{"id":40092323,"date":"2022-09-29T15:48:28","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T14:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadialogueocean.net\/?p=92323"},"modified":"2022-11-04T16:18:14","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T16:18:14","slug":"deep-sea-mining-test-approved-by-regulator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/ocean\/deep-sea-mining-test-approved-by-regulator\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep-sea mining test approved by regulator"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 14 September, the Hidden Gem \u2013 an industrial drill ship operated by a subsidiary of The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian deep-sea mining corporation \u2013 left its port in Manzanillo, Mexico. From there, it headed toward the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a vast abyssal plain in international waters of the Pacific Ocean that stretches over 4.5 million square kilometres across the deep sea, roughly equivalent in size to half of Canada.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of TMC\u2019s expedition is to test its mining equipment that will vacuum up polymetallic nodules, potato-shaped rocks formed over millions of years. The nodules contain commercially coveted minerals like cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese. TMC, a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq exchange, announced that it aims to collect 3,600 metric tons of these nodules during this test period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This operation came as a surprise to opponents of deep-sea mining, mainly because of the stealth with which they said the International Seabed Authority (ISA) \u2013 the UN-affiliated intergovernmental body dually responsible for overseeing mining in international waters and for protecting the deep sea \u2013 authorised TMC to commence the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the first such trial the ISA has authorised after years of debate over whether it should permit deep-sea mining to commence in international waters, and if so, under what conditions. News of the authorisation did not come initially from the ISA, but from TMC itself in a press release<\/a> dated 7 September. The ISA eventually posted its own statement<\/a> on 15 September, more than a week after TMC\u2019s announcement. It is not clear when the ISA granted the authorisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been caught off guard by this,\u201d said Arlo Hemphill, a senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace, an organisation campaigning to prevent deep-sea mining operations. \u201cThere\u2019s been little time for us to react.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mounting concerns, sudden actions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several weeks ago, in July and August, delegates to the ISA met in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss<\/a> how, when and if deep-sea mining could begin. In July 2021, discussions had acquired a sense of urgency when the Pacific island state of Nauru triggered an arcane rule<\/a> embedded in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that could obligate the ISA to kick-start exploitation in about two years with whatever rules are in place at the time. Nauru is the sponsor of Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI), a subsidiary of TMC that is undertaking the tests. TMC said that it expects to apply for its exploitation licence in 2023, and if approved by the ISA, to begin mining towards the end of 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ISA subsequently scheduled a series of meetings to accelerate the development of mining regulations, but has yet to adopt a final set of rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The delay is due, in part, to the increasing number of states and observers from civil society raising concerns about the safety and necessity of deep-sea mining. Some member states, including Palau, Fiji and Samoa, have even called for a moratorium<\/a> on deep-sea mining until more is understood about the marine environment that companies want to exploit. Other concerns hinge upon an environmental impact statement (EIS) that NORI had to submit in order for mining to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NORI submitted an initial draft of its EIS in July 2021, as per ISA requirements, and an updated version in March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Gianni, a political and policy adviser for the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC), a group of environmental NGOs calling<\/a> for NORI\u2019s testing approval to be rescinded, said that the ISA\u2019s Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) \u2013 the organ responsible for issuing mining licenses \u2013 previously cited \u201cserious concerns\u201d about NORI\u2019s EIS, including the fact that it lacked baseline environmental data. The LTC had also raised concerns about the comprehensiveness of the group\u2019s Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP), he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A tripod fish observed in the deep-sea (Image: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program via\u00a0Flickr<\/a>, CC BY 2.0<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But then, \u201call of a sudden\u201d, the LTC granted approval for the mining test without first consulting ISA council members, said Gianni, who acts as an observer at ISA meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that TMC announced the decision before the ISA did \u201creinforces the impression that it\u2019s the contractor and the LTC and the [ISA] secretariat that are driving the agenda, and states are following along,\u201d Gianni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harald Brekke, chair of the LTC, sent a statement similarly worded to the recent announcement made by the ISA. He said that the LTC had reviewed NORI\u2019s EIS and EMMP for \u201ccompleteness, accuracy and statistical reliability,\u201d and that an internal working group had worked closely with NORI to address concerns. In response, the mining group adequately dealt with the issues, which allowed the LTC to approve the proposed testing activities, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the [International] Seabed Authority is pro-mining<\/blockquote>Sandor Muslow, former ISA director of environment and minerals<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a normal contract procedure between the [ISA] Secretary-General and the Contractor, on the advice and recommendations by the [Legal and Technical] Commission,\u201d Brekke said in the emailed statement. \u201cIt is not a decision to be made by the [ISA] Council. According to the normal procedure of ISA, the details of this process will be [communicated] by the Chair of the Commission to the Council at its session in November.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI also would like to point out that this procedure has followed the regulations and guidelines of ISA,\u201d Brekke added, \u201cwhich are implemented to take care of the possible environmental impacts of this kind of exploration activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Gianni said he did not believe the LTC had satisfactorily reviewed the EIS for its full potential of environmental impact, nor had it considered the \u201cserious harmful effects on vulnerable marine ecosystems\u201d as required under the ISA\u2019s own exploration regulations<\/a> for polymetallic nodules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions about transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sandor Mulsow, who worked as the director of environment and minerals at the ISA between 2013 and 2019, said that the ISA \u201cis not fit to carry out an analysis of environmental impact assessment\u201d and that the grounds on which the ISA authorised NORI to begin testing were questionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the [International] Seabed Authority is pro-mining,\u201d Mulsow, who now works as a professor at Universidad Austral de Chile, said. \u201cThey\u2019re not complying with the role of protecting the common heritage of humankind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sea cucumber seen at 5,100 metres depth