ABS and MOBY Robotics Sign MOU to Develop Classification Framework for Autonomous Subsea Mining Systems

ABS and MOBY Robotics have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance the development, certification, and eventual classification of autonomous robotic systems and related technologies for subsea mining and offshore mineral transport, establishing a structured pathway for novel subsea and surface robotics to achieve the safety and technical standards required for commercial deployment. The agreement covers subsea and surface robotics, vertical lifting systems, ocean surface production and storage platforms for critical minerals, and surface mineral transport vessels.

 

Scope of the Technical Collaboration

 

The MOU creates a framework under which MOBY Robotics will provide technical documents and design submissions to ABS for review, supporting statements of maturity and, where appropriate, approvals in principle for individual subsystems across its autonomous platform portfolio. ABS will apply its Requirements for Subsea Mining and Offshore Rules to the review process, providing a rigorous and internationally recognised technical assessment that supports MOBY's path toward full classification. The two organisations will also collaborate to identify and develop standards and guidelines for autonomous subsea and surface robotics, contributing to the broader regulatory architecture that the nascent subsea mining sector requires before commercial-scale operations can proceed. ABS published the industry's first guide for subsea mining and has been actively supporting the development of related technologies through classification, certification, and technical review services, providing an established institutional foundation for the partnership.

 

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Strategic Significance for the Subsea Mining Sector

 

The MOU arrives at a moment of accelerating commercial interest in deep-sea mineral extraction, particularly for the polymetallic nodules, seafloor massive sulphides, and cobalt-rich crusts that contain the critical minerals increasingly demanded by battery, electronics, and clean energy supply chains. Autonomous robotics are central to the commercial viability of subsea mining because they enable operations at depths and in conditions where crewed intervention is impractical or prohibitively expensive, and because they reduce the cost structure of extraction relative to conventional remotely operated approaches. MOBY Robotics chief executive Alexander Petersen has stated that meeting the highest engineering and operational standards is non-negotiable as the company scales its autonomous platforms across critical minerals, defence, and offshore infrastructure applications, and that the ABS partnership is an important step in that direction. ABS vice president for technology Michael Kei has framed the collaboration as providing clear pathways to assess novel systems with safety and technical rigour at the forefront, addressing the absence of established classification routes for autonomous subsea mining technology.

 

Broader Applications and Commercial Positioning

 

MOBY Robotics has positioned its autonomous platforms across multiple application domains beyond subsea mining, including defence and offshore infrastructure, reflecting the cross-sector relevance of advanced autonomous subsea and surface robotics. The classification and certification work conducted through the ABS partnership will generate technical credibility and regulatory recognition that benefits the company across all of these markets, since ABS approval in principle for individual subsystems demonstrates engineering rigour to customers, investors, and regulators regardless of the specific deployment context. As the subsea mining regulatory environment continues to develop, with the US government advancing lease sales and the International Seabed Authority working toward a commercial exploitation code, companies that have established clear classification pathways and technical documentation with recognised bodies will be substantially better positioned to access both licences and capital.