There are a number of different companies that are currently operating around the world in subsea mining and deep sea mining. This is a short list of some of the most advanced companies in subsea and deep sea mining.
License Holders
Production Support Vessels
Services Contractors
A small subset of these companies are publicly traded, whilst the ecosystem diagram shows how each interacts:
The Metals Company
- License Holder
- Clarion Clipperton Zone
- Founded 2011
- Publicly Traded
The Metals Company is a Vancouver-based operating company that holds licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for mining polymetallic nodules. It is a publicly traded company that trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker TMC.
The Metals Company is widely regarded as being one of the most advanced deep sea mining companies. It has carried out a number of exploratory and test cruises in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, including a collector test of a 1/5th scale collector and RALS.
The Metals Company has a partnership with Allseas, and uses Allsea's "Hidden Gem" as their production support vessel for deep sea mining operations.
Allseas
- Production Support Vessel Contractor
- Collector Services Company
- Founded 1985
Allseas is a Swiss-based offshore contractor that specialises in offshore pipe laying, offshore heavy lifts and subsea construction. Their subsidiary, Allseas Engineering B.V., is based in the Netherlands and provides project management and engineering services; one part of which is for deep sea mining.
Allseas provides crucial deep sea mining services to The Metals Company. They have developed a subsea collector, collector launch and recovery system, and riser air lift system. These are deployed from the "Hidden Gem" production support vessel, which is a modified deep water drillship.
Transocean
- Production Support Vessel Contractor
- Collector Services Company
- Founded 1973
- Publicly Traded
Transocean is an American company, and is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor. They operate around 37 mobile offshore drilling units, and primarily provide drilling contractor services to oil and gas companies
Transcoean also has a partnership with GSR, in which they have provided the "Olympia" deepwater drilling rig to be converted into a production support vessel.
Global Sea Mineral Resources
- License Holder
- Production Support Vessel Operator
- Collector Services Company
- Clarion Clipperton Zone
- Founded 2012
Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR) is a subsidiary of the Belgian dredging group DEME. GSR holds licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for mining polymetallic nodules.
GSR is working on a proprietary subsea collector vehicle, and has a joint-venture with Transocean to convert their "Olympia" deepwater drillship into a production support vessel.
Loke
- License Holder
- Collector Services Company
- Norwegian EEZ
- Clarion Clipperton Zone
- Founded 2019
Loke is a Norwegian company that holds licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for mining polymetallic nodules, and are actively pursuing licenses in the Norwegian EEZ.
Loke is developing a range of different technologies. These include subsea collectors for collecting polymetallic nodules, as well as UAVs for various roles including surveying, sampling and drilling.
Green Minerals
- License Holder
- Norwegian EEZ
- Clarion Clipperton Zone
- Founded 2020
- Publicly Traded
Green Minerals is a Norwegian pure play marine minerals company that explores and operates licenses. They were launched on the Euronext growth stock exchange in March 2021.
Green Minerals are working on a licence award in the Norwegian EEZ for subsea minerals, and have an MoU with a current licence holder in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
Adpeth
- License Holder
- Services Contractor
- Norwegian Shelf
Adepth is a Norwegian company that is positioned to acquire mineral licenses in the Norwegian EEZ. They have also developed a number of technical solutions, including for improved surveying of subsea mineral reserves, along with data processing.
Scanmudring
- Services Contractor
Scanmudring is a Norwegian offshore and subsea services company, that specializes in offshore wind, oil and gas, aquaculture, and salvage and recovery operations. They have performed a large amount of subsea operations, and have converted equipment for milling, crushing, drilling and extraction of subsea minerals.
Scandinavian Ocean Minerals
- License Holder
- Baltic Sea
Scandinavian Ocean Minerals is a Swedish company that has plans to harvest polymetallic nodules from the Bothnian Bay and the Baltic Sea.
The Bothnian Bay has polymetallic nodule abundances reaching 15-40 kg/m² in an ~200km² area, which is the equivalent to around 3 million tonnes of nodules. The Baltic Sea itself has more sporadic and varied abundances, which can reach 10-16 kg/m² at relatively shallow depths. See "Deep-Sea Mining" for more details.
Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR)
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge
BGR is a German agency within the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. It holds licenses for Polymetallic Nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and Seabed Massive Sulphides along the mid-Indian Ocean ridge.
Ifremer
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Ifremer is a French oceanographic institution located in Brest, France. It operates a number of research vessels, subs, ROVs and UAVs. Ifremer holds licenses for Polymetallic Nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and Seabed Massive Sulphides along the mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Marawa is a state-owned company that holds licenses for Polymetallic Nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for the island nation of Kiribati
JOGMEC
- License Holder
- Cobalt-Rich Crusts
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Japanese EEZ
- Prime Crust Zone / Northwest Pacific Ocean
JOGMEC is a Japanese government "Independent Administrative Institution", whose purpose is to ensure stable supply of oil, gas, metals and mineral resources for use in Japan.
