23. November 2020 DeepSea Mining Alliance (DSMA) and Norwegian Forum for Marine Minerals (NMM) signed an agreement to cooperate on developing a cost-effective and environmentally responsible industry pursuing marine minerals. These raw materials are essential to reach the goals specified by the European Union in the “Green Deal”.  New industrial technologies are required to minimize the environmental impact and at the same time offer a reliable and affordable supply chain.

NMM and DSMA is now forging a cooperation building on established connections between Norway and Germany. The goal for the cooperation agreement between NMM and DSMA is to form an industrial, technological and scientific cooperation that extends all disciplines and phases needed for sustainable extraction of marine minerals.

One of the major next goals of this agreement is the preparation of a joint road map of activities and projects to foster not only the cooperation between the NMM and the DSMA but also between the industrial, scientific and political stakeholders in both countries, pointed out by Leonhard Weixler, President of the DSMA.

The members from NMM and DSMA have a unique and coherent set of resources, skills and expertise valuable for realization of marine minerals operations. Although some key components of these technologies have reached maturity, there are still critical research and development topics to be solved.

NMM and DSMA can be important premise providers for the future development of marine minerals.

Leveraging competencies within existing German and Norwegian clusters, NMM and DSMA cooperation can be an important instrument to development of knowledge, methods and tools needed to make seabed minerals extraction a vital part of the solution in the energy transition, says Dr. Kjetil Skaugset, Chairman, NMM

Combined, DSMA and NMM have 59 members from industry and academia. Upon signing the cooperation agreement, the organizations will facilitate cooperation projects across the marine minerals value chain.  

For more information contact:

Leonard Weixler, President of DSMA info@deepsea-mining-alliance.com

Egil Tjåland, Secretary, NMM egil.tjaland@ntnu.no