A historic ocean mineral resource expedition, using the Maersk Launcher, launches from San Diego on April 12 to further a mission to responsibly produce the world’s future metal supply from the deep-ocean floor. This is the first of five offshore campaigns that are part of a strategic alliance with Maersk, one of the world’s largest shipping groups.

DeepGreen’s subsidiary, Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI), will be carrying out extensive scientific and resource surveys within a 75,000-km2 contract area of the Eastern Pacific’s abyssal plain, granted to NORI by the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority (ISA). DeepGreen and NORI are developing technology that will allow the responsible production of polymetallic nodules, which sit on the ocean surface, and contain metals in growing demand and critical to global social and economic growth.

The intention is that, when collected and brought to the surface using state-of-the-art technology, the polymetallic nodules — usually small enough to fit in the palm of your hand — will be processed for metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese. Those future metals are becoming increasingly harder and more difficult to find on land, but are in great demand for technologies such as electric cars, battery storage, wind turbines and many more digital technologies essential to a sustainable future.

“This voyage is a continuation of the work required in preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement that NORI aims to submit to the ISA, a necessary step to move the Exploration license to exploitation license, which will enable NORI to bring these essential metals for our future to the surface where they will be treated onshore using DeepGreen’s patented processing technology, which aims to produce zero waste,” said Gerard Barron, CEO of DeepGreen. “We believe these future metals can be produced responsibly, protecting ocean health, while avoiding the deforestation, pollution and child labor that too often are part of traditional mining.”