Ernie Tapanes manages marine operations planning and offshore operations for mineral projects around the world. With over 30 years of deep-ocean exploration, sampling and recovery experience, Mr. Tapanes leads offshore operations on all subsea mineral types in Odyssey’s portfolio; phosporite sands, polymetallic nodules, SMS and placer deposits.

Mr. Tapanes has led exploration and sampling expeditions on the ExO phosphate project in Mexico, throughout the South Pacific including the Lihir Gold project license area and for phosphate nodules over the Chatham Rise off of New Zealand.

Prior to Odyssey’s move to deep ocean minerals, Mr. Tapanes led the Odyssey search teams that discovered the company’s most significant shipwreck finds including the SS Republic, a Civil War-era steamship containing 51,000 gold and silver coins and the SS Gairsoppa, a 4,700 meter deep WWII-era steel ship that yielded 110 tons of silver bullion.

Previously, Mr. Tapanes was the President for ADC International, where he managed the company’s underwater survey operations, in which his team was responsible for locating the USS Maine, a 19th-century American warship. Mr. Tapanes has a Bachelor of Computer Sciences from Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.