Joshua Tuhumwire

Views from Africa: An with Interview with Uganda’s Joshua Tuhumwire

With over 30 years of service to the Ugandan Department of Geological Survey and Mines (DGSM), including the role of Commissioner from 2001-2010, geologist Joshua T. Tuhumwire brings a wealth of mineral and mining experience into his current role as the permanent representative of Uganda to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and a member of […]

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Challenges at Nautilus

Challenges at Nautilus Continue

A series of internal and external pressures have been plaguing the Canadian deep sea mining firm Nautilus Minerals for months with no clear resolution in sight.  The challenges facing Nautilus are hindering efforts to move forward on the Company’s flagship effort, the controversial Solwara One seabed mining project in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea.  DSM […]

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ore sorting

New Mineral-Sensing Technology Accelerates Ore Sorting

A new technology may accelerate ore sorting by illuminating batches of ore with short pulses of radio waves, assessing ore grade and enabling high tonnage sorting at rates of up to 5,000 tons per hour.  The technology uses sensors to sees through large ore batches in real time as they pass through an open-ended chamber. […]

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Training Opportunities

New Training Opportunities Announced

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has announced new opportunities for 2018 in three different Contractor Training Programs.  The total of fifteen new openings are designed for trainees from developing States and include opportunities for scholarships, seminar support, internships and at-sea training. The new opportunities are supported through the training programs of Global Sea Mineral Resources […]

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PNG Deep sea Mining

New BBC Segment Spotlights PNG Deep Sea Mining

BBC News science editor David Shukman reports on the developing Nautilus Minerals deep sea mining project Solwara One, in Papua New Guinea’s Bismark Sea. “Plans for the world’s first deep sea mine are taking shape in the waters off Papua New Guinea. The ocean floor is rich in gold, copper and other minerals in big […]

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Paul Lynch

Deep Sea Mining from a Pacific Island State Perspective: An Interview with Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Commissioner Paul Lynch

Since August 2012, Paul Lynch has led the Cook Islands’ Seabed Minerals Authority, which oversees development of the islands’ national seabed mineral resource. A lawyer with over 25 years of wide and varied legal experience in the private sector, Commissioner Lynch is shaping deep sea mining as an industry, both in the Cook Islands and […]

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cobalt

Cobalt on the Rise

Interest in deep sea mining has been accelerating due to the rising price of cobalt. The metal is an important component of EV batteries, laptops and cell phones. In October 2017, cobalt prices reached a nine-year high, trading at around US$30 per pound, tripling its 2015 value of US$10.   The rise is not only seen […]

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Cook Islands

Cook Islands Partners to Explore Pacific Bounty

The government of the Cook Islands, through the Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC), entered into an agreement in September with U.S. based Ocean Minerals, LLC (OML) for the exclusive right for up to 18 months to prospect and explore high value polymetallic nodules over approximately 23,000 square kilometers of the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone […]

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ISA Secretariat Japan Presents Credentials

Update on ISA Secretariat Activities

During October-November 2017, Secretary-General Michael Lodge and his staff at the ISA Secretariat have been busy advancing and promoting the work of the ISA.   Noteworthy milestones include: 15 October 2017. An ISA delegation led by Secretary-General Lodge visited Poland for a series of official meetings and discussions with the Polish Minister of Environment Mariusz Orion […]

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