Deep Sea, Deep Ties

Since 2022, the German government has officially called for a „precautionary pause“ of deep-sea mining. Behind the scenes, however, German corporations are forging alliances in Saudi Arabia to extract raw materials from the Red Sea—partly fueled by technology developed with millions of euros in taxpayer funds. This two-part Greenpeace investigation exposes the rift between the government's public stance and its fiscal actions. This is Part Two on the corporate maneuvers currently taking place in the Red Sea. To explore Germany’s allocation of public research funding for deep-sea mining since 2015, continue to Part One here.

While global attention is focused on the controversy surrounding deep-sea mining in international waters, a quiet coalition of German companies is building alliances for deep-sea mining where few are looking: the Red Sea. Together with influential Saudi stakeholders, they are setting up joint businesses to attract funds and support for deep-sea mining in the Red Sea.

To understand the quiet scramble in the region, one must look at the Atlantis II Deep — the largest depression in the Red Sea [a] (see Figure 1). It covers an area of 60 square kilometres with a relatively shallow water depth of 1.900 to 2.200 metres. At the bottom is a complexly layered brine pool. Beneath this brine are mud deposits that have been precipitated by hydrothermal processes, resulting in extremely high concentrations of metals such as zinc, copper, silver and gold [b]. This polymetallic sedimentary exhalative deposit is the largest of its kind discovered in the world to date [a] [e]. Experts have recognised it as the primary deposit of industrial interest in the Red Sea [c]. 

German interest in the region is nothing new: first prospecting expeditions in the Red Sea were conducted by the German companies Preussag AG and Metallgesellschaft AG as early as the 1970s with the financial support of the German Federal Government [d]. Given the promising results, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Sudan – who are jointly governing the common area stretching between their territorial waters – commissioned Preussag for further explorations under the MESEDA exploration campaign [a] [d]. 

The 1970s and 1980s saw the first actual extractions of metalliferous muds from the Red Sea. More than 600 sediment core samples were retrieved from Atlantis II Deep with a drilling pipe and a suction head during a pre-pilot mining test [e] [f] [g]. An environmental impact study was conducted alongside this mining project as the first of its kind [a]. The participation of German industry in marine exploration proved instrumental in the development of new sampling technologies including Preussag’s box corer for sampling metalliferous muds [d]. Eventually, the campaign was however stopped due to falling ore prices [a].

As our investigation shows, some of the same actors who were involved in the initial Preussag missions are now back at the table to prepare conceptual studies and attract funds in order to launch a new attempt to mine Atlantis II Deep. Among them is Zohair Nawab, who oversaw the Preussag missions as deputy general secretary of the Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Joint Commission at the time [g] and later served as Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources [h]. Abdallah Dabbagh, who was Dean of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and involved in the accompanying research, later went on to found the Saudi mining company Ma’aden and served on the board of the state-controlled energy company Saudi Aramco [aa]. Also part of the come-back is Johannes Post, who was project coordinator at Preussag Marine Technology until 1990 and later spent more than 30 years running Hydromod Service GmbH, a small company providing scientific and technical services in marine and environmental research and engineering before it was dissolved in 2026 [i] [j].

Old Dreams, New Money 

Renewed interest in the Red Sea’s mineral deposits comes amid growing political support for mining exploration under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy. As the kingdom seeks to diversify its economy, resource extraction and mining have emerged as key pillars of the government’s development agenda [k]. Exploration licensing for terrestrial mining has accelerated rapidly, attracting more than 140 million dollars in investment in 2024 [l]. Saudi Arabia is also building out its midstream and downstream capabilities, aiming to transform the country into a top global mineral processor [l]. 

But money and ambition are only half the story; the Red Sea is also interesting from a legal perspective. Unlike international waters, where deep-sea mining remains subject to intense environmental debates at the International Seabed Authority, the Red Sea may appear as an unencumbered sovereign alternative to these companies: under the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Red Sea is a semi-enclosed sea where bordering states have jurisdiction over their respective maritime zones and should cooperate with each other in the exercise of their rights [m] [n]. Irrespective of this, the obligations to prevent harm to the marine environment under UNCLOS, among others, are still fully applicable in national waters. [bq]

Atlantis II Deep lies in the area between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Sudan [a]. In 1974, when Saudi Arabia and Sudan signed an agreement to define their respective exclusive seabed zones, the seabed below 1,000 meters from their respective coastlines was marked as a common economic zone [f] [o]. The Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Joint Commission was established to oversee and explore the common area and to govern over the exploitation of sediments [c]. Licences for exploration and exploitation are given out jointly by the respective national ministries [p]. 

