First Deep-Sea Mining Company Asks Trump for International Permit
that industrial operations on the ocean floor could cause irreversible biodiversity loss.Any country can allow deep-sea mining in its own territorial waters, roughly up to 200 nautical miles from shore, and companies are already lining up to mine U.S. waters.Vancouver-based The Metals Co asked the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for a commercial recovery permit under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 to operate in part of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.The application was timed to coincide
White House Could Bypass UN on Deep-Sea Mining
over acceptable levels of dust, noise and other factors from the practice.Trump's deep-sea mining order is likely to stipulate that the U.S. aims to exercise its rights to extract critical minerals on the ocean's floor and let miners bypass the ISA and seek permitting through the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's mining code, according to the sources.Such a step could give mining companies a formal permitting process to complete and avoid the potential perception that they aim to mine the ocean's floors without any oversight.The
OPT Wins Multi-year NOAA ProTech Oceans IDIQ Contract
solutions that can withstand the demanding conditions of marine environments. We look forward to working closely with NOAA to advance the understanding and sustainability of our oceans."This IDIQ award is a mandatory-use vehicle for NOAA and may also be utilized by other bureaus within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It allows for a variety of contract types, including firm fixed price, cost reimbursement, and time and materials, providing flexibility in how services are delivered and managed
US Announces $19 Million to Tackle Marine Debris
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s NOAA Sea Grant College Program announced the availability of approximately $19 million in federal funding opportunities to combat marine debris in coastal communities as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These funding opportunities will allow NOAA to help coastal communities prevent and remove marine debris. “Marine debris degrades water quality, harms habitats and ecosystems and hurts coastal workers and businesses,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “These
US Announces $575 Million for Coastal Climate Resilience
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its first-ever Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, which will provide $575 million in funding through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help coastal and Great Lakes communities, including tribal communities in those regions, become more resilient to extreme weather and other impacts of the climate crisis. The Challenge is the first and largest funding opportunity released under the $2.6 billion Inflation Reduction Act climate resilience framework that the Department unveiled in June. “Through this first-ever regional approach to
Brennan Named Director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center
resume his duties as the center’s deputy director.“I would like to thank Jamie Rhome for his steady leadership as the acting NHC director through 14 named storms of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, including the newly retired hurricanes Ian and Fiona,” added Graham.Within the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Hurricane Center is a division of NOAA and the National Weather Service’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction. The Center’s mission is to save lives, mitigate property loss, and improve economic efficiency by issuing the best watches, warnings, forecasts
Oi Americas to Host Product Launches and New Technologies
fuel, as our boats are offered as fuel-less, being green energy powered and in support of growing the blue economy.”Also New for 2023, the US Government Ocean Hub has been developed in partnership with NOAA and other Federal Agencies including BOEM, the US Department of Energy, and US Department of Commerce, to provide greater connection between Industry and US Government technical, research and strategic personnel. The Hub aims to help educate and facilitate partnerships between federal agencies, industry, and academia to support climate change adaptation, ocean research, education and blue
Shep Smith Appointed XOCEAN CTO
XOCEAN appointed Shepard "Shep" Smith as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in the latest expansion of its leadership team. Smith served 28 years as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At NOAA, Smith rose to the rank of Rear Admiral and was closely involved in advancing state-of-the-art hydrography and nautical cartography.His 10 years of working at sea included tours in Alaska, the Pacific, and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and four years as the Commanding Officer and Chief Scientist of the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.
Vestdavit Wins NOAA Marine Davit Deal
missions, including oceanographic research, marine life studies and hydrographic surveys. Davits are needed to handle RHIBS of different sizes and 30ft Hydrographic Survey Launches, depending on the NOAA mission.The all-embracing five-year contract is valued at up to US$2.5 million and aligns with U.S. Department of Commerce requirements. It covers 20 davits delivered to multiple NOAA ships and calls for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to provide annual and five-year davit inspections, hook inspections, and full training and technical support.Whether needed to support security, research or offshore
February 2025
