Ten-day Armada 8605 campaign adds high-resolution photographic, sonar, and environmental data to Moana Minerals' EL3 environmental baseline program
Three HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicles ("AUVs") - deployed from Ocean Infinity's Armada 8605 - mapped and photographed the seafloor at a depth of more than 5,000 meters.
Survey covered approximately 1,000 km² within Exploration License 3 ("EL3"), generating more than 600,000 seafloor photographs plus synthetic aperture sonar imagery and environmental sensor data in the Cook Islands exclusive economic zone.
The campaign complements the broader MV Anuanua Moana baseline program with higher-resolution coverage of a smaller area.
Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted analysis will be utilized to improve environmental and resource assessments, while supporting data sharing in the Cook Islands.
TAMPA, Fla. & RAROTONGA, Cook Islands, July 14, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Ocean Minerals Corporation ("AOMC"), which is building a responsible supply of critical minerals and rare earth elements through its previously announced merger with Odyssey Marine Exploration (NASDAQ: OMEX), today highlighted Moana Minerals Ltd.'s ("Moana Minerals" or "MML") completion of a high-definition autonomous underwater vehicle seafloor survey within its Exploration License 3 ("EL3") area in the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone ("EEZ"), producing one of the most detailed photographic datasets collected to date within EL3.
The lean-crewed Armada 8605, part of Ocean Infinity's Armada fleet of vessels designed to deploy advanced underwater robotic systems for offshore data collection, deployed three HUGIN AUVs equipped with cameras, side-scan sonar, and environmental sensors. Over approximately ten days, the AUVs generated more than 600,000 seafloor photographs and detailed mapping datasets across targeted areas of EL3. The campaign continued Moana Minerals' ongoing survey and research activities.
"This campaign reflects exactly how Moana Minerals believes seabed minerals work should be advanced: through real science that can inform decision-making," said Hans Smit, Chief Executive Officer of Moana Minerals. "By engaging Armada 8605 while it was already operating in the region, we added a highly valuable high-definition dataset to our environmental baseline program without requiring a separate vessel mobilization. The result is a sharper, more detailed picture of the EL3 seafloor that will inform regulators, stakeholders, and the people of the Cook Islands as future decisions are considered."