on abyssal sediments in the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone (Image: DeepCCZ expedition\/NOAA via\u00a0Flickr<\/a>, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A recent investigation<\/a> by the New York Times revealed that the ISA gave TMC critical information over a 15-year period that allowed the company to access some of the most valuable seabed areas marked for mining, giving it an unfair advantage over other contractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ISA has also frequently been criticised for its lack of transparency<\/a>, including the fact that the LTC meets behind closed doors and provides few details about why it approves mining proposals. The ISA has previously granted dozens of exploratory mining licences to contractors, although none have yet received an exploitation licence. While NORI is not technically undertaking exploratory mining in this instance, their testing of mining equipment falls under exploration regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mongabay reported<\/a> that transparency issues were even prominent during the ISA meetings that took place in July and August this year, including restrictions on participation and limited access to key information for civil society members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ISA did not respond to questions, instead deferring to the statement from Brekke, the LTC chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Full-blown mining in test form\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the mining trial set to take place in the CCZ \u2013 which could begin as early as next week \u2013 NORI will be testing out its nodule collector vehicles and riser systems that will draw the nodules about 3,000 meters from the seabed to the surface. If NORI does begin exploitation in 2024, Gianni said the risers will be pumping about 10,000 metric tonnes of nodules up to a ship per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a hell of a lot,\u201d Gianni said. \u201cThis is heavy duty machinery. This is piping that has to withstand considerable pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NORI intends<\/a> to extract 1.3 million metric tons of wet nodules each year in the exploitation stage of its operation, TMC reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Metals Company argues that this mining will provide minerals necessary to power a global shift toward clean energy. Indeed, demand for such minerals is growing as nations urge consumers to take up electric vehicles in an effort to combat climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mining opponents, however, have argued<\/a> that renewable technologies like electric cars don\u2019t actually need the minerals procured from mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, a growing cadre of scientists have been warning against the dangers of deep-sea mining, arguing that we don\u2019t know enough about deep-sea environments to destroy them. What we do know about the deep-sea suggests that mining could have far-reaching consequences<\/a>, such as disturbing phytoplankton blooms at the sea\u2019s surface, introducing toxic metals into marine food webs, and dispersing mining waste over long distances across the ocean \u2013 far enough to affect distant fisheries and delicate ecosystems like coral reefs and seamounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery time somebody goes and collects some sample in that area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, there\u2019s a new species coming up,\u201d Mulsow said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know how to name them, and we want to destroy them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe that polymetallic nodules are a compelling solution to the critical mineral supply challenges facing society in our transition away from fossil fuels<\/blockquote>The Metals Company spokesperson<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

TMC has stated that the testing activities will be monitored by \u201cindependent scientists from a dozen leading research institutions around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Hemphill of Greenpeace, who also has ISA observer status, questions whether the monitoring process will be unbiased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thinking there\u2019s a high chance that these risers might not work,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if there\u2019s not a third party observer out there, then we just have to rely on The Metals Company\u2019s own recording.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be basically a full-blown mining operation in test form, where they\u2019re not only using the [collector] equipment, but they\u2019re using the risers to bring the nodules to the surface,\u201d Hemphill added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nodule collection trials like the one NORI is undertaking haven\u2019t been conducted in the CCZ since the 1970s, TMC noted in its press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we reached out to TMC for further information about its operation, a spokesperson for the company said that they \u201cbelieve that polymetallic nodules are a compelling solution to the critical mineral supply challenges facing society in our transition away from fossil fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile concern is justified as to the potential impacts of any source of metals \u2013 whether from land or sea \u2013 significant attention has been paid to mitigate these, including by setting aside more area for protection than is under licence in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018No way back\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mulsow said he was sure that this trial would pave the way for exploitation to start next year, not only giving TMC\u2019s NORI access to the deep-sea\u2019s resources, but opening the gates for other contractors to begin similar operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[In June] 2023, we will have \u2026 the application for the first mining licence for the deep sea,\u201d he said, \u201cand then there will be no way back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hemphill said he also feared the move would set a process into motion for mining to start next year, but added that Greenpeace would continue its fight to stop mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not giving up just because the two-year rule comes to pass,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then if things get started, we\u2019re in this for the long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gianni said he was hopeful that the dynamic could also change at the next ISA meeting scheduled for November, in which delegates will get the chance to discuss whether they\u2019re obligated to approve the start of mining the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that the LTC has done this \u2026 may finally get council members to start saying, \u2018Wait a minute, we need to bring this renegade fiefdom [at] the heart of the ISA structure under control,\u201d Gianni said, \u201cbecause they\u2019re going off and deciding things in spite of all the reservations that are being expressed by the countries that are members of the ISA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from <\/em>Mongabay<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The International Seabed Authority has greenlighted a trial collection of polymetalic nodules from the Pacific Ocean floor, surprising observers and possibly paving the way for mining to begin in earnest in 2024 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20000283,"featured_media":40092324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50039901],"tags":[40027800,40027778],"hashtags":[],"country":[50040710,50002597],"class_list":["post-40092323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ocean","tag-deep-sea-mining","tag-marine-protection","country-canada","country-mexico"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeep-sea mining test approved by regulator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The International Seabed Authority's decision surprised observers, possibly paving the way for mining to begin in earnest in 2024\" \/>\n<meta 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