Deep-Sea Mining Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- A small, fragmented field. Only 8 assignees appear in the ranking, led by a single filer at 4 records — there is no dominant incumbent yet.
- Filing peaked in 2019. 5 records published that year, the high point of a trend that runs from 2 filings in 2017 down toward 0 by 2026 (with recent years understated by publication lag).
- Separation and drilling outweigh extraction chemistry. Water/wastewater treatment (33.3%) and earth-rock drilling (26.7%) each cover more of the 15 records than core metal-extraction classes like C22B (13.3%).
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks patent records at the intersection of seabed and deep-ocean mining with ore processing, separation and metal recovery — filings that combine an offshore extraction concept with a downstream chemistry or processing step, rather than mining vessels or mineral prospecting alone. The scope runs from 2015 through the 2026-08-31 data cut-off, with 15 published records forming the base of every figure on this page.
The set is small enough that individual records move the picture: a single co-assignee pair, a single most-cited drilling patent, and a ranking of only 8 companies. Read the concentration and trend figures with that scale in mind rather than assuming the patterns of a larger corpus.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 15-record set: publication activity by year, and how records distribute across IPC subclasses. Because a record can carry several IPC classes, the subclass shares below add up to more than the record total.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings ran at 2 in 2017 and rose to a peak of 5 in 2019, the high point of the series so far. Activity has since tapered toward 0 by 2026; treat the last one to two years as undercounted, since publication typically lags filing by around 18 months.
IPC subclass distribution
Water and wastewater treatment (C02F) is the most-represented subclass at 33.3% of the 15 records, followed by separation processes (B01D) and earth/rock drilling (E21B) at 26.7% each. Core metal-extraction and refining claims (C22B) and mining/quarrying claims (E21C) each sit at 13.3%, suggesting more of the documented work addresses handling water, solids separation and drilling than the extraction chemistry itself.
Shares are the percentage of the 15 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Deep-Sea Mining Technology Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about deep-sea mining technology patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records in this set
Enhanced metal recovery through oxidation in liquid and/or supercritical carbon dioxide
Process for enhanced metal recovery from metal-containing feedstock using liquid and/or supercritical fluid carbon dioxide together with a source of oxidation, with the oxidation agent optionally free of complexing agent. The feedstock can be a refractory mineral, an ore with high sulfide content, an ore rich in carbonaceous material, or waste, and does not require ultrafine grinding beforehand. The process is run at relatively low temperatures and pressures, with feedstock entering the reactor below the critical temperature.Filed by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, published 2017-08-24 as US20170240434A1.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20160348439A1 | Drill with remotely controlled operating modes and system and method for providing the same | 19 |
| 2 | US20220002170A1 | Sea water de-salination methods and apparatuses | 12 |
| 3 | US20240230613A1 | Long-Term Benthic Incubation and Measuring System and Method | 9 |
| 4 | US3513081A | Deep sea mining system using buoyant conduit | 9 |
| 5 | US20170240434A1 | Enhanced metal recovery through oxidation in liquid and/or supercritical carbon dioxide | 6 |
| 6 | US10094172B2 | Drill with remotely controlled operating modes and system and method for providing the same | 6 |
| 7 | US20190040686A1 | Drill with remotely controlled operating modes and system and method for providing the same | 5 |
| 8 | WO2020069358A1 | Sea water de-salination methods and apparatuses | 1 |
Citation counts reflect influence within this searched corpus and skew toward older filings; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Publication numbers are shown where the record carries one (8 of 8 rows); clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three findings stand out from a dataset this size: the field is not yet chemistry-dominated, citation weight sits with older mechanical and processing filings, and no single assignee has established a broad claim position.
Water treatment outweighs core extraction chemistry
Water and wastewater treatment claims (C02F) cover a third of the records, more than double the share of metal extraction and refining (C22B). For a field defined by deep-sea metal recovery, that split suggests much of the documented invention activity addresses handling the water and residue side of the process rather than the extraction step itself.
The most-cited record is a drilling system, not a chemistry patent
US20160348439A1, a remotely controlled drill, leads citations at 19, ahead of desalination and extraction-chemistry filings. In a small corpus like this, high citation counts tend to reward earlier publication date as much as technical centrality — read it as a marker of influence, not of where current filing is concentrated.
