Why in News: In March 2025, 36 countries convened at the UN’s International Seabed Authority based in Jamaica to discuss a possible moratorium on deep sea mining.
About Deep Sea Mining
It involves the process of extraction of valuable minerals and metals from the ocean floor.
Types of mining:
- Polymetallic nodules:Valuable mineral deposits dotted across the Seabed.
- Seafloor sulphide deposits: Located near hydrothermal vents.
- Cobalt crusts: Found on the slopes of underwater mountains.
Why it matters: Those deposits hold key materials, such as nickel, cobalt and rare earths, needed to make batteries, electronics and green technology.
How is deep sea mining performed?
- Huge pumps to suck up minerals from the ocean floor.
- Robots use to pick large nodules.
- Slick underwater machines that scavenge seabeds near undersea mountains.
Status: Still being developed; many methods are experimental or in pilot stage. |
Why the Urgency Now?
- Increased demand:With land-based mineral resources dwindling, so is interest in ocean deposits.
- Strategic value:The governments and industries regard this as crucial for the future of clean energy and tech manufacturing.
What Did the NEW Study Find?
Published in the Nature journal (March 26, 2025)
- Led by: National Oceanography Centre, Britain.
- Focus:Studied an 8-to-meter strip of the Pacific Ocean bed, mined in 1979.
Findings:
- It still hasn’t recovered fully — even 45 years later.
- Sediment structures are still disturbed.
- Populations of larger Marine biodiversity remain low.
- Signs of reinvading are emerging, but it is very slow.
Regulatory and Legal Landscape The regulatory and legal landscape for deep-sea mining or Seabed mining is primarily governed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body established under the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to regulate Subsea mineral deposits activities in the “Area” (seabed beyond national jurisdiction). Political Stakes and Legal Constructs: United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS): This treaty serves as the basis for the legal regime for the deep seabed and said the seabed and ocean floor beyond national jurisdiction was the “common heritage of mankind”. International Seabed Authority (ISA) The ISA is an independent international entity responsible for the management and regulation of all mineral resourcerelated activities in the “Area”. Its dual mission is to regulate and authorize mineral resource activities and to safeguard the marine environment. The ISA is responsible for creating regulations and standards for deep-sea mining, including microplastic waste . |
Way Forward
- Long-term effects:Mining can cause long-lasting, sometimes irreversible, Environmental impact of seabed mining.
- Expert view:This is an important wake-up call concerning the risks of disturbing deep-sea habitats, says the study’s leader, Daniel Jones (Marine biologist).
- Other studies reflect this:a previous study points to noise, sediment plumes and ecosystem disruption at depths even below 200 meters.
Deep sea mining may be a treasure chest of resources, but it could also be Pandora’s box of environmental issues.
