2018 was supposed to be the year for Nautilus Minerals. Their three seafloor production tools—large underwater robots capable of mining seafloor massive sulphides from 1600 meters depth—were finally in hand and undergoing submerged testing. Their ship, the Nautilus New Era, was nearing completion. They had only a few hurdles left to clear before beginning production […]
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Representatives from the International Seabed Authority, the deep-sea mining community, and the International Cable Protection Committee met last week in Bangkok for the Second Workshop on Deep Seabed Mining and Submarine Cables. As the world becomes increasingly more connected, ocean-spanning, high-bandwidth cables are becoming increasingly necessary to maintain a global telecommunication infrastructure. The Law of the Sea recognizes the […]
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“This is an electric vehicle battery,” Gerard Barron exclaims as he holds a fist-size nodule, dark and lumpy, up to the screen. For Barron, CEO of DeepGreen Resources, harvesting polymetallic metals from the seafloor is not just a new mining venture, it is a mission to transition away from fossil fuels into a new, green […]
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If you were to ask a new stakeholder to name the most frustrating aspect of trying to understand the current state of deep-sea mining, they would likely begin with the arcane acronyms and idioms of The Authority (that’s the International Seabed Authority for those still struggling with the lingo). Not far behind would be the […]
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The last half year was a tough one for Nautilus Minerals. In December, their ship contractor defaulted on payments to the production support vessel and construction was halted following contract resolution. This was followed in July by notification that the shipbuilding contract had been cancelled. In May, they lost the support of Anglo American, who […]
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F ebruary 2018 was a gold star month for Nautilus Minerals, with significant advances made on seafloor production tool operations, vessel construction and both financial and organizational stability. The month’s progress renews confidence that the controversial Solwara 1 deep sea mining project in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea remains viable and on track for projected […]
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Deep sea mining company Nautilus Minerals announced on 9 Feb 2018 that the government of Papua New Guinea has granted them a two year Exploration License to conduct exploration activities on a 2,558km2 area within the southeast Bismarck Sea. Along with the announcement, Nautilus revealed two new seabed exploration maps detailing seabed features and the […]
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Nautilus Minerals is advancing its equipment-testing at the same time as financial and management shortfalls prompt worries about the firm’s longevity. Submerged trials for Nautilus’ Seafloor Production Tools (SPTs) began in Papua New Guinea during the latter part of 2017 and are now nearing completion. Trials on the Collecting Machine and Auxiliary Cutter were completed […]
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River Publishers has released Building Industries at Sea: ‘Blue Growth’ and the New Maritime Economy. The book highlights four promising areas of activity identified by the European Union for their ‘Blue Growth’ potentials. The chosen sectors are Aquaculture; Renewable Energy (offshore wind, wave and tide); Seabed Mining; and Biotechnology. Each area has experienced a rise […]
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A series of internal and external pressures have been plaguing the Canadian deep sea mining firm Nautilus Minerals for months with no clear resolution in sight. The challenges facing Nautilus are hindering efforts to move forward on the Company’s flagship effort, the controversial Solwara One seabed mining project in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea. DSM […]
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