Deep Sea and Technology Centre of Expertise

Discovering the depths of the oceans

With its longstanding experience in science and technology, NIOZ contributes to a responsible and sustainable use of our seas and oceans.

NIOZ has brought together researchers from various disciplines and technical departments to form the Netherlands Deep Sea Centre. In this research centre knowledge is shared of potentially threatened ecosystems, physical and chemical conditions at great depths, but also of deep sea and seabed microbiology. The centre also provides expertise in the fields of geology and geochemistry. Integrating knowledge this way enables researchers to respond even better to applied issues, such as related to the deep sea where mining raw materials such as oil and gas is taking place in increasingly deeper areas.

Responsible discovery and exploitation of resources

Water covers approximately 70% of the earth’s surface, and most of this is the deep sea, about which we still know very little. The potential for mining raw materials in these wide expanses is enormous, and the international offshore and marine industries are increasingly interested in the deep sea. It is generally acknowledged that knowledge of the deep sea is crucial for further developing this ‘deep sea mining’ in a responsible and sustainable way.

Longstanding experience in fundamental and applied science

The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research has a longstanding experience in both fundamental and applied science in deep seas – to depths of 6,000 m and further.

Marine scientists at NIOZ, which come from various disiplines, work from NIOZ research vessels, and in specialised laboratories, supported by a good infrastructure. For decades, assisted by its innovative department of maritime technology, NIOZ has conducted international top-level fundamental research in the fields of ecology, physics, chemistry and geology. Building on its academic knowledge, NIOZ increasingly supports industrial parties in applied sea research. An international committee has recently assessed NIOZ deep-sea research as one of the highest ranking projects in this field in the world.