Deep Sea Mining

The commencement of deep-sea mining plans faced a setback following a meeting of UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Jamaica in July 2023. The meeting concluded without reaching an agreement on the regulatory framework for the industry.

Following the failure to reach an agreement in July 2023, the ISA has time until 2025 to finalise regulations governing the exploration of deep-sea mining in international waters.

Commencing in 2024, formal discussions on the potential environmental impacts will inform the ISA’s ultimate decision. However, uncertainty still looms over what will occur in the interim.

Many nations have already submitted applications to the UN’s International Seabed Authority (ISA) for exploration permits to engage in deep-sea mining. However, despite extensive research efforts, our understanding of the deep ocean remains limited. Concerns are mounting that extracting minerals from these depths could have severe repercussions for marine life and the overall health of our planet.

International Seabed Authority (ISA)

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an intergovernmental organisation operating under the United Nations. Its primary mandate is to establish a comprehensive “mining code,” consisting of regulations, procedures, and guidelines, for the exploration and exploitation of minerals in the international seabed area.

Additionally, the ISA is entrusted with the crucial responsibility of safeguarding the marine environment, aiming to mitigate potential adverse impacts stemming from deep-sea mining activities.

What Is Deep Sea Mining?

Deep sea mining is a method to get minerals from the deep parts of the ocean. This is usually done 200m below the sea surface, which covers most of the ocean floor.
The purpose of this process is to get ores that have valuable metals like cobalt, manganese, and zinc. These metals are not commonly found.
The metals obtained are used in several ways. They are needed for making batteries, which power electric cars and renewable energy systems. They are also used in making laptops and smartphones.

Polymetallic Nodules (PMN)

Polymetallic Nodules, also known as PMN, are small, rock-like formations found on the deep ocean floor.
These nodules develop over many millions of years, growing around various materials such as shark teeth, bones, and rock fossils that have fallen to the seabed.
The growth process involves mineral precipitation from the surrounding water, causing these materials to gradually accumulate into PMN.
PMNs can range in size, similar to anything from a small grape to a large potato.
They are rich in a variety of minerals including ferromanganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper, making them potentially valuable for mining.
However, research indicates that mining these nodules could have serious impacts on marine biodiversity and ecosystems, and we currently don’t have the knowledge or tools to mitigate these impacts.

Impact Of Deep Sea Mining On Biodiversity And Ecosystems

Seafloor Disruption: Mining operations involve the excavation of the ocean bed, which can lead to the modification or complete destruction of deep-sea habitats. The extraction process could result in the extinction of unique species and a breakdown or loss of ecosystem functionality. This form of damage is the most immediate consequence of deep-sea mining and is likely irreversible.
Sediment Clouds: Mining activates fine sediments, forming clouds of suspended particles. This effect could be intensified by the discharge of waste water from mining ships on the ocean surface. There’s a concern among the scientific community that these particles could spread over vast distances, take significant time to settle back onto the seafloor, and impact ecosystems and species of commercial or vulnerable status. For example, these sediment clouds could bury living creatures, pose threats to species that feed on filter, and interfere with the visual communication of underwater creatures.
Pollution: Mining operations, equipment, and ships can introduce noise, vibrations, and light, potentially disrupting the lives of species like whales, tuna, and sharks. Other potential hazards include leakages and spills of fuel and harmful substances.

What Can Be Done?

According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Area and its valuable mineral resources are considered the shared heritage of all humanity.

This entails their management on behalf of and in the best interests of all humanity, encompassing the following: equitable sharing of economic benefits, fostering marine scientific research, and ensuring effective protection of the marine environment.

During the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille (September 2021), Resolution 122 was adopted by IUCN Members. This resolution aims to safeguard deep-ocean ecosystems and biodiversity by implementing a moratorium on deep-sea mining. However, this moratorium will only be lifted once a set of predetermined conditions are met.

These include:

The hazards associated with mining are thoroughly comprehended, and it is possible to guarantee effective protection measures.
Thorough and transparent impact assessments are carried out, utilising comprehensive baseline studies.;
Both the Precautionary Principle and the ‘Polluter Pays Principle’ are actively enforced and put into action.;
Policies embracing the principles of circular economy, aimed at reusing and recycling minerals, have been developed and put into practice.;
The public is involved in the decision-making process from start to finish, ensuring that their voices are heard and considered.
Deep-sea mining governance is characterised by transparency, accountability, inclusivity, effectiveness, and environmental responsibility.

Importance Of Deep Sea Mining For India

Deep-sea mining holds enormous potential for India, opening up access to vital resources and contributing significantly to the country’s growth and prosperity.
The vast oceans, covering 70% of Earth, have a lot yet to be discovered, especially the deep ocean.
With its vast coastline and a substantial population living in coastal regions, India depends heavily on the ocean for numerous economic activities. The oceans, which border the country on three sides, play a crucial role in supporting various sectors of the economy.
These activities include fishing, tourism, trade, and providing livelihoods.
Additionally, oceans are a rich source of food, energy, minerals, and medicines and they play a critical role in weather and climate regulation.
Recognising the vital role of oceans in sustainable development, the United Nations has declared the decade 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
India boasts a distinctive maritime position, with a coastline stretching 7517 km and encompassing nine coastal states along with 1382 islands.
In February 2019, the Indian Government unveiled its Vision of New India by 2030. This ambitious vision highlighted the significance of the Blue Economy as one of the ten key sectors for growth, underscoring the crucial role of the ocean economy in the country’s overall development.

