24/7 Space News
WATER WORLD
Canadian deep sea miner to seek US permit as intl talks drag on
Canadian deep sea miner to seek US permit as intl talks drag on
by AFP Staff Writers
New York (AFP) Mar 28, 2025

A Canadian mining firm seeking to become the first company allowed to excavate seabeds in international waters said Thursday it will seek US authorization in a move slammed by Greenpeace.

The Metals Company said the United States offered "the greatest probability of receiving a commercial permit" as negotiations over global regulations drag on.

Mining companies are pushing for the go-ahead to scrape vast sections of the Pacific Ocean for metals such as nickel and cobalt, which are used in electric car batteries.

But conservation groups fear this could devastate poorly understood marine systems that play a crucial role in regulating the climate.

The Metals Company invested more than half a billion dollars over the past 10 years to "understand and responsibly develop" mining in the Pacific and was "ready" to begin commercial operations, the firm's CEO Gerard Barron told a conference call.

The decision to seek authorization under US law came after the "repeated failures" of the ISA to reach an agreement, he added.

The announcement comes as members of the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA) debate a global mining code, which is more than a decade in the making.

The Metals Company announced in late 2024 that it would seek the world's first permit from the ISA on June 27, 2025, via its subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (Nori).

The industry giant hopes to extract polymetallic nodules -- stone-like mineral deposits made up of prized metals -- from the Pacific seabed.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea gives the ISA responsibility for regulating extraction of the minerals that lie outside national marine borders.

But the body, which currently only awards exploration licenses, has been negotiating for more than 10 years over a mining code to regulate the sector.

An ongoing negotiating session in Kingston, Jamaica, has failed to produce any breakthroughs, faced with concerns from scientists, NGOs and a growing number of governments.

With no mining code in sight, any application The Mining Company submitted in June would fall into legal limbo.

The company, via its American subsidiary, will instead seek approval from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), under a 1980 law establishing US rules for international seabed exploitation, it said.

"This is another of TMC's pathetic ploys and an insult to multilateralism," Louisa Casson, a global project leader at Greenpeace, told AFP.

"This action perpetuates the reckless race for resources, the consequences of which we know to be disastrous worldwide. The Pacific is not real estate to be bought, sold, or stolen."

She said the move was an "insult" to Pacific nations Nauru and Tonga, which have been working with The Metals Company in the hope of starting deep-sea mining.

But the firm said it had discussed the plans with the presidents of both island states, and enjoys "excellent" relations with them.

"We continue to respect our agreements," said chief financial officer Craig Shesky, adding that discussions with sponsoring states would continue.

He said the firm was still considering details such as which US regulator it would apply to.

The United States is not a member of the ISA nor the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Metals Company has also indicated it will specify which areas it will include in its contract at a later date.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WATER WORLD
Kiribati eyes deep-sea mining deal with China
Sydney (AFP) Mar 18, 2025
Pacific nation Kiribati says it is exploring a deep-sea mining partnership with China, dangling access to a vast patch of Pacific Ocean harbouring coveted metals and minerals. Beijing has been ramping up efforts to court Pacific nations sitting on lucrative seafloor deposits of cobalt, nickel and copper - recently inking a cooperation deal with Cook Islands. Kiribati opened discussions with Chinese ambassador Zhou Limin after a longstanding agreement with leading deep-sea mining outfit The Met ... read more

WATER WORLD
US imposes trade restrictions on dozens of entities with eye on China

NRL imager begins solar wind observations aboard NASA PUNCH mission

Spaceo leads ESA project to deploy inflatable sail for satellite disposal

Smiles, thumbs ups and a safe return for 'stranded' NASA astronauts

WATER WORLD
SpaceX rocket fuel makes stunning swirl in European sky

Norway hosts mainland Europe's first orbital vehicle launch

Mainland Europe's first orbital rocket launch postponed

SpaceX sets rocket re-use record Friday with a nine-day turnaround

WATER WORLD
Sols 4488-4490: Progress Through the Ankle-Breaking Terrain

Mars climate contrast deepens with new atmospheric wave study

NASA's rover Curiosity finds biggest known organic molecules on Mars

NASA's Curiosity Rover Detects Largest Organic Molecules Found on Mars

WATER WORLD
China's Galactic Energy expands Yunyao satellite network with successful launch

Shenzhou XIX astronauts complete third spacewalk outside Tiangong

Hong Kong spearheads lunar robotics initiative for national space program

Joint initiatives to propel China's commercial space industry forward

WATER WORLD
SKY Perfect JSAT contracts Thales Alenia Space for JSAT 32 satellite project

Globalstar launches advanced control center in Louisiana to boost satellite operations

Space Norway signs Intelsat as lead broadcaster on THOR 8 satellite

What to know about the satellite communications race

WATER WORLD
OpenAI says it raised $40 bn at valuation of $300 bn

World's third largest steelmaker posts nearly $1 bn loss

Four men loom large in Microsoft history

South Korea's life game 'InZOI' challenges 'The Sims'

WATER WORLD
Super Earth uncovered by tandem space observations

Microbial traces found in desert rocks hint at unknown life form

'Dark oxygen': a deep-sea discovery that has split scientists

TOI-1453 system hosts contrasting super-Earth and low-mass sub-Neptune

WATER WORLD
NASA's Hubble Telescope May Have Uncovered a Triple System in the Kuiper Belt

NASA's Europa Clipper Leverages Mars for Critical Gravity Assist

Oort cloud resembles a galaxy, new study finds

The PI's Perspective: A New Mission Update for the New Year

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.