Caleb
Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific Journalist
Teuila
Fuatai, RNZ Pacific Senior
Journalist
Deep sea mining frontrunner The Metals
Company (TMC) has confirmed it will not apply for a mining
license through the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in
June, instead it will exclusively apply through US
regulations.
It is unclear what this means for
both Nauru and Tonga, who have sponsored TMC at the
ISA.
However, the firm’s chief executive Gerard Barron
said the company would still renew its subsidiary Nauru
Ocean Resources’ (NORI) exploration licence.
“We will
be renewing that because NORI is in full compliance. There
is no legal basis on which that licence cannot be renewed,”
he said during the company’s first quarter update of
2025.
TMC’s mining application through US regulations
was made possible through an executive order last month by
President Donald Trump.
The company’s application
covers 25,000 square kilometres in the Clarion Clipperton
Zone – located in the international waters in north Pacific
between Hawai’i and Mexico.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
Barron said the block was
“not claimed by any other sovereign”.
“While there is
an ability to lay claim over grounds currently under license
through the ISA by other countries we made a deliberate plan
not to do that.”
Barron added that Tonga and Nauru are
supportive of TMC’s moves.
However, China’s Ambassador
to Nauru Lu Jin said that the US trampled on the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by
creating a mechanism to allow for deep sea mining outside of
the ISA.
During a meeting
with Nauru’s President David Adeang, Lu said China and
Nauru should work together to safeguard Nauru’s interests in
deep sea mining, adding China would push the ISA to
accelerate mining progress.
Deep Sea Conservation
Coalition’s Phil McCabe said China’s deep sea mining
interest in the region is growing.
“This is the third
Pacific Island country that China has spoken to on deep sea
mining and looking for greater cooperation with, following
the Cook Islands sealed deal on cooperation and discussions
with Kiribati as well.”
ISA secretary general Leticia
Carvalho claimed the US had no authority to offer permits in
the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
“Circumventing the
regulatory authority of the ISA not only breaches
international law, but also erodes trust,” Carvalho
said.
Carvalho said TMC had been “very pushy” on
trying to get mining rules approved at the ISA, so the
company pivoting to the US was “not completely
unforeseen”.
“The new administration of the US aligns
with a number of issues regarding employment generation,
security, also regarding the fact that they’re somehow
behind China in possession of the minerals.”
Juressa
Lee with Greenpeace Aotearoa said the Trump administration
is acting outside of multilateralism.
“This sets a
very, very low bar and a terrible precedent for other
countries, [ISA] member states and wannabe deep sea mining
companies to follow.”
Despite criticism, TMC’s share
price has quadrupled since the beginning of this
year.
Barron believes the price was held back by a
lack of a clear regulatory pathway, which he sees is now
secure through the US regulations.
“We believe this
US-based pathway offers the greatest probability of
receiving a commercial permit in a timely, transparent and
legally robust manner, giving us clear line of sight to
responsible commercial operations.”
Barron expects the
commercial recovery permit to be deemed complaint prior to
the end of June, TMC will then go through an environmental
review if
successful.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
