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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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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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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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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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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A new German technology is being promoted as the next generation in autonomous underwater vehicles. The Large Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM) is a modular, unmanned underwater vehicle capable of being customized cost-efficiently for a variety of missions. Individual base modules can be freely combined with specific mission modules to form large systems, enabling even unusual […]
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The 3rd Annual Asia-Pacific Deep Sea Mining Summit in Singapore on 21-22 November 2017 saw new technologies presented by delegates from offshore industries, bringing forth new innovations for exploration and exploitation of deep sea minerals. Presentations ranged from technology solutions for commercializing deep sea mining, to new concepts of ship building, multi-stage riser systems, umbilicals, […]
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The International Seabed Authority is mandated to promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research in the Area and to coordinate and disseminate the results of such research. In line with this, the Secretary-General’s Award for Excellence in Deep-Sea Research is intended to recognize and encourage the achievements of young researchers from developing countries […]
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Laurence Publicover, University of Bristol and Katharine Hendry, University of Bristol In the memorable second instalment of Blue Planet II, we are offered glimpses of an unfamiliar world – the deep ocean. The episode places an unusual emphasis on its own construction: glimpses of the deep sea and its inhabitants are interspersed with shots of […]
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The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) confirmed in late September that an effort to extract zinc and other metals from a hydrothermal deposit has been successful. The test, conducted in 1,600 m of water off Okinawa, is the world’s first successful mining and […]
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