Emerging Regimes: International and Domestic Regulations for Deep-sea Mining
Published by Marine Technology
Published by Marine Technology
Two parallel regulatory regimes for deep-sea mining have begun to emerge in recent years. On the one hand, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is in charge of regulating the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction (the area).
The ISA successfully enacted exploration regulations in 2013, but has since reached an apparent stalemate in finalizing the Rules, Regulations and Procedures on
Exploitation (exploitation RRP) for commercial production of marine minerals.
Exploitation (exploitation RRP) for commercial production of marine minerals. On the other hand, in recent years, a number of states have been working on establishing their own domestic legal frameworks to regulate exploration and exploitation activities within their exclusive economic zones (EEZ). While the focus has historically been on the ISA, this domestic push has the potential to accelerate the establishment of the nascent industry.
In this article, published by Marine Technology, Louise Woods and Elena Guillet explore the status of the international and domestic regimes, and to learn what developments to look for in 2025.
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