German-Saudi network of companies

Decades after the Preussag missions were halted, the dream of mining the Atlantis II Deep is being revived by a unique alliance, which claims to have filed applications for exploitation licenses to the Saudi-Sudanese Red Sea Joint Commission [q] [r]. Around the three veterans from the 1970s exploration era, Zohair Nawab, Abdallah Dabbagh and Johannes Post, a group of German technology providers and other Saudi stakeholders has formed. 

The German company Bauer AG and its joint venture SMS Seabed Mineral Services GmbH play a central role because they plan to supply the mining technology. A division of its subsidiary Bauer Maschinen GmbH, led by Leonhard Weixler, has been working on developing technology for mining seafloor massive sulphides in the Indian Ocean for many years [br] [bs] [bt] [bu], where Germany holds a licence area [bv]. As our investigation „The Deep-Sea Double Standard:  Germany’s millions for mining tech despite precautionary pause“ shows, Bauer has benefitted from public funding to adapt its technology for deep sea use. The same technology now appears to be marketed for mining the Red Sea [aj][ak]. Bauer AG declined to comment.

Another part is played by Heiko Felderhoff, who is running a number of companies involved in offshore operations and fleet management [ae]. One of them is HF Offshore, which offers ‘’a wide range of maritime services in the field of marine transportation, installation, decommissioning, salvage and deep-sea technologies with locations in Mexico, Germany and Singapore’’ [s]. Operating globally, HF Offshore manages a diverse fleet of specialised offshore vessels to support energy services and offshore projects [t]. One of its vessels is the heavy load carrier ‘’Mexican Giant’’ (former name Blue Giant), which, according to a publication of the lobby group DSMA, is a suitable „exploitation vessel“ for deep-sea mining operations [t][u][bg].

As managing director and board members of the German lobby group DeepSea Mining Alliance, Johannes Post (now-dissolved Hydromod), Leonard Weixler (Bauer Maschinen), and Heiko Felderhoff (HF Offshore) have lobbied for pilot mining in different areas worldwide since its founding in 2014 [v] [w] [y]. In Saudi Araba, their efforts seem to pay off. Over the last decade, they have built strong ties to Saudi Arabian stakeholders together with whom they are taking preparatory steps to position themselves for potential deep-sea mining activities in the Red Sea.

Our investigation shows that these actors are conducting research, preparing conceptual studies with the competent ministries, seeking the necessary exploration licenses and attempt to attract funding. To support their plans, they have created various new companies. At its centre sits Atlantis Blu Mining GmbH, a German company, co-owned by German industry representatives and Saudi stakeholders, whose self-declared purpose is the preparation and implementation of commercial deep-sea mining projects [af]. Besides Zohair Nawab, Johannes Post and Leonhard Weixler, the shareholders include Suleiman Abdeljawad, a businessman who is majority shareholder of the company and has since co-founded several other Saudi companies to pursue mining in the Red Sea [za] [zb] [ab]. The second-largest shareholder with 25 per cent of shares is HF Invest Pte Ltd [zb], a Singaporean company (co-)directed by Heiko Felderhoff [ac]. The remaining shares are owned by Abdallah Dabbagh [za] [zb] and Frank Wagner, who is the managing director of Atlantis Blu Mining [af] and also leads the Global Engineering Consultancy based in the United Arab Emirates [aga], an international engineering consulting firm in which also Suleiman Abdeljawad is involved [ag]. 

Our interactive network chart shows the various links between German and Saudi Arabian companies and stakeholders.

Different Players, Different Roles

As an industry brochure indicates, the German company Atlantis Blu is part of the so-called ABM Group (see figure 2) [ah]. The ABM Group – presumably an abbreviation for Atlantis Blu Mining Group – comprises several entities that appear to play distinct roles in a broader effort to develop deep-sea mining operations in the Red Sea. The group claims to be supported by an investment budget of 30 billion (currency not specified) dollars focused on local industrialisation [ai]. 

