Archives: Marine mining

The Metals Company (TMC) recently entered into an agreement with Kongsberg Digital, a leading provider of high-technology systems and solutions for the oil and gas, merchant marine, defense and aerospace industries. In advance of TMC’s initial nodule collector drive test in the Atlantic Ocean planned for early next year and followed by full pilot collection[…]

The Metals Company, an explorer of “lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules”, has mobilised its latest offshore research campaign, Environmental Expedition 5C, which continues its investigation of the pelagic zone in its NORI-D licence area of the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean. The company’s fourth environmental campaign this year, Expedition 5C is[…]

Following the official handover held on August 18-19 at Damen Shipyards Mangalia on the Black Sea coast of Romania, Debmarine Namibia’s new diamond recovery vessel recently departed on a four-week long maiden voyage to the Port of Cape Town, South Africa, where it will be fitted with mission equipment before beginning operations off the coast[…]

Seafloor massive sulphides are a valuable mineral raw material found at the bottom of the deep sea. The ‘Vertical Approach’ is a method for extracting seafloor massive sulphides using the trench cutter method, an established technique in specialist foundation engineering that is operated and supported in the deep-sea environment from a ship on the open[…]

Wilhelmsen and NorSea have together acquired an 18% stake in Norway-based deep-sea mining company Loke Marine Minerals. This will see the two companies invest and subscribe for, in aggregate, NOK85 million ($9.6 million) in an ongoing NOK115 million private placement of equity in Loke. Loke was established in 2019 by experienced off-shore energy leaders and[…]

The new UX-1Neo robot is designed to perform underwater mine and other site surveying missions in the EU and worldwide, and collect valuable geoscientific and spatial data from these sites. The technology developers of the UNEXUP project supported by EIT RawMaterials took onboard the operational limitations found in the former UX-1 robot, built during the[…]

DeepGreen Metals Inc, the developer of lower-impact battery metals from unattached seafloor polymetallic nodules, has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Sustainable Opportunities Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: SOAC), a special purpose acquisition company with a dedicated ESG focus “and deep operational and capital market capabilities in the energy and resource sectors.” The transaction represents[…]

A composite jumper designed and manufactured by Strohm (formerly known as Airborne Oil & Gas) is to feature in deep-sea mining technology being developed by offshore contractor Allseas, the pipe technology company says. Allseas’ deep-sea collection system technology has been designed to responsibly recover polymetallic nodules from the seabed at depths of 4,000-6,500 m. This[…]

DeepGreen Metals, which is exploring for deep-ocean polymetallic nodules as a lower impact and more cost-effective alternative to terrestrial mining, has announced an upward revision to the nodule resource reported within the NORI-D exploration contract area held by its subsidiary, Nauru Ocean Resources, Inc. The nodule resource is now estimated as 4 Mt measured, 341[…]

In an industry first, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has awarded China Merchants Industry (CMI) Approval in Principle (AIP) for its deep-sea mining system design. The AIP follows publication of the ABS Guide for Subsea Mining in October 2020 and is the first to be issued that conforms to the new Guide. ABS is[…]