India’s Journey Into Open Sea

The open seas belong to everyone and not just one country. Their use is watched over by many international groups.
A lot of countries and big businesses have been allowed to explore areas of the ocean floor by the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
Most of the Open Sea is in the Pacific Ocean, in an area called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. This place has lots of PMN, cobalt, and nickel.
In August 1987, India was recognized as a starting investor by the ISA. India got an area of 75,000 sq km in the Central Indian Ocean in March 2002. This marked the beginning of India’s work in surveying and exploring, and the development of technology for these nodules’ mining from depths up to 6000m.
Initially, the allotted time by the ISA contract was for 15 years. But it was extended for five years in 2017 and again recently, for another five years.
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences in India estimates that there are about 380 million metric tonnes (MMT) of PMN resources in this area, which contains 4.7MMT of nickel, 4.29MMT of copper, 0.55MMT of cobalt, and 92.59MMT of manganese.

Deep Ocean Mission

In June 2021, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) received approval from the Government of India for the “Deep Ocean Mission”.
The mission’s objective is to explore the deep ocean for resources and to create sustainable deep-sea technologies for the use of these resources.
The mission is expected to cost Rs 4077 crore over five years, carried out in stages. The estimated expense for the first phase (2021-2024) is Rs 2823.4 crore.
The Deep Ocean Mission aims to support the Government of India’s Blue Economy Initiatives and will operate as a project under mission mode.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal ministry in charge of executing this ambitious, multi-institutional mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission includes six major components:

Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible

A three-person manned submersible is under development, with the capacity to descend to 6000 meters in the ocean. It will be equipped with a suite of scientific sensors and tools.
Only a small number of countries currently possess this deep-sea technology.
Additionally, an Integrated Mining System is being developed for the purpose of mining Polymetallic Nodules from the central Indian Ocean at depths of 6000 meters.
These exploration studies are laying the groundwork for future commercial exploitation. This aligns with the development of a commercial exploitation code by the International Seabed Authority.
This technological breakthrough perfectly aligns with the Blue Economy’s primary objective of delving into and harnessing the vast potential of deep-sea minerals and energy resources.

Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services

A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of coastal tourism.
India is planning to create a range of tools and models. These will help it understand and make predictions about key climate variables. These predictions will cover everything from seasonal to decadal timeframes.
This project is just a proof of concept for now. But, it has the potential to significantly aid our understanding of climate change.
A key area this project will support is coastal tourism, which is part of the Blue Economy priority area.

Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity

The primary focus will be on exploring and conserving the biodiversity of deep-sea life, including plants, animals, and microbes.
Research will be conducted on how to use deep-sea bio-resources sustainably.
This initiative will support the Blue Economy’s other priority area: Marine Fisheries and related services.

Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration

The main goal of this part is to search and find possible places in the Indian Ocean where multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides are formed. These are found along ridges in the middle of the ocean.
This part will also help with the Blue Economy’s focus area of exploring resources in the deep sea.

Energy and freshwater from the Ocean

Studies and detailed engineering designs for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plants are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal.
This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of offshore energy development.

Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology

This focuses on fostering human capacity and promoting enterprise in the fields of ocean biology and engineering.
By utilising on-site business incubator facilities, this component will bridge the gap between research and industrial application, facilitating product development and ensuring seamless translation of innovative ideas into tangible outcomes.
This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.

Samudrayaan Mission

The Samudrayaan mission is a unique ocean project launched by India in October 2021.
This project puts India in a group of special countries like the US, Russia, Japan, France, and China that have the technology for deep-sea activities.
The goal of Samudrayaan is to send a team of experts into the deep ocean for various studies.
The mission involves creating a manned submersible or underwater vehicle that can carry three people to a depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean.
This vehicle will have scientific tools for exploring the deep ocean and will be able to operate for 12 hours, or up to 96 hours in an emergency.
The submersible will enable scientists to directly observe and understand uncharted areas of the deep sea.
The timeline for this project is five years, from 2020-2021 to 2025-2026.
The National Institute of Ocean Technology in Chennai, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has developed a Remotely Operated Vehicle and other tools for deep-sea exploration.

MATSYA 6000

The initial design of the manned underwater vehicle, ‘MATSYA 6000’, is finished.
The construction of the vehicle is now underway, with several organizations like ISRO, IITM, and DRDO providing support.
‘MATSYA 6000’ is a manned submersible vehicle that has been developed in our own country.
Its main purpose is to help the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) carry out exploration activities deep in the ocean.

Importance of Manned Submersible

Manned submersibles play a crucial role in performing a variety of underwater tasks, including detailed seabed mapping, assessing biodiversity, conducting geological studies, engaging in search operations, performing salvage work, and providing engineering support.

Despite the advanced capabilities of unmanned underwater vehicles, which offer superior maneuverability and vision systems akin to direct observation, manned submersibles still hold a distinct advantage. They allow researchers a sense of physical immersion and provide superior intervention capacity, enriching the overall exploratory experience.