Deep Sea Minerals Corp. Provides Strategic Update on Cook Islands and U.S. NOAA Pathways as U.S. Accelerates Offshore Critical Minerals Policy and Expands Supply-Chain Investment

Executive Summary

• Deep Sea Minerals Corp. is actively pursuing offshore critical‑minerals projects in the U.S. (NOAA/DSHMRA) and the Cook Islands EEZ, citing recent regulatory reforms and bilateral frameworks that improve permitting certainty.
• The company announced its graduation from the OTC Pink Market to the OTCQB Venture Market (symbol DSEAF), enhancing visibility and liquidity for U.S. investors.
• A stock‑option grant of 575,000 options was issued to directors, officers and consultants under the Company’s Stock Option Plan.

Key Details

• U.S. Regulatory Progress: NOAA announced on Jan 21 2026 revisions to streamline deep‑seabed exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits under the DSHMRA; a 30,000 sq nm hydrographic survey off American Samoa will begin Feb 2026 as part of the U.S. Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan.
• Cook Islands Framework: On Feb 4 2026 the Cook Islands Government formalized a strategic cooperation framework with the United States for critical‑minerals research, supply‑chain security and investment facilitation within the Cook Islands EEZ.
• Strategic Focus: Deep Sea is allocating capital to regulatory engagement, technical review, procedural readiness, and partnership development (marine services, data acquisition, downstream processing) across both jurisdictions.
• OTCQB Uplisting: Effective Feb 11 2026, Deep Sea’s common shares will trade on the OTCQB Venture Market under ticker DSEAF, providing higher visibility, improved liquidity and stricter disclosure standards.
• Stock Option Grant: 575,000 stock options granted to select directors, officers and consultants; exercise price set at market price on grant date; vesting over 6–24 months with a hold period of 4 months + 1 day; term up to five years pending regulatory approval.
• Market Context: Recent U.S. initiatives—including the $12 billion “Project Vault” stockpile and a proposed critical‑minerals trade bloc involving ~55 countries—underscore heightened policy support for offshore mineral supply chains, reinforcing Deep Sea’s strategic direction.

Notable Quotes

“The aggressive action taken by the U.S. Government in recent weeks reinforces the critical minerals imperative and validates our strategic focus. U.S. collaboration with the Cook Islands Government attests to the nation’s critical minerals importance, consistent with Deep Sea’s evaluation of this area.” – James Deckelman, Chief Executive Officer

All boilerplate, forward‑looking statements and contact information have been omitted for brevity.