American Ocean Minerals deploys deep-sea mining research vessel 

American Ocean Minerals Corporation (AOMC) has launched the next phase of its deep-sea exploration and environmental research efforts with the deployment of its proprietary vessel, the Anuanua Moana, marking a significant step in the company’s push toward commercial seabed mining. 

The announcement comes shortly after AOMC signed a definitive merger agreement with Odyssey Marine Exploration, a deal expected to create a US-controlled deep-sea critical minerals company valued at approximately $1 billion.  

Originally built in 2007 and acquired by AOMC in 2022, the 196-foot Anuanua Moana has been refurbished to serve as a central offshore platform for exploration and environmental monitoring.  

The company is currently focused on projects in the Cook Islands and potential high-seas operations. 

American Ocean Minerals is building a portfolio across the Cook Islands’ exclusive economic zone and US-regulated international waters, including the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and the Penrhyn Basin, with interests in two licensed exploration projects in the Pacific. 

In US-regulated waters, the company has met compliance requirements for two exploration applications under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, covering more than 1.4 billion tonnes of inferred resources. 

The vessel is planned for deployment across an exploration footprint exceeding 500,000 square kilometers across Moana Minerals (EL3), and CIC Limited (CIC) license areas in the Cook Islands’ EEZ, and U.S.-regulated zones, including AOM Area 1 within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and AOM Area 2 in the Penrhyn Basin. 

The ship integrates multiple operational capabilities on a single platform, allowing for continuous data collection without the delays associated with mobilization and demobilization, the company said.  

It is equipped with advanced sonar systems, subsea tracking technology, and a remotely operated vehicle capable of operating at depths of up to 6,000 meters, supporting high-resolution imaging and sample collection.  

It also features onboard laboratories dedicated to geology, chemistry, and biology, enabling real-time analysis of seafloor materials, AOMC said.  

“AOMC is positioned to be a long-term supplier of the minerals we need to achieve American re-industrialization, and unlocking a portfolio of this scale requires dedicated infrastructure,” AOMC chairman and former Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese said in a news release.

“Access to this offshore asset will allow us to seamlessly advance both our Cook Islands and potential High Seas projects,” Albanese said. “This operational control ensures high environmental standards while accelerating our regulatory timelines.”

Despite the sector’s momentum, deep-sea mining faces strong opposition from environmental groups concerned about potential impacts on largely unexplored marine ecosystems. 

Albanese added that control over offshore infrastructure will help accelerate regulatory approvals while maintaining environmental standards.  

AOMC said environmental monitoring remains a key component of the company’s approach and said it has spent more than three years collecting baseline ecological data to support future mining license applications, including environmental impact assessments and feasibility studies.  

The vessel has already achieved several milestones, including mapping a 23,500-square-kilometer license area in just 16 days and contributing to a mineral resource estimate of over 500 million wet tonnes of polymetallic nodules.  

As demand for critical minerals grows, AOMC’s investment in dedicated offshore infrastructure positions the company to play a significant role in the emerging deep-sea mining industry—while navigating the complex environmental and regulatory challenges that come with it.