Vancouver, Canada — DeepGreen Metals, Inc., a company pioneering a new source of critical base metals which are needed for scaling up electric vehicles and energy storage globally, today announced that they have successfully derived an alloy of base metals from polymetallic nodules found on the deep ocean floor. A vast resource of essential metals — nickel, copper, cobalt […]
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One of the most significant discussions in deep-sea mining is happening not a the International Seabed Authority, but in the offices of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York. The CLCS is responsible for assessing outer continental shelf claims, those portions of a nation’s continental […]
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Scattered throughout the ocean are thick, metal-rich crusts that grow slowly on the exposed sides of seamounts. Among the three major ore types that are the predominant focus of deep-sea mining, these cobalt-rich crusts have received the least attention. While polymetallic nodules have occupied the deep-sea mining community’s collective imagination since the genesis of the […]
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Electric vehicles made a huge splash this summer, with nearly every major car manufacturer announcing a new line of all-electric, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid vehicles. Battery manufacturers announced huge leaps in production. And major shipping companies declared new commitments to electrifying their fleets while nations set ambitious targets for transitioning away from internal combustion engines. […]
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Maria Bolevich for DSM Observer Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR) is founded by Deme Group, a world leader in dredging, marine engineering and environmental remediation. In 2013, GSR and the International Seabed Authority entered into a 15-year contract for the exploration for polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Kris Van Nijen, the managing director of GSR, […]
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Andrew Thaler for Southern Fried Science In the forty years since that first discovery, hundreds of research expedition ventured into the deep oceans to study and understand the ecology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. In doing so, they discovered thousands of new species, unraveled the secrets of chemosynthesis, and fundamentally altered our understanding of what it […]
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Last week saw the conclusion of the 25th Session of the International Seabed Authority. Though much progress was made, significant work still lies ahead to meet to self-imposed 2020 deadline for implementing the draft exploitation regulations. As always, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin has provided a comprehensive summary of the overall meeting as well as day-to-day […]
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Of all the world’s oceans, the Indian Ocean is among the least explored. This is especially true in the deep Indian Ocean, which is rarely visited, despite being host to numerous ecosystems hosting new and novel species not seen anywhere else in the world. At the recent ISA Council meeting, one delegate even noted in […]
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Being deep-sea scientists is all about wandering into the unknown, strongly driven by our research motivations. Some people say that life is all about opportunities, and for us the opportunity to attend the Council meeting at 2nd part of the ISA Annual Session was one of those life changing experiences, a reinforcement of our passion […]
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Throughout the week-long Council Meeting of the 25th Session of the International Seabed Authority, one issue continuously bubbled up in the breezeways, on the bus, and around the bars, a source of debate even though it would not be brought to the table until the Assembly convened the next Monday. The topic such intense discussion? […]
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