Issue date: 14 January 2026
Global Sea Mineral Resources NV (GSR) is offering two (2) professional training opportunities for candidates from developing States as part of its 2026 training programme pursuant to its contract for exploration for polymetallic nodules signed with ISA on 14 January 2013.
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
Candidates will participate in a course organized by the Antwerp Port Training Center (Dredging Technologies – APEC) in Antwerp, Belgium. It covers all essential theoretical and practical aspects with regard to dredging such as: navigating in muddy areas, strategies for the dumping of dredged sediments, the various types of dredgers, dredger simulators, maintenance dredging, large scale projects, spoil recycling, maintenance of dredgers, construction of dredgers, technical aspects and new developments, technical renovation including dredging technologies for international maritime experts.
The APEC course will give the nominee a serious introduction to the latest high‐tech state‐of-the‐art dredging technologies and equipment. The dredging technologies and corresponding environmental management techniques from the dredging industry will be indispensable knowledge leading towards sustainable deep sea mining practices.
More information is available on https://apecporttraining.com/
The course will be followed by a one (1) week professional visit at the DEME/GSR facilities for visit, field activities and demonstration.
DURATION
The training will be for a 3-week duration in June 2026 – 2 weeks for the APEC course, immediately followed by the 1-week DEME/GSR visit.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Candidates must meet the following requirements:
Education: Holder of a technical degree, preferably linked to offshore activities (Marine Engineering), from a university or recognized equivalent.
Language: Proof of sufficient knowledge of English (spoken and written), as required.
Age: Under 45 years old
Other: A one-page motivation statement outlining how the programme will further the applicant’s career.
Disclaimer: Employees of ISA’s exploration contractors are not eligible to apply to the Contractors’ Training Programme.
COST BEARING
GSR will cover all costs relevant to the training, including tuition costs, visa fee, international airfare (economy class, return ticket), local transportation, accommodation and meals for the duration of the training.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
The selected candidates will be required to sign the ISA Contractors’ Training Programme Code of Conduct for Trainees prior to the start of the internship. The selected candidates must strictly adhere to all conditions contained in the ISA Code of Conduct.
No later than four (4) weeks after the training has ended, trainees shall submit an end-of-training report to GSR and ISA outlining, amongst other things, the training completed, the benefits of the training opportunity, the knowledge gained and how the training will advance their career/educational pursuits.
Upon successful completion of the programme, trainees shall receive certificates. Trainees shall also be required to submit a supplementary report to ISA five (5) years after the training has been completed, to allow for an assessment of the long-term benefits of the programme.
HOW TO APPLY
All interested applicants are invited to register and submit their applications on ISA CTP Application Portal, along with their supporting documents, including:
- A recent coloured passport sized photo;
- A copy of valid passport biopage;
- Duly completed and signed nomination form [docx | pdf] by the nominating entity;
- Copy of degree(s) and/or relevant certificate(s);
- Copy of CV or Resume;
- Motivation Statement; and
- Proof of English competence, as required.
Applicants must select the following options when applying for this training opportunity on the Application Portal:
Contractor Name: Global Sea Mineral Resources NV (GSR)
Year: 2026
Programme Name: Seminar
Specialization: N/A
Application Deadline: 28 February 2026. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed.
One of the Voluntary Commitments registered by ISA at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference (#OceanAction 40768) and reiterated at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference aims at “Advancing women’s empowerment in marine scientific research”– As partner of the Women in Deep-Sea Research project (WIDSR), GSR has pledged to allocate 50% of the training opportunities to qualified women applicants.