A reflection of the EIA process for exploration activities at the International Seabed Authority in light of the recent NORI EIS

Commentary by Pradeep A. Singh (Fellow, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, IASS Potsdam) and Maila Guilhon (Research Associate, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, IASS Potsdam) Considering the potential of deep-sea mining activities to cause harm to the marine environment, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) requires exploration contractors and proponents for exploitation contracts to undertake an […]

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Legal Consequences of the Two-Year Rule at the ISA and Implications of Missing the Deadline

Interview with Pradeep A. Singh As part of the 27th Session of the International Seabed Authority, the Council met from 18-29 July and the Assembly from 1-5 August. One key topic that reverberated throughout the meetings was the looming deadline to complete the elaboration and adoption of regulations that would allow exploitation activities to commence, […]

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The Metals Company and Allseas Announce Successful Deep-Water Test of Polymetallic Nodule Collector Vehicle in the Atlantic Ocean at a Depth of Nearly 2,500 Meters

Engineers successfully lowered the Allseas-designed collector vehicle to the seafloor at depths of 2,470 meters, marking the first time the vehicle had been subjected to ultra-deep-water temperatures and pressures. Engineers then subjected the vehicle to extensive testing of its various pumps and critical mobility functions, driving 1,018 meters across the seafloor. Read the full release here: The […]

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SBMA Release: Cook Islands represented at the international Cobalt Institute Webinar

The Cook Islands was recently invited to participate in the Cobalt Institute’s first webinar of the year, held virtually on 20 April 2022 and covering seabed minerals (SBM). Metals like cobalt are essential for the energy transition, with deep seabed minerals increasingly being considered as a potential source. Read the full release here: SBMA Release: […]

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Tuvalu cancels its sponsorship: the role of international law.

Opinion/Editorial by Alberto Pecoraro Alberto Pecoraro is a PhD Fellow at the Law & Development Research Group of the University of Antwerp (Belgium). His research concerns the international legal protection of deep seabed mining investments. Tuvalu’s recent decision to cancel its sponsorship of Circular Metals Tuvalu Ltd. may entail far-reaching international legal consequences. On the […]

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Commentary: Can the invocation of the ‘two-year rule’ at the International Seabed Authority be challenged?

Pradeep A. Singh for the Deep-sea Mining Observer [1] In late June 2021, some three months ago now, the Republic of Nauru invoked section 1(15) of the 1994 Agreement Relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (hereinafter ‘section 1(15)’), which houses the ‘two-year rule’ or […]

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Press Release: White House Elevates Battery-Grade Nickel to ‘Critical’ Status in 100-day Supply Chain Review, Notes Huge Potential of Seafloor Resources

Vancouver, Canada – June 10, 2021-  The Metals Company (formerly DeepGreen Metals), a Canadian explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, today welcomed the findings of the White House’s comprehensive 100-day review addressing supply chain challenges and outlined how its plans can make a material contribution to re-shoring American supply chains for the critical minerals needed […]

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Furious Agreement

Opinion/Editorial by Kris Van Nijen, Global Sea Mineral Resources Harmony has broken out in the world of deep-seabed mining. At last, contractors, regulators, NGOs and end users are aligned on the way forward. After years of heated debate, a snowball effect has occurred, and all parties have agreed that more research is needed before commercial […]

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ISA Must Improve Regional Plans—and Processes—to Protect Ocean Life

Opinion/Editorial by Megan Jungwiwattanaporn When countries began to contemplate seabed mining decades ago, their representatives assumed that the ocean bottom was featureless and lifeless, uninteresting except for the minerals that might be recovered from it. Now we know that the seabed is, in fact, a varied tapestry of physical features and marine life rather than […]

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Commentary: COVID-19 and the (ab)use of the silence procedure at the International Seabed Authority

Pradeep A. Singh Pradeep Singh is a research associate at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (Potsdam, Germany). Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the scheduled July 2020 session of the Legal and Technical Commission, the Council and the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) could not take place in-person in Kingston, Jamaica. While […]

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