London, 5 February 2025 – The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project is pleased to announce a new partnership with Orpheus Ocean, a company dedicated to advancing exploration of the ocean’s most remote and challenging environments. This collaboration will enhance our understanding of the deep ocean and support the comprehensive mapping of the world’s ocean floor by the end of the decade.

Orpheus Ocean specializes in the development of innovative autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and technologies designed for deep-sea exploration and environmental data collection. Their solutions are set to improve data acquisition from previously inaccessible areas, contributing valuable insights to ocean science, conservation, and resource management.

Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), which seeks to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean by 2030, and to compile all the data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. The Project is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Ocean Decade. GEBCO is a joint programme of the IHO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.

Jamie McMichael-Phillips, Project Director of Seabed 2030, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with Orpheus Ocean, whose innovative AUV technology and approach to deep-sea exploration will significantly enhance our efforts to map the entire ocean floor.

“This partnership demonstrates how collaboration and cutting-edge technology can address the challenges of exploring and understanding the planet’s last frontier.”

Jake Russell, Co-founder and CEO of Orpheus Ocean, added: “Collaborating with Seabed 2030 aligns perfectly with our mission to unlock the mysteries of the ocean, and not just map but understand the seabed in all its complexity. We are proud to contribute to this global initiative and look forward to the transformative impact this partnership will have on ocean exploration and stewardship.”

All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 project is included in the free and publicly available GEBCO global grid.

ENDS

 

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Pegah Souri
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