Let’s face it. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), with its headquarters perched on the edge of Kingston Harbour in Jamaica, is heavy going. What do I mean by that? During its meetings,…

Cancel the proposed lease sale.

Every person who takes action adds strength to the call to stop deep sea mining before it starts. I’ve had my say; now it's your turn.

Any deep-ocean seabed operation is an expensive proposition, as research vessel operators and offshore drilling companies are well aware. Deep-sea mining for manganese nodules would be no exception, demanding specialized tonnage, robotics, processing equipment and R&D. In a new report, some of the budding industry's opponents suggest that the overhead of industrial-scale subsea operations could make deep sea mining a loss-making proposition - even before accounting for environmental factors. Drawing on an investment prospectus for two projects belonging to The Metals Company, one of the biggest deep sea mining firms, the environmental consultancy Koinon conducted "stress-tests" to see if TMC's business model would hold up under various scenarios. The study was sponsored by five NGOs and foundations that are opposed to rapid commercialization of the practice. Koinon's analysts looked at typical cost overruns for megaprojects and ran 10,000 simulations on various outcomes, finding that the median outcome would result in no meaningful return. "In 60% of iterations, the collector’s net cash flow is negative in every year, with the consequence that no internal rate of return exists," Koinon's analysts wrote. "Among the minority of runs that do generate a positive return profile, the median IRR stands at 4%." The report...

Every person who takes action adds strength to the call to stop deep sea mining before it starts. I’ve had my say; now it's your turn.

An environmental group in American Samoa is taking legal action against the United States government over its plans for deep-sea mining near the territory. Fa'asao Amerika Samoa and the Conservation Council for Hawaii filed a lawsuit in August, challenging the US government's assessment of the potential risks to marine life from the proposed mining. The US is proposing to lease more than 31 million acres of seabed around American Samoa, with the lease sale scheduled for 19 November. According to the court complaint, the US has never before opened its waters to deep-sea mining. The proposed leases would initially run for 20 years, with the possibility of an extension if mining moves into production. Questions of threats to endangered species Fa'asao Amerika Samoa spokesperson Seumalu Elora Raymond told Pacific Waves that the lawsuit is challenging a decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which claims the proposed leasing activity was not likely to affect threatened or endangered marine species. Seumalu said the group was concerned that the US had not done enough to assess the risks. "Many of these endangered species are also, you know, really important sacred creatures for Samoan people, like whales and sea turtles and sharks," she...

The CEO of The Metals Company has downplayed the environmental risks of deep sea mining, describing the extraction of polymetallic nodules from the ocean floor as simply “picking up rocks” – a characterisation that has drawn immediate criticism from ocean campaigners and climate advocates. Speaking at the New York Times Climate Forward event, Gerard Barron went further, dismissing calls for a moratorium on the industry – backed by scientists, corporations and environmental groups alike – as “virtue signalling” and “a vote against science.” The Metals Company is currently seeking US authorisation to mine the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, a move widely regarded as inconsistent with international law. The company’s application remains under review by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and no commercial recovery permit has yet been issued. The International Seabed Authority, which administers mineral activities in the international seabed under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, has not approved commercial mining, and 46 countries have now called for a ban, moratorium, or precautionary pause on the industry. Barron’s comments arrive just as new evidence has emerged suggesting the seabed may be far slower to heal than his “picking up rocks” framing implies...

A magical new film captures the secret life of the deep sea in a stretch of the ocean at risk from industrial mining

For Jamaica’s fisherfolk, the sea has always been a critical source of food, livelihood, freedom and the future. It’s their pantry, workplace, and cultural centre, but as global companies look to the minerals lying deep below the ocean floor, questions emerge: what will happen to the fishers who rely on these waters when the seabed itself becomes a resource to be exploited? The way that question is answered could shape the future of Jamaica’s fisheries, and resilience among communities is already bearing the brunt of climate change events. Deep-sea mining may generate sediment plumes, destroy habitats and reduce the biodiversity that cascades through the food chain, placing fisherfolk in the middle of an uncertain ocean economy. What is deep-sea mining? The National Oceanographic Centre (NOC) defines deep-sea mining (DSM) as the “process of collecting mineral resources from the ocean floor, usually more than 1,000 metres below the surface.” These resources contain cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel and other rare elements used to make electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, solar panels and everyday electronics. Despite being at the heart of the world’s clean-energy drive, the mining of these elements raises serious environmental concerns. For Jamaica’s fisherfolk, the situation may mean that some...

npj Ocean Sustainability - The false promise of deep-sea mining

Modern-day colonialism is enabling Trump's deep sea mining ambitions in the Pacific.

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Entrepreneurs are racing to secure seabed mining permits. Then comes the hard part.

COBRA Webinar Series, September 29, 2026

We shouldn't mine the deep sea at all. Add your name before the February 23 deadline.