Glomar Minerals targets deep-sea production before end of Trump term
The company's subsidiary UK Seabed Resources Limited has departed from Tahiti for the Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone to survey its license area.
Glomar Minerals, a US seabed minerals company, has announced plans to commence deep-sea mining for polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean before the end of President Trump's term. The company's wholly-owned subsidiary, UK Seabed Resources Limited (UKSR), departed from Tahiti to conduct a comprehensive survey of its license area in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) aboard the RV Tangaroa, a deep ocean research vessel operated by Earth Sciences New Zealand.
The 65-day campaign aims to assess the potential for mining valuable minerals such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earths, which are crucial for various modern industries, including defense, aerospace, energy, and manufacturing.
The 133,000 sq. km license area, equivalent to the size of Louisiana, is one of two areas covered by UKSR's exploration contracts, which were acquired from the bankruptcy estate of Norway's Loke Marine Minerals in 2025. CEO Chris Williams stated that the company aims to begin processing nodules before Trump's term concludes to evaluate alternative regulatory routes beyond the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
The ISA has been working to finalize its mining code, with its latest draft released in June, but faces outstanding regulatory issues.
Williams highlighted the urgency of completing regulations to enable seabed mining, noting that China and other member states are actively pursuing the development. Glomar is also exploring the possibility of establishing a processing plant in the US to handle the extracted minerals, with a modular facility designed to process 200,000 tonnes of polymetallic nodules and 7,500 tonnes of terrestrial cobalt hydroxide annually.
The company has shortlisted four sites across Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas for the plant's construction.
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