Deep-sea mining could begin in international waters as early as next year, yet policymakers are still disputing how to govern such activities. At the end of March representatives from the 36 member states of the council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the UN-affiliated regulator of deep-sea mining activities in international waters, met for talks […]
Experts and academics are invited to join a new science network that will help to provide evidence on the environmental impact of deep-sea mining. The UK Government has launched a new UK-based environmental science network, to gather scientific data, and carry out world-class research to help assess the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining. Eligible applicants […]
By Ashley Pearl in The Conversation: Norway has a reputation for environmental leadership, from championing international biodiversity policies to its wilderness protection and ambitious biodiversity regulations. Now it is leading into another area, leveraging its long legacy of offshore oil and gas production into developing deep-sea mining. In January Norway became the first nation to open its continental shelf to commercial […]
Norway has become the first country in the world to move forward with commercial-scale deep-sea mining. The bill, passed in the Norwegian Parliament, will accelerate the exploration for precious metals which are in high demand for green technologies. Scientists have warned it could be devastating for marine life. Norway’s parliament voted 80–20 in favour of […]
The United Nations-affiliated International Seabed Authority (ISA) has given itself a timeline for setting rules and oversight for companies that want to mine the ocean floor for minerals. At its annual meeting, the ISA’s 36-member policymaking Council said it would work “with a view” to adopting regulations in 2025. The agreement came after hours of closed-door […]
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is a very large area of the Pacific Ocean located between Hawaii and Mexico. A deep sea abyssal plain, it is scattered with nodules of highly valuable minerals. These nodules are aggregates of minerals such as iron and manganese hydroxides, materials that are predicted to be in increasingly high demand as […]
Deep-sea mining negotiations closed in Kingston, Jamaica, with member countries of the Council hotly debating but failing to agree on a procedure to handle applications for provisional licenses after a deadline expires on 9 July 2023. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) are meeting intensively in 2023 with the aim of agreeing and adopting deep-sea mining […]
Loke Marine Minerals (Loke) has announced the acquisition of deep-sea mineral business UK Seabed Resources (UKSR) from Lockheed Martin UK. UKSR holds a 100% interest in two deep sea mineral licences located in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean, sponsored by the United Kingdom. The licences are issued by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). […]