Overview

• ISA member states ended the July assembly without consensus on any of the three proposed Mining Code options, leaving deep-sea resource extraction unregulated.
• The ISA has asked its committees to scrutinise firms such as The Metals Company and Nauru Ocean Resources and to revoke licences issued outside its regulatory regime.
• The Metals Company filed for a US government permit in April to bypass ISA oversight and accelerate seabed mineral extraction in international waters.
• Scientists and environmental groups warn that manganese nodule mining could inflict irreversible damage on largely unexplored deep-sea ecosystems.
• Germany is pursuing a dual strategy of advocating stringent environmental safeguards while securing access to critical minerals and supporting high seas treaty ratification.