TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 5, 2010) - Nautilus Minerals Inc. (TSX:NUS - News; AIM:NUS) (the "Company" or "Nautilus") announces that the final Environmental Permit for the development of the Solwara 1 Project was received on December 29th 2009 from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) of Papua New Guinea for a term of 25 years, expiring in 2035. The Environmental Permit in Principle was issued in September 2009, as announced previously.

CEO Steve Rogers commented, "The Environmental Permit is the culmination of many years of work by Nautilus and the DEC and paves the way for processing of the Company's Mining Lease Application. The project team is working with the Government of PNG to complete the final stages of this process."

Regional Joint Venture

Nautilus continues advanced discussions with several parties in connection with a Regional Joint Venture covering some of Nautilus' tenements in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea.