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Figure 1: Participants at the international workshop in Nadi, Fiji, November 2011.
4. Recent Deep Sea Minerals Interest in “the Area”
In recent years, some PICs have expressed their interest in
participating in the exploration and possible exploitation of deep
sea minerals in the International Seabed Area (“the Area”). Nauru
and Tonga were the first two countries to provide sponsorship, as
required under UNCLOS, to two exploration companies. Nauru
Ocean Resources Incorporation (NORI) is sponsored by Nauru,
and Tonga Offshore Mining Limited (TOML) is supported by
Tonga. The ISA has granted both companies exploration licenses
in the reserved areas of the “Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone”
(CCFZ). Marawa Research and Exploration Limited, a state owned
company in Kiribati, has recently been granted exploration licenses
on the CCFZ with Kiribati Government sponsorship. Other PICs
such as Tuvalu and Fiji have also shown interest in participating in
deepsea mineral activities in “the Area”.
Figure 2: Legislative and Regulatory Framework on Deep Sea
Minerals document.
Figure 3: Participants at the regional training workshop in Nadi, Fiji,
August 2012.
INTERRIDGE NEWS 47 VOL.21, 2012