Barnacles attached to hydrothermal vent spires feeding at Kawio Barat. Critics of the Solwara 1 project raised concerns about its potential impact on the ecosystems that center on hydrothermal vents. Image courtesy of NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, INDEX-SATAL 2010

After the loss of a ship, deep sea mining plans for PNG founder

David Hutt for Monga Bay | 26 December 2018 An ambitious plan to mine precious minerals from the ocean floor off the coast of Papua New Guinea looks to have run aground due to the developer’s financial problems. In 2011, the government of Papua New Guinea granted Canada-based Nautilus Minerals a 20-year mining license covering […]

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Nautilus deep sea mining plans in doubt over vessel conflict

Australian Mining | 12 December 2018 Nautilus Minerals’ production support vessel (PSV) has been acquired by Indian company MDL Energy in a blow to Nautilus’ deep-sea mining plans. The in-construction PSV is a cornerstone of the Canadian company’s plans for its Solwara 1 deep sea mining project in Papua New Guinea. The Solwara 1 project […]

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OEV acquires Nautilus production support vessel

Daniel Gleeson for International Mining | 12 December 2018 Ocean Energy Ventures (OEV), a subsidiary of the MDL Energy group of companies, together with Quippo Oil and Gas, has acquired the newly built production support vessel previously destined for Nautilus Minerals and its Solwara 1 copper-gold marine mining project off the coast of Papua New […]

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New paper considers protection for damage caused by deep-sea mining

Sonali Campion for The Commonwealth | 7 December 2018 A new Commonwealth paper examines who should be held responsible if deep-sea mining in international waters causes environmental damage. Written by Hannah Lily, Legal Adviser in the Commonwealth’s Oceans and National Resources team, it is part of an eight-part series produced in collaboration with the Centre for International […]

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CEO Paula Ma'u (R) and Ta'hirih Fifita Hokafonu. - ‘Olive Tree planting by the Red Sea in Egypt - The purpose for was to contribute to the efforts of biodiversity through planting olive trees at the Peace and Environment Museum or known as the Peace Park. It was also in support of the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and Vision to 2050” for Egypt with suggestion to revisit it after 25 years marking the collective efforts of the member countries. Photo/Facebook

Deep sea mining a possibility, but could harm tourist industry, warns ministry CEO

Philip Cass for Kaniva Tonga News | 6 December 2018 Tonga is exploring the possibility of deep sea mining. However, there have been warnings that mining the seabed could cause environmental problems and could harm Tonga’s whale watching industry. Paula Ma’u, CEO of the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and […]

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A manganese-crusted rock sample being grabbed from the Te Tukunga o Fakahotu dive site, just north of the Manihiki Plateau, near the Cook Islands. Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Mountains in the Deep: Exploring the Central Pacific Basin.

Cooks opposition in the dark over seabed mining

Radio New Zealand | 10 December 2018 The Cook Islands opposition MP Selina Napa has asked the government to reveal what changes are being planned for the Seabed Mining Act. Ms Napa said reported statements that the changes would be made public when they are tabled in Parliament “isn’t good enough”. Read the full article […]

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If commercial mining of seabeds is to prove viable, specialist machinery such as robot submarines will need to be developed. AFP

India sees ocean floor as ripe for mining

The National | 6 December 2018 In the classic 1870 Jules Verne novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, underwater explorer Captain Nemo predicted the mining of the ocean floor’s mineral bounty – zinc, iron, silver and gold. India is catching up with that only now, as it prepares to unearth treasures down below, aiming to boost […]

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submerged trials deep sea mining

A high-profile deep-sea mining company is struggling

The Economist | 5 December 2018 AFTER LISTING on the Toronto stock exchange in 2006 Nautilus Minerals became the public face of a daring new industry: deep-sea mining. It planned to pursue riches on the ocean floor, mining metals such as gold, zinc and copper, desired respectively for lustre, alloys and electronics. Robotic machines would […]

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Container ships currently use bunker fuel, a residue from crude oil that is cheaper but dirtier than petrol and diesel © Bloomberg

Maersk pledges to cut carbon emissions to zero by 2050

Richard Milne for the Financial Times | 4 December 2018 The world’s largest container shipping company has pledged to cut net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, challenging an industry that is both one of the main transporters of global trade and one of the biggest polluters to come up with radical solutions in the […]

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Nautilus Minerals' PSV under construction

Nautilus jumps on possible support vessel reprieve

Mining Journal | 7 December 2018 Marine mining pioneer Nautilus Minerals jumped 20% in Toronto this week after it revealed plans to form a new joint venture with arm’s length third parties to fund completion of its production support vessel (PSV) in China. Read the full article here: Nautilus jumps on possible support vessel reprieve.

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