International Seabed Authority Responds to Trump Plan
and policy matters, its reference to applicability in areas beyond national jurisdiction becomes a matter of the rule of law within the global ocean governance framework known as UNCLOS (the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea); concerns made more severe by the fact that the recent permit request is for mining in the deep sea outside of the jurisdiction of the United States.“Its issuance is also surprising because for over 30 years the US has been a reliable observer and significant contributor to the negotiations of the International Seabed Authority, actively providing technical expertise
Ocean Aero to Continuously Monitor the Port of Gulfport Autonomously
of Gulfport will implement continuous autonomous subsea surveillance. Using Ocean Aero’s technology, the Triton AUSV, they will begin running ongoing scans using a variety of subsea payloads, including bathymetry, side-scan sonar, and magnetometers to produce high-resolution comparative datasets for real-time change detection. The initiative is designed to detect irregularities in both port traffic and infrastructure, a feature that Port CEO and Executive Director, Jon Nass, says has the potential to save the port millions.Triton’s monitoring will also play a crucial role in post-hurricane
CRP Subsea to Supply Well Equipment for Shell’s Whale Development
CRP Subsea, an AIS company, has secured a contract with Shell for the supply of crushable foam wrap (CFW) for the Whale deepwater development in the Gulf of America.The initial order is for one well-set, with additional orders for four more well-sets expected throughout 2025. Each well-set comprises 1,798 CFW quadrants, each one meter in length.The package also includes installation equipment, such as adhesive (one tube per two quadrants), adhesive dispensing guns, tie wraps, and Spanset straps. CFW is an engineered syntactic foam, comprised of a thermoset resin and hollow glass microspheres (HGMS).
First Deep-Sea Mining Company Asks Trump for International Permit
to jumpstart mining in both domestic and international waters in an attempt to boost U.S. access to critical minerals and reduce China's market control.The move ratchets up tension between Washington and the United Nations-backed International Seabed Authority, which has been crafting mining standards for more than a decade, while China objected to the order as a violation of international law.Parts of the world's oceans are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and electronics.Supporters of
BOEM Seeks Public Comment for Eleventh National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
On April 18, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) would soon initiate the first step in an engagement process to develop the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program). A Request for Information and Comments (RFI) will publish in the Federal Register on April 30, 2025. BOEM is seeking an array of information and comments, including but not limited to information associated with the economic, social, and environmental values of all OCS resources, as well as the potential impact of oil and gas
Odyssey Marine Exploration Welcomes New Executive Order for Deep Sea Mining
Marine Exploration, Inc. is pleased to see the issuance of a new Executive Order titled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources. In addition, the company confirms that it currently has no specific plans to issue any securities under its universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and provides Odyssey with the flexibility to access the capital markets in a timely manner. The specifics of any future offering, along with the prices and terms of any such securities offered by Odyssey,
Concerns for Deep Sea Ecosystems Heighten as US Opens Opportunities For Mining and Extraction
In the same week as the US Government moved to accelerate offshore mining and open new opportunities for mineral extraction, a new reflection paper co-authored by PML Honorary Fellow Torsten Thiele urges the International Seabed Authority to declare a moratorium/precautionary pause on such activity.The paper, titled "Delivering Benefits to Humankind: Opportunities for the International Seabed Authority under a Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium," has been published by the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) and explores the “critical opportunities available to the International Seabed
Van Oord Expands its Trencher Fleet
trencher fleet, following the completion of a test campaign in the North Sea.Building on the expertise gained from its previous trenchers, Dig-It and Deep Dig-It, Van Oord has developed another trencher dubbed Jet-It.With the addition of the latest unit, Van Oord now operates three trenchers, all designed for the purpose of cable burial.While Dig-It and Deep Dig-It feature mechanical cutting and jetting technology, the Jet-It is equipped with jetting technology only.According to Van Oord, it boasts an efficiently designed system which uses high-pressure water to fluidize the substrate and create a trench
Trump Order Fast Tracks Subsea Mining
the mining of both U.S. and international waters as part of a push to offset China's sweeping control of the critical minerals industry.Parts of the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and electronics.More than 1 billion metric tons of those nodules are estimated to be in U.S. waters and filled with manganese, nickel, copper and other critical minerals, according to an administration official.Extracting them could boost U.S. GDP by $300 billion over 10 years and
February 2025
