Nauru Eyes Big Payout as It Backs U.S. Deep Sea Mining Route
Nauru signed a new deal with The Metals Company (NASDAQ: TMC) worth up to US$515 million, backing the US route to seabed mining.
ISA Struggles to Finalize Deep-Sea Mining Code
ISA negotiations on a 107-provision deep-sea mining code ended without agreement as 37 countries call for a moratorium.
Secretary-General Opens ISA Council Session with Call for Regulatory Urgency
ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho urged urgent, science-based deep-sea mining rules at the thirtieth Council session in Kingston.
New Autonomous Vehicle Helps Advance Understanding of the Deep Ocean and Its Critical Minerals
A new autonomous vehicle went looking for critical minerals. Orpheus flew metres above the seafloor on an OECI expedition.
Exploring Critical Minerals and Volcanic Processes in Aleutian Rocks
USGS is sampling Aleutian Arc seafloor rocks to find settings favorable for critical mineral formation.
Detecting Hydrothermal Vents and Collecting Environmental DNA: Investigating the Water Column in the Aleutian Arc
CTD casts on the USGS Aleutian Arc expedition are hunting hydrothermal plumes and collecting environmental DNA.
Investigating Potential Seabed Minerals in the Aleutian Arc
USGS is searching the Aleutian Arc for hydrothermal venting and the seafloor massive sulfides that can form around it.
New Publications
Three 2025 papers assess critical metals, geochemistry and benthic genomics in Interoceanmetal's Clarion-Clipperton nodule claim.
The 84th Meeting of the IOM Council
IOM's 84th Council met in Szczecin in June 2025 to weigh exploration, commercialisation and a third ISA contract extension.
USGS Seafloor Mapping Provides the Scientific Foundation Needed to Address National Priorities
USGS sets out how its seafloor mapping underpins hazard forecasting, offshore energy and the search for critical minerals.