.
Real Field Experience
Shell has been building and operating commercial dredges since 1968 — in Alaska, South America, Canada, Australia, and across the American West. That depth of experience is what separates a Shell partnership from buying a piece of equipment from a catalog.
Site-Specific Configuration
Every Shell dredge is custom-built around your property — your water depth, material type, access constraints, and production goals. You get a system built for your mine, not a stock unit configured for someone else’s.
Fine Gold Recovery Advantage
Shell’s concentrator/classifier system recovers gold down to .006 fine at ratios up to 5,000:1. For properties where fine and flour gold is a significant part of the deposit, this recovery advantage is real money that conventional placer setups send straight to tailings.
A Real Partner
In most of our partnership structures, Shell has a financial stake in the success of the operation. When you win, we win. That alignment matters — and it’s how we’ve done business for over 50 years.
Who We Work With
You Might Be a Good Fit If…
Shell Dredging joint ventures are built around mining operators — people who know their ground and are serious about working it.
This Is Probably Not the Right Fit If…
We’d rather be honest upfront than waste your time or ours. Shell Dredging joint ventures are working mining partnerships — not passive investment vehicles.
Getting Started
How a Partnership Conversation Unfolds
There’s no formal application process. No pitch deck required. Just a conversation about your project and whether there’s a structure that makes sense for both sides.
Tell Us About Your Project
Call or email Shell Dredging and give us the basics — where the property is, what you know about the deposit, what stage you’re at, and what you’re looking for in a partner. No obligation. We just want to understand your situation before we say anything about whether and how we might fit into it.
We Have an Honest Conversation About Options
If the project sounds like something we’d want to be involved in, we’ll talk through the deposit characteristics, what a realistic operation looks like, and what partnership structure might make sense. We’ll be straight with you about what works and what doesn’t.
We Work Out the Structure Together
If both sides want to move forward, we’ll work out the details — equipment investment split, operational roles, Shell’s level of involvement, and production arrangements. Both sides bring in their own legal counsel at this stage to get the agreement properly documented.
Shell Builds the Dredge and We Get to Work
Shell builds and configures the dredge to your property specifications, trains your team, and gets the operation running. From there, the structure we agreed on determines how involved Shell is — whether that’s active co-management or standing by as a technical resource when you need us.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Legal Notice
The partnership structures described on this page are illustrative examples of how Shell Dredging structures commercial operating arrangements with mining operators. They do not constitute an offer of securities, investment contracts, or other regulated investment instruments. All partnership arrangements are private commercial agreements negotiated individually. Prospective partners should consult qualified legal and financial advisors before entering into any agreement. Mining operations involve risk and past results do not guarantee future performance.
Let’s Talk About Your Project
You don’t need a polished pitch or a finished business plan. Just tell us about your property, where you’re at, and what you’re looking for. We’ll have an honest conversation about whether there’s a fit — and what it might look like.