Ocean Minerals

What Ocean Minerals does

Ocean Minerals LLC is a Houston-based resource development company founded in 2016 to commercialize polymetallic nodule extraction from the seafloor of the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone. Its flagship asset is the Moana-1 Project, a ~23,630 sq km reserved area approximately 400 km north of Rarotonga with an NI-43-101 and JORC compliant inferred resource of ~331 million tonnes of nodules (wet weight) at 0.5% cobalt grade, representing what the company characterizes as the world's largest known primary cobalt resource at approximately one million tonnes of contained cobalt, alongside 77M tonnes of manganese, 1.2M tonnes of nickel, and 1.5M tonnes of rare earth elements. Operations are conducted through Cook Islands-registered wholly-owned subsidiaries Moana Minerals Ltd (which holds the exploration license application) and Kiva Marine (which owns the MV Anuanua Moana research vessel). Exploration rights derive from 2016-2017 agreements with the Cook Islands government via the Cook Islands Investment Corporation, operating under the Cook Islands Seabed Mining Act 2009 (amended 2019).

The technical stack consists of four core components: (1) the 60m MV Anuanua Moana research vessel, Cook Islands-flagged and purpose-built for deep water work, which conducted Expedition 7 in June 2026 collecting 4,059 samples from 53 sites using 60 box cores and 62 multicores; (2) the Comanche light work-class ROV, capable of 6,000 m depth, used for seafloor exploration and environmental data collection; (3) the proprietary Cuprion hydrometallurgical processing system, developed since 2020, operating at low temperatures and ambient pressures to recover cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements from nodules; and (4) PelagOS, an environmental data collection application for monitoring benthic ecosystems during operations. Strategic technology and capital partners include Transocean (offshore drilling expertise and investment since 2022), Odyssey Marine Exploration (deep-sea survey and Comanche ROV; merging into AOMC), Develogic GmbH (autonomous benthic mini landers), and the US Army Research Laboratory (rare earth element sediment assessment). The company also maintains a Collingwood, Canada engineering and R&D facility for deep-sea mining machine development and testing.

Ocean Minerals is pre-revenue, with a planned revenue model anchored on three future streams: hardware-style critical mineral sales from harvested nodules, offtake and tolling arrangements with processing partners implementing the Cuprion system at brownfield or greenfield facilities, and ancillary research vessel services. Go-to-market is B2B enterprise, targeting clean energy/EV manufacturers, Western governments, and defense-sector offtake buyers; pricing is not publicly disclosed. In April 2026 the company announced a $1 billion all-stock merger with Odyssey Marine Exploration to create American Ocean Minerals Corporation (Nasdaq: AOMC), led by former Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese, with $150M of institutional private placement and $75M of pre-public financing. Pre-Feasibility Study output is expected H2 2026 and an Environmental Impact Statement H1 2027, both gating the transition from exploration to commercial extraction.

Name

Ocean Minerals

Legal name

Ocean Minerals LLC

Website

https://omlus.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ocean Minerals LLC is a pre-revenue Houston-based resource developer commercializing polymetallic nodule extraction from the Cook Islands EEZ. Its Moana-1 Project holds an inferred ~1M tonnes of cobalt via the proprietary Cuprion processing system and dedicated MV Anuanua Moana research vessel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deep-sea critical minerals mining

NAICS

Ground or Treated Mineral and Earth Manufacturing (327992)

SIC

Miscellaneous Metal Ores (1090), Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Precious Metals Exploration & Project Development (IMAKAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tailings & Water Management Engineering (TSF Design/Construction, Dams, Water Treatment) (IMAKAOAF), Solid–Liquid Separation & Dewatering (Thickening, Filtration, Clarification) (IMAKALAF)

Keywords

• Deep-sea mining
• Polymetallic nodules
• Critical minerals extraction
• Seabed mineral exploration
• Cobalt nickel recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Critical Minerals Sales: Future revenue from harvesting and selling polymetallic nodule resources including cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements extracted from the Cook Islands EEZ. The company is developing processing capabilities through proprietary methods and offtake agreements.
2. Offtake Agreements and Tolling: Nodule metallurgical processing through traditional tolling methods and offtake agreements as well as via proprietary methods working with processing partners to implement new nodule processing brownfield or greenfield facilities.
3. Research Vessel Services: The MV Anuanua Moana conducts commercial research campaigns for other parties, generating additional revenue while supporting the company's primary operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ocean Minerals LLC is a deep-sea resource development company that explores and intends to commercially harvest polymetallic nodules from the seafloor of the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to recover critical minerals, including cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, and rare earth elements. The company operates the MV Anuanua Moana research vessel, deploys the Comanche ROV system for seafloor operations, and develops proprietary low-temperature, ambient-pressure hydrometallurgical (Cuprion) processing to refine the nodules into saleable mineral products. The company's primary asset is the 23,630 sq km Moana-1 Project lease area, claimed as the world's largest known primary cobalt resource.

