Nautilus Closes First Tranche of Private Placement

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 3, 2012) - Nautilus Minerals Inc. (TSX:NUS)(OTCQX:NUSMF)(AIM:NUS) ("Company" or "Nautilus") has received gross proceeds of C$14.8 million from the issue of the first tranche of shares forming part of the non-brokered private placement announced earlier this week.

A total of 16,485,186 shares were issued today in the first tranche at an issue price of C$0.90 per share.

The shares formed part of a total capital raising of C$34 million, before expenses, involving the issue of approximately 37.7 million shares. An additional 555,556 shares will be issued next week. The remaining shares (approximately 20.6 million) are to be issued following receipt of final regulatory approval. No finders' fees or commissions are payable by the Company in connection with the private placement.

Application has been made to the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange for the first tranche of 16,485,186 shares to be admitted to trading on August 7, 2012. The shares will also be listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Further details of the private placement are available on the Nautilus website:

http://www.nautilusminerals.com/s/Media-NewsReleases.asp?ReportID=539896&_Type=News-Releases&_Title=Nautilus-to-raise-funds-and-continue-equipment-build

Certain of the statements made in this news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities law. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to statements or information with respect to the completion of the private placement. We have made numerous assumptions about the material forward-looking statements and information contained herein, including among other things, that TSX will accept the private placement including the creation of a new insider, being the principal beneficial owner of Mawarid. Even though our management believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements or information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statement or information will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements and information by their nature involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the private placement is not successfully concluded by some or all parties or that regulatory approval in respect of the private placement is not received. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information. Although we have attempted to identify factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and information, there may be other factors that cause actual results, performances, achievements or events to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond our control. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Except as required by law, we do not expect to update forward-looking statements and information as conditions change and you are referred to the full discussion of Nautilus' business contained in Nautilus' reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada.

About Nautilus Minerals Inc.

Nautilus is the first company to explore the ocean floor for polymetallic seafloor massive sulphide deposits and is developing its first project at Solwara 1, in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea, where it is aiming to produce copper, gold and silver. The company has been granted all necessary environmental and mining permits.

Nautilus also holds approximately 600,000 km² of highly prospective exploration acreage in the western Pacific; in PNG, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga, as well as in international waters in the eastern Pacific.

A Canadian registered company, Nautilus is listed on the TSX:NUS and AIM:NUS stock exchanges and OTCQX:NUSMF. Its corporate office is in Brisbane, Australia. Its major shareholders include Metalloinvest, the largest iron ore producer in Europe and the CIS, which has a 21% holding, global mining group Anglo American, which holds an 11% interest and MB Holdings, an Oman based group with interests in mining, oil & gas, which holds a 9.98% interest.