The exactvalue of these resources is impossible to calculate reliably, but a leading UN official described the scale of mineral deposits in the world's oceans as "staggering" with "several hundred years' worth of cobalt and nickel".
David Kirkpatrick: I think anyone who wants to pin an exactvalue on it, is somewhat guessing, but I don't think it's insane to say that it could be worth 50bn or even by the time even a year or two rolls around 100bn, the company's earning potential is almost unlimited.
The US Army Corps of Engineers said one contract would cover fields in the north of Iraq, and the other the south, with the exact final value dependent on the amount of work necessary.