TEMPO.CO, Kingston, Jamaica - The Council Meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) ended on Monday, July 21, 2025, without a mining code being adopted. The ISA has previously reaffirmed that mining should not begin until such restrictions are in place. Additionally, it started looking into what The Metals Company companies were doing in relation to the US application for deep-seabed mining.
"Deep-sea mining has already proven itself to be a rogue and toxic industry, and rushing to mine the ocean represents a shortcut to disaster," stated Sofia Tsenikli, DSCC Campaign Director. States must immediately impose a moratorium on extraction and give priority to scientific research that can genuinely help all of us, rather than wasting time and resources attempting to control this extremely harmful and speculative activity. States can preserve our world's remaining pristine regions and our children's and grandchildren's rights to live on a healthy planet by preserving the deep sea, which is a shared human legacy.
The deep-sea mining industry faces additional challenges as a result of discussions over the last two weeks that have exposed the scope and complexity of unsolved regulatory issues as well as numerous other outstanding matters that the international community must deal with. Four topics covering further challenges that need to be resolved were highlighted by the Council. These include issues related to the environment, finances, regulations, procedures, and institutions, as well as governance.
This reflects growing concerns about the dangers of opening up the ocean to destructive deep-sea mining from a variety of stakeholders, including banks, leading companies, scientists, and Indigenous leaders. A moratorium is the best and safest course of action.
The Metals Company (TMC), which is still pursuing a contentious plan to mine international waters unilaterally through the United States—a move that has been strongly denounced by ISA Member States—is putting increasing pressure on countries at the ISA.
Given this, the Council started looking into whether mining contractors—including TMC—are abiding by their legal responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and their current agreements at the International Seabed Authority. For the organization in charge of maintaining and protecting the global deep seabed, this is an important and essential action that serves as a warning to other industry participants who might be thinking about taking this unconventional approach.
"These legal steps are only the first steps to addressing the chaos caused by TMC's efforts to circumvent the International Seabed Authority," stated Duncan Currie, Legal Advisor. "A global moratorium provides the clarity and security that our ocean and global community desperately needs. It strengthens multilateralism, helps to prevent unilateral action, safeguards the deep sea from destruction, and creates space to conduct more science necessary for informed decision-making for the benefit of us all. A moratorium represents a strong commitment to precaution, evidence-based decision-making, equity, and environmental protection."
"The ISA has agreed to initiate an investigation and it must be clear by now to TMC and its subsidiaries that they face a significant risk of losing their exploration contracts," stated Matthew Gianni, DSCC Co-Founder and Political Advisor. "The ISA is obliged to act for the benefit of humankind as a whole – the Common Heritage Principle – and not for the benefit of companies prepared to undermine international law to make a profit at the expense of the health of our ocean."
The Council meeting was held two weeks after the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, where international leaders, including heads of state and ministers, reiterated the need for a moratorium and issued a warning against opening the deep sea to mining. Currently, 37 governments support a ban, prudent pause, or moratorium. This past week, 40 financial organizations with a combined asset value of almost €3.8 trillion emphasized that deep-sea mining should not proceed unless the risks are thoroughly recognized and the alternatives thoroughly investigated.
In order to achieve a moratorium that safeguards the ocean and fortifies multilateralism, the DSCC is urging ISA Member States to carry over the enthusiasm from UNOC into next week's Assembly meeting.
Editor's Choice: World Leaders, Parliamentarians Call for Action to Halt Deep-Sea Mining Industry
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