Marine Technology Reporter Blogs - deep sea mining ops

Prospecting for metals beneath the oceans surface is not entirely new. During the 1960’s and 70’s the ocean floor mining of manganese nodules was a popular practice, but there is now a new branch of marine mining in deep-sea volcanic areas that are seeing a rise in interest. As technology changes and evolves allowing us to reach, work, and harvest in the world’s deepest parts of the ocean, mining companies are now turning their attention to seafloor massive sulphides (SMS), rocky ore deposits containing copper and gold. There are several companies using ROV technology that are at the forefront of deep sea mining including Neptune Minerals an Australian based company, and Nautilus Minerals based in Canada.