SUT-US Marine Minerals - Making ready for a new deepwater industry

Starts: Thu, Feb 12, 2026 8:00 AM CST
Ends: Thu, Feb 12, 2026 11:45 AM CST
Become a Member Now

Marine Minerals - Making ready for a new deepwater industry

Have you noticed the activity in marine minerals and want to learn more about this new industry? This webinar brings engineers and geoscientists that are working in deep sea marine minerals exploration and production planning spanning – introduction to deep sea marine minerals, prospective areas globally and in the United States OCS, exploration and survey methods, marine minerals leasing and management under BOEM and US Departments of Interior and Commerce, drilling technology for sulfide deposits, and ship to ship transfer considerations for polymetallic nodules.

Presenters

	Dan McConnell, Consultant, Geomarine Resources PLLC "Prospects For Marine Minerals In The US Pacific OCS And EEZ". Dan is the Principal at Geomarine Resources PLLC and has over twenty-five years of experience in marine geology and geophysics for industry and scientific applications including site characterization, geochemical exploration, gas hydrate identification and drilling, and marine mineral resource surveys. He is a licensed Professional Geologist, and a Qualified Person for deep-marine polymetallic nodule deposits. Dan was the lead geologist on the successful 2018 NORI D Campaign 3 AUV and resource survey for polymetallic nodules in the Eastern Pacific and has worked as lead geologist in support of other polymetallic nodule contract areas. He has held senior management positions at Fugro and AOA Geophysics. He holds two patents related to gas hydrate identification. Dan has participated in 12 marine geophysical, sampling, drilling, or crewed submersible cruises as client representative, lead geologist, or scientist.
	Hans Smit, CEO, Moana Minerals Hans Smit is President and Chief Executive Officer of Moana Minerals (a subsidiary of Ocean Minerals LLC), and has built a distinguished career in subsea engineering and underwater mining over more than 20 years. Formerly CEO of Neptune Minerals (2015–2017) and Managing Director of IHC MMP, he led the design and deployment of cutting-edge mining systems—including a crawler used by De Beers for subsea diamond recovery. At Ocean Minerals, Hans directed the Cook Islands polymetallic-nodule project, overseeing resource assessment, environmental studies and system development that recovered thousands of kilograms of nodules. Educated as an electrical & electronics technician and certified PMP, he combines technical expertise with strategic leadership to advance responsible seabed mineral exploration.
	Mark Mussett, Univ. of South Florida “Polymetallic Nodule Detection Using Hull-mounted 30 Kilohertz Multibeam Data Analysis”joined Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2005 as a marine science and research specialist. Mr. Mussett has participated in Odyssey’s marine mineral exploration activities since 2010. He currently contributes to the assessment and study of prospective mineral occurrences through his role as Senior Manager of Marine Minerals. He holds a B.S. in marine science, geology concentration and a B.A. in communication from Eckerd College, which he attended on the Eckerd College Presidential Scholarship and the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.? He holds an M.S. in marine science, hydrography concentration from the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. He is currently enrolled in graduate school at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science, where he has received the University Graduate Fellowship and the Thomas E. Pyle Memorial Fellowship in Marine Science.
	Paul Knorr, Critical Minerals Specialist Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of Interior “Critical and Hard Minerals Management on the United States Outer Continental Shelf ”. Paul Knorr is a Critical Minerals Specialist with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), where he leads initiatives in marine critical minerals—including seafloor massive sulfides, polymetallic nodules, ferromanganese crusts, heavy mineral sands, and phosphorites. In this role since 2021, he coordinates research, operations, policy development, competitive leasing, and stakeholder outreach. Paul also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, teaching marine and physical geology. He earned a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of South Florida (2008–2014), and previously worked at the U.S. Geological Survey, led groundwater remediation and GIS projects in industry, and served as a U.S. Army Engineer officer.
	Stefan Wegerer, Development Group Leader Stefan Wegerer studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. He has been with Bauer Maschinen for more than eight years, where he is responsible for marine drilling technology. For the past four years, he has focused on research and innovation, particularly in the development of deep-sea technology within the framework of the two research projects Deep Sea Sampling I & II.
	Jim Wodehouse, Vice President of Projects, Deep Reach Technology Inc. “Considerations with Respect to the Technology and Economics of Nodule Offloading from a Deep-Sea Mining Production Vessel to a Transport Vessel in the Open Ocean, and Transportation to a Port for Offloading”.Jim Wodehouse is Vice President of Projects at Deep Reach Technology Inc. in Houston, where he oversees contracting, management, and execution of deep-sea polymetallic nodule pilot mining projects, including environmental baselines and impact assessments. He holds a B.Eng.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario and brings decades of offshore engineering leadership, having held senior roles at SBM Offshore, Water Standard, and Tri Ocean Engineering. In May 2024, he co-authored a paper at the Offshore Technology Conference on the technology and economics of nodule offloading—from deep-sea production vessels to transport craft, shipping slurried minerals to port.