All of the world’s oceans contain deep sea minerals. The international seabed area, under ISA jurisdiction, has issued exploration licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), the Indian Ocean, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Pacific Ocean.

Many countries contain deep sea minerals within their EEZs, such as the Cook Islands, Norway, Japan, Sweden, India, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, American Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Chile, the United States, Brazil, and China. See countries developing subsea minerals in their EEZs.