Odyssey CEO Mark Gordon to Deliver Keynote and Investor Presentation at The LD 500 Virtual Investor Conference August 31 and September 3

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NASDAQ:OMEX), a deep-ocean exploration pioneer engaged in the discovery, development and extraction of deep-ocean minerals, today announced that Chairman and CEO Mark Gordon will  deliver a keynote presentation at 12:30 pm EDT today and an investor presentation on Thursday, September 3 at 11:40 am EDT at The LD 500 virtual investor conference. Registration is free and available through the conference website at https://ld500.ldmicro.com/.

“Last week we announced and closed a registered direct offering of securities that provided operating capital to take Odyssey through an expected catalytic event,” stated Mark Gordon. “The LD 500 conference is the perfect opportunity to present our plans and upcoming opportunities to a broader audience.”

The financing transaction provided $11.3 million to Odyssey; and Odyssey agreed to invest a portion of that amount to fund operating expenses of Exploraciones Oceanicas (ExO), holder of 50-year mining license for one of the largest untapped phosphate deposits in the world. Odyssey owns a controlling interest in ExO through Odyssey’s controlled Panamanian subsidiary, Oceanica Resources. Odyssey has filed a claim against Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) based upon Mexico’s arbitrary and illegal denial of an environmental permit to recover phosphate sands in the license area.

The investor group was anchored by Odyssey’s existing NAFTA funding partner, Poplar Grove LLC. Poplar Grove is managed by Drumcliffe LLC, a private investment management firm that oversees high-value litigation funding portfolios of over $14 billion in claims.

“Drumcliffe’s sole focus is to finance and support the recovery of value for the victims of global fraud, corruption and wrongdoing. Our underwriting prior to investing in this matter revealed the actions of the Peña Nieto administration—in particular the actions of former SEMARNAT director Rafael Pacchiano—deprived both Odyssey and the Mexican people of the benefits of this valuable, transformative natural resource,” explained James C. Little, CEO of Drumcliffe. 

“We applaud the López Obrador administration’s efforts to remedy their predecessors’ misconduct and hope Odyssey and the Mexican Government can resolve this dispute amicably,” Mr. Little stated.  “But the proceeds of the registered direct offering and Drumcliffe’s arbitration funding will also ensure Odyssey has more than enough working capital to resolve this multi-billion dollar dispute through arbitration if it is forced to do so.  We look forward to reading Odyssey’s written arguments after they are filed.”