At the base of the group's organisational structure is the German company Atlantis Blu GmbH, which is listed as the „technology holder“ and the „patent and IP owner“ [ah]. Alongside Atlantis Blu GmbH, the Saudi-based entity Marine Mining Company has been established. According to the brochure, it should function as the operational arm for deep-sea exploration and mining and serve as the holder of relevant subsea mining licenses [ah]. On its website, Marine Mining Company openly promotes itself as „providing leading solutions for offshore marine mining operations in Saudi Arabia’’ [aj]. 

United Sands Development & Investment Company, another company based in Saudi Arabia [az], serves as the ABM Group's central innovation and commercialisation platform [ah]. It brings together government agencies, research institutions, and industry partners to advance technology-driven industrial projects through strategic partnerships [ba]. According to our findings, United Sands has emerged from a 2023 cooperation agreement between Atlantis Blu, the Marine Mining Company and the Saudi national science centre King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), which sought to advance the localisation of deep-sea mining technologies and build a Saudi consortium for mineral exploration and pilot mining in the Red Sea [ah] [ax]. 

The organisational chart further presents HAMD International, a planned charity within the structure. When asked for comment, Suleiman Abdeljawad stated, “as we believe in saving the planet and helping humanity, standing at the top of our group we are planning to create a NGO that will focus on helping humanity and really making a difference in the world„ [bp]. Further, it includes a “top-secret„ project titled AREA 51 about which we did not find any additional information. 

German industry is central

Our investigation shows that German industry representatives are involved in all of the companies that were founded so far. While they are shareholders of Atlantis Blu Mining GmbH, Frank Wagner, Leonhard Weixler, Johannes Post and Heiko Felderhoff are also listed as board members of the Marine Mining Company. Harren & Partner Services México (now registered under the name HF Offshore Services México; another company ultimately owned by Heiko Felderhoff [ae]), EvoLogics, as well as the lobby organisation DeepSea Mining Alliance are moreover listed as strategic partners of United Sands [ba]. 

The company website of Marine Mining Company suggests that German technology will play a central role in the company’s deep-sea mining plans: It references German systems like the MeBo200, co-developed and co-patented by Bauer Maschinen GmbH in a publicly-funded research project, or the vessel Mexican Giant managed by the company HF Offshore Services México, owned by Heiko Felderhoff [aj]. A promotional video even shows Bauer’s trench cutter, developed under the publicly-funded Deep Sea Sampling project, with the project logo still distinctly visible [ak].

In addition to Bauer, Marine Mining Company collaborates with Robert Bosch GmbH. According to the company's website, the partnership aims to develop the world's first „Deep Sea Digital Twin,“ a digital model designed to support and monitor the entire lifecycle of deep-sea mining. As part of the collaboration, the partners also plan to develop an application for lifecycle monitoring. [ak] Bosch’s wholly-owned subsidiary Bosch Rexroth also participated in the planning of a workshop by United Sands „on industrial digitalisation and smart factories.“ [ah]

As the website indicates, Marine Mining Company has already filed five license applications with the Saudi-Sudanese Joint Committee to extract minerals from offshore sites in the Red Sea [q][alb], including one for Atlantis II Deep [ala]. Reportedly, applications were also filed for areas in Saudi Arabia’s and Egypt’s territorial waters [alc] [ald]. However, upon request, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia stated that no licence is currently granted for the exploitation of the sea [am]. 

In response to a request for comment, Suleiman Abdeljawad said that „[a]t this stage, all our activities are strictly at a preparatory and research level. We are working with the competent ministries and with German technology providers on conceptual studies only.“ He described the project's aim as developing „what could become one of the greenest and most transparent mining and resource-recycling initiatives in the world.“ [bp]

Besides the license applications, the ABM Group is taking concrete steps to attract funding and to advance mineral processing capabilities in Saudi Arabia. In 2025, Atlantis Blu and the Marine Mining Company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi crowd-financing company Mekyal Financial Technologies to create a 1.44 billion dollars (currency not specified) fund to support deep-sea mineral exploitation projects [bb]. Yet innovation and investment are so far nowhere to be seen. Mekyal‘s company license to arrange activities in the securities business and permit to market investment and debt instruments was revoked a few months later by the Saudi Capital Market Authority due to concerns over the accuracy and reliability of company disclosures [bc].