Product overview

Ocean Minerals LLC is a resource development company focused on mining polymetallic nodules from the seafloor in the Cook Islands EEZ. The company's portfolio centers on the Moana-1 Project, a ~23,630 km² exclusive lease containing the world's largest known primary cobalt resource. Operations are supported by the MV Anuanua Moana research vessel and Comanche ROV for seafloor exploration and environmental data collection. The company is developing a proprietary Cuprion processing system for low-temperature, ambient-pressure extraction of critical minerals (cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese, rare earths) from collected nodules. PelagOS environmental data collection software supports regulatory compliance and ecosystem monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Moana-1 Project: A 23,630+ square kilometer exclusive development zone in the Cook Islands EEZ, approximately 400 km north of Rarotonga, containing polymetallic nodules with inferred resources of approximately 1 million tonnes of cobalt, along with manganese, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements.

Products and services

• Moana-1 Project A 23,630 square kilometer exclusive development zone in the Cook Islands EEZ, approximately 400 km north of Rarotonga, containing polymetallic nodules with inferred resources of approximately 1 million tonnes of cobalt plus manganese, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements. Held by subsidiary Moana Minerals Ltd; advancing toward commercial deep-sea nodule harvesting under the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Act regulatory framework.
• MV Anuanua Moana Research Vessel Services A 60m (196-foot) Cook Islands-based, flagged, and crewed purpose-built research vessel owned by subsidiary Kiva Marine and equipped with ROV and scientific instruments. The vessel conducts commercial research campaigns for third parties and serves as the core offshore platform for environmental monitoring, resource exploration, and deep-sea research, generating professional services revenue.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's largest known primary cobalt resource at approximately 1 million tonnes of contained cobalt
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Odyssey Marine ExplorationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2026Pending $1 billion all-stock merger to create American Ocean Minerals (ticker AOMC) on Nasdaq. Odyssey Marine brings deep-sea exploration technology, seafloor mapping capabilities, and Comanche ROV systems. The combined entity will hold one of the world's largest portfolios of underwater mineral deposits including Odyssey's assets, investment in Ocean Minerals, and licenses held by CIC Limited. Institutional investors contributing $150 million in private placement and $75 million in pre-public financing.
• US Army Research LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Multi-year cooperative research and development program between US Army Research Laboratory (Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland) and Deep Reach Technology, Inc. identified over 180 million tonnes of Rare Earth Elements and Scandium in Cook Islands sediments.
• TransoceancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Strategic partnership with the world's largest deep water drilling company for development of certain technologies and services required to collect nodules from the seabed. Transocean supports exploration program and environmental impact studies in the Cook Islands. Technical challenges associated with efficient recovery of deep-sea polymetallic nodules represent an opportunity for Transocean to leverage its unique offshore expertise in support of the rapidly emerging energy storage market.
• Cook Islands Government (via CIIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Long-standing partnership with Cook Islands government through Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC). OML signed agreement in October 2017 granting exclusive rights to apply for exploration license over 23,000 sq km area in the Cook Islands EEZ. The Cook Islands has been a committed partner with stated mission to support environmentally sustainable development of seabed resources. OML committed to hiring and developing local workforce and suppliers.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Metals Company: Leading publicly traded deep-sea polymetallic nodule explorer focused on the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, pursuing commercial nodule collection via its offshore production system. Direct competitor in deep-sea critical minerals with overlapping target metals (cobalt, nickel, copper, manganese) and similar regulatory and ESG challenges.
• Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR): DEME Group subsidiary exploring polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Operates the Patania II nodule collector prototype. Directly comparable business model combining offshore engineering parent, deep-sea collection technology, and nodule resource development.
• Allseas: Offshore engineering and pipelay contractor developing the Hidden Gem nodule collection vessel under contract with The Metals Company. Comparable as an offshore engineering services provider with deep-sea nodule collection technology and the marine assets required for commercial-scale operations.
• UK Seabed Resources: Lockheed Martin and Gardline consortium holding CCZ exploration contracts, focused on polymetallic nodule exploration in UK-licensed areas. Comparable as a deep-sea nodule explorer pursuing similar critical mineral resource development with defense-industry backing.
• Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd: Cook Islands–registered deep-sea mineral exploration company holding Kiribati EEZ exploration licenses for polymetallic nodules. Direct geographic and category peer operating in the same Pacific regulatory environment with similar target minerals.

Emerging players

• Blue Minerals Jamaica: Jamaican seabed mineral explorer pursuing polymetallic nodule resources within Jamaica's EEZ. Comparable emerging peer with similar exploration-stage business model focused on critical minerals from seafloor nodules in a national EEZ jurisdiction.
• Cobalt Blue Holdings: Australia-listed cobalt developer focused on the Broken Hill Cobalt Project and downstream processing technology. Comparable as a focused critical minerals (cobalt) development-stage company pursuing similar battery/EV supply chain end markets, though mining terrestrial ore rather than nodules.

Broad incumbents

• BHP Group: Global diversified mining major with material cobalt, nickel, and copper exposure across terrestrial operations. Broad incumbent comparator for critical minerals supply, offtake partnerships, and ultimate market dynamics, though does not operate in deep-sea nodule mining.
• Rio Tinto: Diversified global mining major with copper, nickel, and critical minerals exposure. Directly relevant given former Rio Tinto CEO Tom Albanese leads the AOMC merger entity, and the company's Chief Metallurgist spent 20+ years at CRA/Rio Tinto. Provides terrestrial benchmark for critical mineral economics.

Others

• Transocean: World's largest offshore drilling contractor and OML strategic investor/board partner. Not a competitor, but a deepwater engineering peer providing collection technology and offshore execution capability central to Ocean Minerals' commercial pathway; key enabler for seafloor nodule operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ocean Minerals