The Deep Sea Minerals Conference in Norway attracted, for the fifth time, representatives of science, exploration companies, service companies, government authorities and international organisations interested in aspects of deep-sea polymetallic exploration and mining.

On 1–3 April 2025, Bergen hosted the annual conference on polymetallic mineral resources. Norway is currently a global leader in the advancement of exploration work, the development of necessary technologies and legal regulations enabling the efficient implementation of exploration work in the area of the Norwegian extended continental shelf. The conference was attended by nearly 120 industry experts, and the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute was represented by Michał Tomczak (PhD) and Łukasz Smajdor.

This year's event was held under the motto: Critical Knowledge, Critical Technology, Critical Minerals.

On the second day, the plenary session began with a presentation of the results obtained so far in the area of the Polish contract in the Atlantic Ocean. Michał Tomczak (PhD) gave a presentation entitled ‘From regional scale to prospective exploration - advancement of the SMS exploration programme in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge’ by: Michał Tomczak, Agata Kozłowska-Roman, Łukasz Smajdor, Wojciech Jegliński, and Krzysztof Szamałek. The participants were presented with the results of research conducted to date under the contract in the Atlantic Ocean, concluded between the International Seabed Authority and the Government of the Republic of Poland. The results of stage I (regional exploration using measurements from a research vessel in an area of 10,000 km2) and stage II (detailed seabed surveys in cluster A – 230 km2 using AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles)) were presented. In addition, the PGI-NRI research and measurement plan for 2025–2027 was discussed.

The participants were particularly interested in the discoveries of active and inactive hydrothermal areas, which are characterised by distinctive morphology and seabed structures, sulphide accumulations and hydrothermal water outflows. These will be the subject of research by the team using the Luzo 6000 ROV (remotely operated vehicle) during a planned expedition with the Spanish geological service in 2026. Both the achievements to date and the plans of PGI-NRI in the field of deep-sea work were the subject of further informal discussions and were continued during online meetings after the conference.

N

Seafloor Massive Sulphide (SMS) deposits explored by BGR – Southeastern Indian Ridge (New discoveries in the Indian Ocean – Geo365)

Dr Michał Tomczak is presenting the current accomplishments of the Polish team’s research in the Atlantic Ocean

Diagram showing the operation scheme of an AUV and the moment of detecting an active hydrothermal vent – water column anomalies caused by hydrothermal activity (suspended particles, gas bubbles, density variations) are recorded by the onboard multibeam echosounder (MBES) system. Illustration: Vadakkepuliyambatta and Palayil, 2025 (New discoveries in the Indian Ocean – Geo365)

Text: Łukasz Smajdor, Michał Tomczak
Photos: Łukasz Smajdor, materiały konferencyjne