Seabed mining is an emergent industry that adapts practices and equipment from land-based mining to extract metals and minerals from the seafloor. Resources are being sought from deeper and deeper beneath the oceans. Benthic ecosystems, plants and animals that live near the bottom, are at risk of destruction and even extinction from seabed mining.
Our Geographic Foci
Aotearoa New Zealand
Trans-Tasman Resources submitted a proposal in 2013 to mine iron sand off the coast of the North Island. In May 2014, Chatham Rock Phosphate submitted materials to mine phosphorite nodules from the Chatham Rise. A protracted legal battle continues, and it is unclear whether the extraction projects will move forward.
Indonesia
Tin extraction from the seafloor has been undertaken off the Bangka and Belitung Islands for over 150 years. Under Dutch and British colonial control, tin extraction used enslaved Chinese and Native Malay peoples to undertake this dangerous work. At present, commercial large-scale seabed mining operations and small-scale artisanal tin divers continue tin extraction practices in this area.
International Waters
The ares beyond national control are defined as High Seas and designates as Common Heritage of all Humankind. It is still unclear when, and if, mining will begin in this region, but mining applications will be evaluated by the International Seabed Authority by 2025. The rules governing the industry are still under negotiation.
Outputs
Tomorrow’s More-Than-Human Miners of the Deep
This chapter explores the expanding conceptualisation of urban processes beyond traditional city boundaries, focusing on the deep-sea mining industry as a case study. It…
Volumetric, embodied and geologic geopolitics of the seabed: offshore tin mining in Indonesia
This paper explores the impact of seabed mining on tin divers near the Bangka and Belitung Islands, challenging traditional geopolitical approaches to governance. It…
The Seabed Mining Activity and Coloring Book
2023 Marine Political Ecology Collective This activity and coloring book can spark joy and wonder about the benthic realm, while also learning about the…
Abyssal Hyperreality
The Society+Space Magazine article by Amelia Hine & Charity Edwards explores increasing interest in polymetallic nodules amid resource constraints and political tensions. It challenges…
Unblackboxing mediation in the digital mine
The article explores how digital technologies are reshaping mining practices, creating distance between miners and mines. It analyzes the impact of digitization on environmental…
A Marine Political Ecology Perspective: HIFMB Newsletter
In recent years, social science and humanities scholars have expanded their research to the oceans, highlighting their significance in all aspects of life. This…
The deep Pacific: Island governance and seabed mineral development
Very little of the ocean’s depths have been explored in detail because of its immensity and the expense of operating in its extreme conditions.…
Contributions to inhabitantstv videos introducing seabed mining
Over 5,000 new lifeforms have been discovered while prospecting for deep sea minerals.
Marine Political Ecology Collective 