FRONT MATTER.PMD - International Seabed Authority

156
Annex III: art. 17
and taking into consideration all relevant factors require the operator to
maintain commercial production throughout the period of the plan of work.
AGREEMENT, ANNEX, SECTION 1, PARAGRAPH 5
5. Between the entry into force of the Convention and the approval of the
first plan of work for exploitation, the Authority shall concentrate on:
(f)
…
Adoption of rules, regulations and procedures necessary for the conduct
of activities in the Area as they progress. Notwithstanding the provisions
of Annex III, article 17, paragraph 2 (b) and (c), of the Convention,
such rules, regulations and procedures shall take into account the terms
of this Agreement, the prolonged delay in commercial deep seabed mining
and the likely pace of activities in the Area;
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
Categories of resources:
In determining the category of resources in respect of which a plan of
work may be approved, the Authority shall give emphasis inter alia to the
following characteristics:
(i) that certain resources require the use of similar mining methods; and
(ii) that some resources can be developed simultaneously without undue
interference between operators developing different resources
in the same area.
Nothing in this subparagraph shall preclude the Authority from
approving a plan of work with respect to more than one category of
resources in the same area to the same applicant.
Renunciation of areas:
The operator shall have the right at any time to renounce without penalty
the whole or part of his rights in the area covered by a plan of work.
Protection of the marine environment:
Rules, regulations and procedures shall be drawn up in order to secure
effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects directly
resulting from activities in the Area or from shipboard processing
immediately above a mine site of minerals derived from that mine site,
taking into account the extent to which such harmful effects may directly
result from drilling, dredging, coring and excavation and from disposal,
dumping and discharge into the marine environment of sediment, wastes
or other effluents.
Commercial production:
Commercial production shall be deemed to have begun if an operator engages
in sustained large-scale recovery operations which yield a quantity
of materials sufficient to indicate clearly that the principal purpose is largescale
production rather than production intended for information gathering,
analysis or the testing of equipment or plant.