Deep-sea expedition will revisit Pacific mining site five and a half years after test

During Oct. 2026, the research vessel SONNE set sail from San Diego into the Pacific Ocean for expedition SO322. Its destination: the Clarion-Clipperton Zone north of the equator—the area that harbors the largest known deposits of polymetallic nodules on the seafloor. Germany, among others, holds an exploration license in this region.