US seeks first-mover advantage in seabed mining

Unleashing America’s offshore critical minerals: Trump signed an executive order to jump-start deep-sea mining and establish an expedited process for issuing permits in both the US and international waters, according to a statement last week. However, scientists and environmental groups are warning about the unpredictable environmental impacts of deep-sea mining, arguing that the practice could lead to irreversible damage to ecosystems.

Move fast before the rules land: The US’ push seeks to seize on the lack of internationally recognized rules on mining in international waters, a global governance vacuum that the UN agency the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is currently seeking to fill by the planned adoption of global rules via a scheduled July vote. Unlike the ISA’s 168 member states, the US did not ratify the ISA’s founding charter and is accordingly not bound by its processes, AP reported last week.

Other first-movers: Norway’s parliament passed the world’s first bill to allow commercial-scale deep-sea mining activities in January last year. The country joins a list of nations looking to capitalize on oceanic mineral reserves, including Japan, India, and the Cook Islands. China is also one of the top candidates to scale up in the field.

The environmental stakes are so high: Deep-sea mining poses huge risks to marine ecosystems, and many potential impacts are still not fully understood, according to the Netherlands-based international environmental group IUCN. The practice risks wiping out fragile seabed ecosystems, many of which are yet to be explored by science. Sediment plumes stirred up by machinery could also smother fine marine life, while noise and light pollution pose a threat to species adapted to darkness and silence.

The geopolitics: The US hopes that tapping into ocean-deep reserves would help the country move fast to offset China’s control in the minerals sector that spans the supply chain from extraction to processing and trading. The push, however, is set to intensify global geopolitical tensions over mineral access and control of international waters, CNBC reported last Friday, citing a note by Eurasia Group Analysts.

SOUND SMART- Deep-sea mining involves sending heavy machinery down to the ocean floor to harvest potato-sized mineral nodules, which are then pumped to the surface for processing. Although commercial interest in the practice dates back decades, it only recently became feasible thanks to advancements in undersea mining vehicles. A handful of countries have already approved mineral exploration permits within their exclusive economic zones, but the bulk of future operations — and regulatory fights — will center on international waters.