Cook Islands welcomes Okeanos Explorer as deep-ocean research builds national knowledge
NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer at Avatiu Harbour following the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration in the Cook Islands EEZ.
The Government of the Cook Islands formally welcomed NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer to Rarotonga following the completion of the 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration, which brought new scientific information, imagery, maps, and observations from deep waters within the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone.
The welcome ceremony was held on Monday, 17 August 2026, at Avatiu Harbour and was hosted by the Government of the Cook Islands, with the Seabed Minerals Authority as lead agency.
The ceremony recognised the successful completion of the 26-day research cruise and the partnership between the Cook Islands and the United States in supporting deep-ocean exploration, mapping, science, and knowledge-building in Cook Islands waters.
NOAA Ocean Exploration, SBMA, and partners conducted the cruise aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer from 19 July to 13 August 2026. The expedition used remotely operated vehicles, advanced seafloor mapping, water column observations, Argo float deployments, scientific instruments, and telepresence technology to increase understanding of deep-sea environments in Cook Islands waters.
The expedition focused on deepwater areas that remain difficult to access and not well understood, including seamounts, abyssal plains, deepwater features, and ecosystems associated with the Manihiki Plateau. It supported the collection of information on geology, deep-sea biology, the water column, seafloor features, and ocean conditions in the Cook Islands EEZ.
For the Cook Islands, the expedition was more than a scientific cruise. It was an opportunity to build national knowledge, strengthen local capability, and support future technical work, public understanding, and evidence-based processes under Cook Islands law.
In his welcoming address, Prime Minister and Minister Responsible for Seabed Minerals Hon. Mark Brown, speaking in his caretaker capacity, said the expedition connected the Cook Islands’ voyaging heritage with a new frontier of discovery.
He said Cook Islanders come from a line of voyagers and navigators who looked beyond the horizon and crossed the Moana Nui o Kiva, guided by the stars, winds, and currents.
Today, he said, the vessels and tools have changed, but the spirit of discovery remains. “The greatest strength of a small island nation is not the size of its ocean, but the confidence to understand it for ourselves,” Prime Minister Brown said.
Prime Minister Brown said the expedition had taken the Cook Islands into parts of its ocean that very few people have ever seen, using remotely operated vehicles, advanced mapping systems, and scientific instruments to explore seamounts, abyssal plains, and deep-sea ecosystems.
He said one of the most encouraging aspects of the work was that Cook Islanders had not simply observed the expedition but had helped shape research priorities, contributed to leadership, and worked alongside international experts as partners.
The welcome ceremony was attended by the King’s Representative, His Excellency Sir Tom Marsters and Lady Tuaine Marsters, Prime Minister Hon. Mark Brown and Mrs Brown, United States Ambassador Jared Novelly, Kaumaiti Nui and members of the House of Ariki and Koutu Nui, United States Deputy Assistant Secretaries Erik Nobel and Ruth Perry, representatives of the United States Embassy in New Zealand, Cook Islands Government representatives, religious and community leaders, invited guests, and the captain, officers, crew, scientists, engineers, technicians, and researchers of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
The official welcome was led by Anautoa Rangatira Tuaine Unuia. An opening pure was delivered by Orometua Teava Nanai, Secretary for the Religious Advisory Council and Cook Islands Christian Church.
Remarks were delivered by Prime Minister Hon. Mark Brown, United States Ambassador Jared Novelly, Seabed Minerals Commissioner Beverly Ataera, Deputy Assistant Secretary Erik Nobel, former Director of the United Nations and Treaties Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Joshua Mitchell, and USGS Scientist Dr Amanda Demopoulos.
SBM Commissioner Beverly Ataera said the ceremony was an opportunity to properly acknowledge the work undertaken in Cook Islands waters and the people who made it possible.
She said the expedition brought back new images, new maps, new observations, and new data from some of the deepest and least understood parts of the Cook Islands ocean.
“But for me, the real value of this work is what those things allow us to do next,” SBM Commissioner Ataera said.
She said the information collected would help the Cook Islands understand its ocean a little better, identify what is known, what is not yet known, and where further work is needed.
SBM Commissioner Ataera said Cook Islanders had been part of the work, from scientific planning and coordination through to logistics, data management, communications, and the practical support needed for an expedition of this scale.
She said the lasting value of the expedition was not only the data returned by the ship, but the capability strengthened in the Cook Islands.
“The strongest outcome is the capability that remains here in the Cook Islands,” SBM Commissioner Ataera said.
As lead agency, SBMA coordinated the welcome ceremony in support of the Government of the Cook Islands and worked with partner agencies to ensure the event reflected national protocol, Cook Islands cultural practice, and the scientific purpose of the expedition.
The event was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, the Office of the Prime Minister, the House of Ariki, the Ports Authority, the Ministry of Cultural Development, and other supporting Government agencies.
Cook Islands and United States representatives, NOAA crew, scientists, and invited guests gathered for an official photograph following the welcome ceremony.
The ceremony included a commemorative gift exchange between Cook Islands and United States representatives. Prime Minister Brown, assisted by Commissioner Ataera, presented acknowledgement gifts on behalf of the Cook Islands. United States representatives presented Prime Minister Brown with a megalodon tooth found during the Okeanos Explorer mission and a United States challenge coin.
Following the formal ceremony, guests gathered for an official group photograph in front of NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. VIP vessel tours were then held on board, coordinated by NOAA, SBMA, the United States Embassy, and MFAI Protocol, followed by a portside lunch for invited guests, officials, the NOAA crew, and the science team.
SBMA acknowledged the support of all agencies involved in the welcome ceremony and thanked NOAA Ocean Exploration, the United States Government, the United States Embassy, USGS, the vessel crew, scientists, engineers, technicians, and researchers who contributed to the expedition.
The 2026 Cook Islands ROV Exploration was a permitted scientific exploration and mapping activity. It did not authorise commercial seabed minerals harvesting and did not replace any Cook Islands legal, environmental, or public process.
SBMA said the data and knowledge generated through the expedition would contribute to the Cook Islands’ wider understanding of its deep ocean and support research, environmental management, public awareness, and evidence-based processes under Cook Islands law.
Commissioner Ataera said SBMA would continue working to make science undertaken in Cook Islands waters accessible and understandable for the public.
“It is not enough to collect information. We need to share it, explain it, and make sure our people have the opportunity to engage with it,” she said.
Both Prime Minister Brown and Commissioner Ataera also spoke to the importance of young Cook Islanders seeing a place for themselves in ocean science, engineering, technology, research, environmental management, and leadership.
For the Cook Islands, the welcome of Okeanos Explorer marked the close of an important research journey and the start of further work to understand, manage, and care for the deep ocean within national jurisdiction.
It also reinforced the importance of knowledge, capability, careful stewardship, and informed public understanding as the Cook Islands continues to learn more about its deep ocean.
Scientists hard at work during the 2026 ROV Exploration in the Cook Island cruise
Commissioner Ataera said SBMA would continue working to make science undertaken in Cook Islands waters accessible and understandable for the public.
“It is not enough to collect information. We need to share it, explain it, and make sure our people have the opportunity to engage with it,” she said.
Both Prime Minister Brown and Commissioner Ataera also spoke to the importance of young Cook Islanders seeing a place for themselves in ocean science, engineering, technology, research, environmental management, and leadership.
For the Cook Islands, the welcome of Okeanos Explorer marked the close of an important research journey and the start of further work to understand, manage, and care for the deep ocean within national jurisdiction.
It also reinforced the importance of knowledge, capability, careful stewardship, and informed public understanding as the Cook Islands continues to learn more about its deep ocean.
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