Autonomous Vehicle's Search in Mariana Trench Helps Advance Understanding of Deep Sea and Its Critical Minerals

Deep-sea mining: The rush to mine the unknown

With the backing of the US government, a Canadian company is poised to sidestep UN laws and start vacuuming what it deems battery-grade metals from international waters.

U.S. federal agency clears ways for deep-sea mining — and companies are lining up

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, where Elizabeth Claire Alberts is a fellow. On June 25, the United States Department of the Interior (DOI), a department within the federal government that manages the nation’s natural resources, announced plans to accelerate the initiation of deep-sea mining in U.S. waters, effectively enacting […]

Autonomous vehicle's search in Mariana Trench helps advance understanding of deep sea and its critical minerals

A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) imaged a previously unexplored portion of the seafloor in ultra-deep waters near the Mariana Trench. Operationalizing this technology for the first time was part of a mission led by the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI), based at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Bureau of Ocean …

Autonomous sub explores unexplored trench depths to reveal critical mineral clues

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 08, 2025 A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) has delivered the first images of an uncharted section of the seafloor near the Mariana Trench, in a mission led by the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (OECI). This deep-sea exploration effort, supported by NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), marks the first operational use of the AUV develop

Stand Up Against Deep Sea Mining in the South Pacific | Turtle Island Restoration Network

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has initiated a process that could lead to the first deep-sea mining lease sale in U.S. federal waters, specifically off American Samoa. This move, driven by a recent Executive Order, aims to fast-track permits for an industry that is currently non-existent on a commercial scale and fraught with significant risks. Please take one minute to use your voice! Deep sea mining poses widespread, irrever…