In the same year, an acquisition agreement was signed between Atlantis Blu, Marine Mining Company and Bauer AG for the localisation of advanced deep-sea exploration and mining technologies [ak]. Bauer declined to comment.

In 2026, Marine Mining Company announced its partnership with the Australian platform The Minexchange and the newly-founded Saudi nanotechnology company Nora Future Technologies as a third party [be] [bee]. The Minexchange offers a platform for mining projects that helps connect mining companies, project owners and investors. . As stated by Lachy Nicholas, the CEO of The Minexchange, in an interview for the Future Minerals Forum 2026, the idea of the partnership is to build a Saudi Minexchange where all the Saudi assets can be listed and that could act as a brokerage point for financial investment [bf].

The third partner in the collaboration, Nora Future Technologies, describes itself on its website as a company that leverages nanotechnology to develop sustainable solutions across diverse sectors [av]. According to Suleiman Abdeljawad, the company’s „founder representative“, Nora Future Technologies is a marine mining company that develops and industrialises advanced materials derived from marine and mineral resources [ab]. The partnership seems to close the gap to mineral processing, as Nora Future Technologies is reportedly developing technology capable of isolating and extracting the full spectrum of minerals and metals from tailings and holds patented technologies for metallurgical extraction from brines [ab]. Clients and partners listed on its website include King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the Saudi oil company Aramco and MA’ADEN [aw].

While new companies are founded and business agreements are signed in Saudi Arabia, there is also some new activity on the German side. The main German industry representatives who are involved in the deep-sea mining efforts in the Red Sea recently formed a new lobby organisation, the DeepSea Minerals Alliance: founding members include Leonhard Weixler (Bauer Maschinen GmbH), Heiko Felderhoff (HF Offshore), Frank Wagner (Atlantis Blu Mining), Rudolf Bannasch (EvoLogics) and Peter Lehmann (Verband für Schiffbau und Meerestechnik e.V.) [bm]. Other notable founding members include Hydromod (the former company of Johannes Post) and Impossible Metals (the US-Canadian start-up which intends to conduct test mining in the German Pacific licence area) [bn][bo].

The DeepSea Minerals Alliance is the successor of the DeepSea Mining Alliance, which dissolved in 2025 after more than 10 years of activity. At its peak, the association counted more than 30 members from different segments of the German industry, as well as from different countries abroad, including UK’s TechnipFMC, the Belgian licence contractor DEME-GSR and the Polish licence contractor Interoceanmetal Organisation [bg]. 

While the DeepSea Mining Alliance was engaged in different locations to gain licences, internal documents show that the Red Sea was already discussed as a potential area for joint mining projects in 2016 [bh]. Yet, the focus on the Red Sea seems to be stronger in the new lobby organisation. Since its founding, there are specific public references to Arabic countries as potentially interesting partners for cooperation [bl].

Conclusion

For years, German companies have developed advanced deep-sea mining technologies, utilising industry networks like the DeepSea Mining Alliance to explore international commercial opportunities. In Saudi Arabia, these efforts are increasingly materialising. Through partnerships with Saudi stakeholders, and by leveraging new access to investments, these firms are establishing the corporate and operational frameworks necessary for potential future mining activities. This current engagement builds on a historical precedent dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, when Preussag conducted pioneering deep-sea exploration and technical trials in the Red Sea.

While international media coverage predominantly focuses on prominent, venture-backed North American companies such as The Metals Company (TMC) or Impossible Metals, German corporate actors have received comparatively little public attention. However, German firms are steadily advancing their own involvement in the sector, demonstrating that commercial interest in deep-sea minerals extends well beyond the most frequently reported cases.

This development highlights a notable divergence between public policy and corporate activity. While the German government officially supports a „precautionary pause“, German industries are positioning themselves to operate in regions like the Red Sea, which fall outside international jurisdiction.

As detailed in our related investigation, „The Deep-Sea Contradiction:  Germany’s millions for mining tech despite ‘precautionary pause,’“ these private commercialisation efforts have frequently developed with the help of public research funding.         

Research and text: Anna Saito and Wiebke Denkena

Factchecking: Oliver Worm

Visualisations: Pasha Sem

This investigation was also published in German.

Sources and notes

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