OTTAWA—Oceans North is calling out the actions of a Canada-based mining company that is undermining responsible governance of the global ocean. 

Yesterday, The Metals Company, which is registered in Vancouver, announced that its U.S.-based subsidiary had submitted applications to the U.S. government for permits to explore and mine minerals in the international seabed of the Pacific Ocean.

“The international seabed belongs to everyone,” says Susanna Fuller, Vice President of Conservation and Projects at Oceans North. “This move undercuts multilateral efforts to fairly govern the global commons in favour of profits for a select few.”  

Ocean areas outside of any one country’s jurisdiction are covered by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), often referred to as the “Constitution for the Ocean.” There are 170 countries who are party to UNCLOS, including Canada. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is part of this framework and governs the international seabed. The ISA has been discussing how—and whether—to open the seabed to deep sea mining, which could have irreversible impacts on poorly understood ecosystems. Canada supports a moratorium on deep sea mining, along with 31 other countries, over 900 science and policy experts, Indigenous communities around the world, and many companies and financial institutions.

The U.S. has not ratified UNCLOS, but it acknowledges it as customary international law and sends observers to participate at the ISA. However, on April 24, President Trump signed an Executive Order that directs the Secretary of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop an expedited process to asses applications under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, a 45-year-old law created prior to UNCLOS that governs U.S. citizens and companies seeking to mine in international waters. If NOAA grants The Metals Company these licenses, it would break with international law and jeopardize the history of cooperation built on UNCLOS. 

Up until now, The Metals Company was partnered with The Republic of Nauru and exploring areas of the Pacific Ocean that were set aside for developing countries through the ISA. Now they are seeking to mine the same areas under the U.S., outside of the international framework. 

“The Metals Company has been working within the bounds of the ISA for years, but now there are more and more people who are questioning both the wisdom and viability of deep sea mining,” says Nicole Zanesco, International Policy Advisor at Oceans North. “Trying to circumvent the ISA process is a desperate choice that reflects the growing pressure worldwide for a moratorium on this industry.”

For more information, please contact:

Alex Tesar
Communications Director
Oceans North
[email protected]