Conceptually, this technologically advanced polymetallic nodules collection system looks great. The big challenge that John Smith sees is with the number of moving parts. The numerous manipulators operating at such depths could be prone to breakdowns which reduce recovery rates and significantly increase operating costs.
Posts Tagged ‘Impossible Metals’
Area identification for marine minerals offshore American Samoa; request for minerals sale in the Atlantic
Posted in energy policy, tagged American Samoa, area identification, Atlantic, heavy mineral sands, Impossible Metals, lease sale request, marine minerals, Odyssey Marine, RFI on November 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
BOEM completed the area identification (outlined in diagram above) for marine minerals offshore American Samoa. The full decision memorandum is attached.
In response to BOEM’s Request for Information, Impossible Metals confirmed their interest in the identified area. Several other companies also expressed interest. The Governor and a number of other parties submitted interesting comments, which are summarized on p. 2 of the attachment.
The first two steps in a process that could ultimately lead to a mineral lease sale have thus been completed. Steps 3 to 6 remain. (See below)
- Request for Information and Interest (RFI) published in the Federal Register. complete
- Identification of Areas to be considered for leasing. complete
- Environmental Analysis for the lease sale.
- Proposed Leasing Notice Published in the Federal Register.
- Leasing Notice Published in the Federal Register.
- Competitive Lease Sale
Meanwhile, Odyssey Marine has requested a critical minerals lease sale in the Atlantic.
The proposed lease area, located within the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS) off the Mid-Atlantic coast, is highly prospective for heavy mineral sands rich in titanium, zirconium, rare earth elements (REEs), and phosphate.
This would be a shelf dredging operation rather than the deepwater module collection being proposed for the Pacific.
John Smith: “Why deep-sea mining makes sense – before and after mining pictures”
Posted in deep sea mining, energy policy, tagged deep sea mining, environmental impacts, Impossible Metals, land vs. deep sea, The Metals Company on October 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
BOE contributor John Smith, who worked in the US marine minerals program, shared the pictures pasted below.
An Impossible Metals table (below) understandably favors their methods vs. those employed by deep-sea mining rival The Metals Company. However, both approaches are far preferable, environmentally and socially, to onshore metal mining.
Impossible Metals graphic:
First step toward mineral lease sale offshore American Samoa
Posted in deep sea mining, energy policy, Regulation, tagged American Samoa, BOEM, deepsea mining, Impossible Metals on May 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »
As a result of a formal request from the Impossible Metals company, BOEM will begin a multi-step process which could lead to a marine minerals lease sale offshore American Samoa.
The first step will be the publication of a request for information and Interest in the Federal Register. This notice will seek public input that will help inform BOEM’s assessment of geologic conditions, potential environmental and cultural impacts, and other uses of the area.
Impossible Metals has developed an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for selective mineral harvesting. Their novel AUV uses advanced robotics, AI, and a buoyancy engine to hover above the seabed and minimize disruption to the habitat and native biodiversity. Impossible Metals believes this method will have the lowest environmental impact and cost among land and deep-sea mining approaches.
9 minute interview with the CEO of Impossible Metals:
TMC and NOAA walked into a bar …
Posted in deep sea mining, energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, tagged BOEM, deepsea minerals, Impossible Metals, International Seabed Authority, NOAA, rare earths, The Metals Company, underwater sculpture on April 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »
… and shared a mineral water toast! 😉 (Weak joke, but at least it’s original and topical!)
NOAA and TMC, a Canadian company, are working together to bypass the stifling UN deep sea minerals bureaucracy.
NOAA raises a glass: Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a framework for American companies to identify and retrieve offshore critical minerals and resources. The Executive Order prioritizes U.S. leadership in seabed mapping and mineral exploration, ensuring reliable access to critical minerals like manganese, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements.
In support of the Executive Order, NOAA is committed to an expeditious review of applications for exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits. The agency will provide the necessary resources for license and permit reviews to ensure that those reviews go forward without undue delays.
- TMC is positioned to play a central role in supporting an American industrial ecosystem underpinned by deep-seabed minerals, and poised to mobilize tens of billions in private investment in the U.S. across shipbuilding, ports, mineral processing, and advanced manufacturing
- The Company through its U.S. subsidiary expects to file license and permit applications under the U.S. Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) in the second quarter of 2025
China boos: “The US authorization… violates international law and harms the overall interests of the international community,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday.
TMC and other companies like Impossible Metals (see below) have had enough of the endless delays at the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority, which is still developing regulations. Mining companies and others have spent years gathering data and providing input.
Meanwhile in US waters:
San Jose, CA – Impossible Metals, a pioneering US-based deep-sea mining company, has submitted a request to commence a leasing process for exploration and potential mining of critical minerals in the deep sea off the coast of American Samoa. Impossible Metals is the first company to request a lease of critical minerals under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which is regulated by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), part of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Impossible Metals has developed the only autonomous underwater robot (AUV) for selective harvesting. The novel underwater robot uses advanced robotics, AI, and a buoyancy engine to hover above the seabed, accurately identifying and avoiding nodules with visible life while minimizing disruption to the habitat and native biodiversity. This method will have the lowest environmental impact and cost among land and deep-sea mining approaches, setting a new standard for responsible resource collection.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 