Nautilus Minerals issues Options and Loan Shares

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 2, 2013) - Nautilus Minerals Inc ("Nautilus" or "Company") (TSX:NUS)(OTCQX:NUSMF) has granted 1,800,000 options and issued 400,000 loan shares to its non-executive directors as part of their remuneration for 2013. The Company has also granted 450,000 options and issued 4,100,000 loan shares to its employees, including officers, as part of the Company's retention plan for employees.

The options and loan shares were granted under the Company's Stock Option Plan and Share Loan Plan which were approved by shareholders and limit the total number of shares under the two plans to a combined maximum of 10% of the Company's issued capital.

The options and loan shares were granted to the non-executive directors at an exercise price of C$0.22, vesting as to 20% commencing on January 1, 2014 and 20% every six months thereafter and expiring on July 1, 2016.

The options and loan shares were granted to the employees, including officers, at an exercise price of C$0.24, vesting as to 40% on January 1, 2015 and 60% on January 1, 2016 and expiring on July 1, 2016.

Following the grant of the options and issue of the loan shares described in this Press Release, the issued capital of Nautilus is as follows:

For more information please refer to www.nautilusminerals.com.

Neither the TSX nor the OTCQX accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

About Nautilus Minerals Inc.

Nautilus is the first company to explore the ocean floor for polymetallic seafloor massive sulphide deposits. Nautilus was granted the first mining lease for such deposits at the prospect known as Solwara 1, in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea, where it is aiming to produce copper, gold and silver. The company has also been granted its environmental permit for this site.

Nautilus also holds approximately 500,000 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) stock exchange and (OTCQX:NUSMF). Its corporate office is in Brisbane, Australia. Its major shareholders include MB Holding, an Oman based group with interests in mining, oil & gas, which holds a 28.00% interest, Metalloinvest, the largest iron ore producer in Europe and the CIS, which has a 20.75% holding and global mining group Anglo American, which holds a 5.95% interest.