JOGMEC has licenses to mine Seabed Massive Sulphides and Cobalt-Rich Crusts in the waters of the Japanese EEZ and the Prime Crust Zone / Northwest Pacific Ocean.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Central Indian Ocean Basin
- Indian Ocean Ridge
The Ministry of Earth Sciences is an Indian government ministry whose objective is to look after Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean Science & Technology and Seismology in an integrated manner. The Deep Ocean Mission is an initiative to undertake deep ocean minerals exploration in the Indian EEZ and deep ocean.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences holds licenses with the ISA for Polymetallic Nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin, and Seabed Massive Sulphides along the Indian Ocean Ridge of the Indian Ocean.
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Cobalt-Rich Crusts
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
- Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge
- Prime Crust Zone
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is a South Korean government organization responsible for the maritime and fisheries sectors in general. As part of this mandate, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has license blocks for a variety of subsea minerals in different areas around the world, including:
- Polymetallic Nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
- Seabed Massive Sulphides along the mid-Indian Ocean ridge
- Cobalt-Rich Crusts in the prime crust zone
UK Seabed Resources
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
UK Seabed Resources (UKSR) holds 2 licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for mining Polymetallic Nodules.
It was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of the British arm of Lockheed Martin, a large US defense manufacturer. However, it was sold to Norwegian-based Loke Minerals in early 2023.
UKSR also holds a 19.9% interest in Ocean Mineral Singapore (a subsidiary of Singapore's Keppel Corporation) ISA licence in the CCZ.
Blue Minerals Jamaica
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Blue Minerals Jamaica is a Jamaican company that holds licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for mining Polymetallic Nodules.
China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA)
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Cobalt-Rich Crusts
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
- Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge
- Prime Crust Zone
China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA) holds a range of different licenses in international waters on behalf of China. These include:
- Polymetallic Nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
- Seabed Massive Sulphides along the Southwest Indian Ocean ridge
- Cobalt-Rich Crusts in the prime crust zone
China Minmetals Corporation
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Clarion-Clipperton Zone
China Minmetals is a state-owned Chinese corporation that is one of the world's largest metals and minerals trading companies. China Minmetals holds licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone for harvesting Polymetallic Nodules.
Beijing Pioneer Hi-tech Development Corporation Limited
- License Holder
- Polymetallic Nodules
- Cobalt-Rich Crusts
- Prime Crust Zone
Beijing Pioneer Hi-tech Development Corporation Limited (BPHDC) is a state-owned enterprise affiliated with the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China. BPHDC holds licenses in the Prime Crust Zone for harvesting Polymetallic Nodules and Cobalt-Rich Crusts.
Deep Sea Mining Finance
- License Holder
- Seabed Massive Sulphides
- Papua New Guinea
- Tonga
DSMF holds licenses for mining Seabed Massive Sulphides in the Exclusive Economic Zones of Papua New Guinea and Tonga. They hold multiple patents around seafloor exploration, production and recovery of seabest massive sulphides.
Impossible Metals
- Collector Services Company
Impossible Metals is a collector services company based out of Collingwood, Canada. They are developing a polymetallic nodule subsea collector that uses image recognition and articulated arms to selectively pick nodules from the ocean floor.
Blue Nodules
- Collector Services Company
Blue Nodules is a European research and innovation project to develop a deep sea mining system for harvesting polymetallic nodules from the sea floor with minimum environmental impact.
KRISO
- Collector Services Company
The Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean engineering (KRISO) built and tested a 25 t polymetallic nodule harvester in 2013. It is unclear how this project has progressed and what is the current state of development.
CIC Limited
- License Holder
- Cook Islands EEZ
CIC Ltd is a Cook Islands based deep sea mining company with licences in the Cook Islands EEZ for mining polymetallic nodules.
They hold 2,592 license blocks for a total area of 211,545 km², lying across the Penrhyn Basin, Aitutaki Passage, Samo Niue Basin, and the Southern Cooks Basin. Their exploration license for exploring for polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands EEZ can be found here.
Ocean Minerals LLC
- License Holder
- Penrhyn Basin
Ocean Minerals is a Houston-based deep sea mining company with licences in the Cook Islands EEZ for mining polymetallic nodules. Their management team has significant expertise in deep sea mining, including with the Kennecott Consortium and polymetallic nodule mining in the 1970's. Ocean Minerals is the main holding company for Moana Minerals.
Moana Minerals
- License Holder
- Penrhyn Basin
Moana Minerals is a Rarotonga / Cook Islands based deep sea mining company with licences in the Cook Islands EEZ for mining polymetallic nodules. They are a subsidiary of Ocean Minerals.
They hold 288 license blocks for a total area of 23,630 km², and their exploration license for exploring for polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands EEZ in the Penrhyn Basin can be found here.
Per a Business Wire report from Odyssey Marine, their mineral resources as of Jun-2023 per NI43-101 / JORC standards were:
- Indicated: 130 million t wet nodules
- Inferred: 430 million t wet nodules
- ~60 million t Manganese
- ~2 million t Cobalt
- ~500,000 t Copper
- ~600,000 t Rare Earth Elements
Cobalt Seabed Resources Limited
- License Holder
- Penrhyn Basin
Cobalt Seabed Resources is a Rarotonga / Cook Islands based deep sea mining company with licences in the Cook Islands EEZ for mining polymetallic nodules.
They hold 261 license blocks for a total area of 19,479 km², and their exploration license for exploring for polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands EEZ in the Penrhyn Basin can be found here.