Activity peaked in 2019, not in the most recent years
The filing trend rises from 2 records in 2017 to a peak of 5 in 2019, then tapers toward 0 by 2026. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the tail understates true recent activity, but the shape still points to a field that has not sustained its early-decade momentum.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to deep-sea mining technology patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the field is open
The assignee ranking returned by this dataset covers 8 companies, led by a single filer at 4 records with a second tier at 2. That is the entire ranking this search returns, not a top-50 or top-100 cut, so treat any one assignee's position as provisional rather than dominant.
A single filer leads a fragmented field
The top-ranked assignee holds 4 of the records in scope, with the next tier down to 2. No assignee shows filings in the latest year, so momentum has stalled across the ranked group rather than shifting toward a new entrant.
Universities sit alongside individual and corporate filers
The ranked list mixes a corporate entity, individual inventors filing in their own name, and university assignees. That mix is typical of an early-stage or niche field where institutional R&D and independent inventors both stake early claims before consolidation.
Almost no co-assignment activity
The dataset shows exactly one co-assignee pair, both individual inventors. There is no visible pattern of joint corporate-academic filing or licensing-driven co-ownership in this set.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| RAMAX LLC | 0 | — |
| PHATAK DHANANJAY | 0 | — |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | 0 | — |
| Florida Atlantic University | 0 | — |
| DHANANJAY PHATAK | 0 | — |
| MODI VIVENDI AS | 0 | -100% |
| FRITZ WALTER WANZENBERG | 0 | — |
| FREDERICK WHEELOCK WANZENBERG | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
This landscape establishes the shape of the field; the next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, licensing, or identifying a filing gap.
Check claim scope on the top-cited records
Before drafting in extraction chemistry or drilling mechanics, review the independent claims of the highest-cited records in this set — particularly the drilling and supercritical-CO2 extraction filings — to see what is already blocked.
Explore claims in EurekaTrack the ranked assignees for renewed activity
With no assignee showing filings in the latest year, a resumption by any of the ranked leaders would be a meaningful signal worth monitoring going forward.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaMap white space before committing claim language
The under-claimed branches identified here — sensing, residue handling, reactor materials — warrant a deeper prior-art pull before a first claim is drafted.
Run a white-space search in EurekaCommon questions about deep-sea mining patents
This landscape identifies 15 published records combining seabed or deep-ocean mining concepts with ore processing, separation or metal recovery steps, covering filings from 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off. That is a narrow, technically defined scope rather than a count of all deep-sea mining patents broadly, since mining vessels or mineral prospecting filings without a processing step are excluded. The small base means single filings can shift trend and composition figures noticeably, so treat percentages as directional rather than statistically robust.
The assignee ranking in this dataset covers 8 companies and institutions, with the leading filer holding 4 records and a second tier at 2. The ranked group is a mix of a corporate entity, individual inventors filing under their own names, and university research groups, which is typical of a field still in an early, pre-consolidation stage. No assignee in the ranking shows filings in the most recent year, so leadership here reflects historical filing rather than current momentum.
Filing activity peaked in 2019 with 5 records published, up from 2 in 2017. Activity has tapered since, falling toward 0 by 2026, though the most recent one to two years are understated because patent publication typically lags the actual filing date by around 18 months. A clearer read on 2024-2026 activity will only be possible once those applications work through to publication.
Water and wastewater treatment (IPC class C02F) is the most-represented area, appearing in 33.3% of the 15 records in scope, followed by separation processes (B01D) and earth/rock drilling (E21B) at 26.7% each. Core metal extraction and refining (C22B) and mining/quarrying (E21C) each appear in only 13.3% of records. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100%, and the pattern suggests processing-adjacent work is more heavily claimed than the extraction chemistry itself.
Relative to the densest classes in this dataset, branches like in-situ ore composition sensing, benthic residue disposal, excavation-integrated separation trains, and corrosion-resistant reactor materials for seabed conditions appear less claimed. These are inferred from the low representation of adjacent IPC classes such as G01N and E02F rather than from an exhaustive freedom-to-operate search, so they should be treated as starting hypotheses to validate with a dedicated prior-art search before drafting claims.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.