National Legislation Database

Information on National Legislation

• Note Verbale dated 22 July 2013
• 30 Juillet 2013  - Loi introduisant des dispositions qui régissent des matières visées à l’article 77 de la Constitution, dans la loi du 17 août 2013 relative à la prospection, l’exploration et l’exploitation de la jurisdiction nationale (1)
• 17 août 2013  - Loi relative à la prospection, l’exploration et l’exploitation des ressources des fonds marins et leur sous-sol au-delà des limites de la jurisdiction nationale (1)

Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of Brazil

Existing National Legislation

National Laws, Regulations and Administrative Measures adopted by China since 2017 with respect to activities in the Area  [CH] Note Verbale (18)-4 dated 26 April 2018

Text of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Exploration for and Exploitation of Resources in the Deep Seabed Area.  Adopted February 26, 2016 and effective as of May 1, 2016

Mineral Resources Law of the People’s Republic of China (Adopted at the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People’s Congress on 19 March 1986, and revised in accordance with the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Revising the Mineral Resources Law of the People’s Republic of China, adopted at the 21st meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People’s Congress on 29 August 1996).

Rules for Implementation of the Mineral Resources Law of the People’s Republic of China (Promulgated by Decree No. 152 of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China on 26 March 1994, and effective as of the date of promulgation).

Marine Environmental Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China(Adopted at the twenty-fourth session of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People’s Congress on 23 August 1982; effective as of 1 March 1983, and revised at the thirteenth session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress on 25 December 1999).

Administrative Regulation on the Prevention and Treatment of the Pollution and Damage to the Marine Environment by Marine Engineering Construction Projects [Chinese] (Promulgated by the State Council on 25 March 2010 and in force on the same day)

• Seabed Minerals (Prospecting and Exploration) Regulations, 28 July 2015

• Seabed Minerals (Amendment) Act, 16 June 2015

• Seabed Minerals Act, 26 November 2009

• Cuba Mining Law, No: 76 dated 23 January 1995; and Decree No. 222 dated 19 September 1997

Existing National Legislation

• Prospecting, Exploration for and Exploitation of Mineral Resources from the Seabed beyond Limits of National Jurisdiction. Act No. 158/2000 of 18 May 2000.

Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Note No. 001348

Embajada de la Republica Dominicana Jamaica
Note No. EDR-MIN/16-16

• Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Federated States of Micronesia
• Congressional Act No. 20-91 otherwise known as the Seabed Resources Act of 2014

• International Seabed Mineral Management Decree 2013
  Decree No. 21

• Note Verbale from the Embassy of France in Jamaica
  FR | EN 
• Ordonnance no 2016-1687 du 8 décembre 2016 relative aux espaces maritimes relevant de la sourveraineté ou de la juridiction de la République française
  Ordinance N⁰ 2016-1687 of 8 December 2016 relating to the maritime areas under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of the Republic of France
  FR | EN

Note Verbale dated 3 May 2017

Existing National Legislation

• Germany. Act on Interim Regulation of Deep Seabed Mining 1980, dated 16 August 1980 (English translation) (1981) International Legal Materials, XX, p. 393.
• Germany. Seabed Mining Act of 6 June 1995 (the Act). Amended by article 74 of the Act of 8 December 2010 (Federal Law Gazette I, p. 1864). |English | German |  
• Federal Maritime Responsibilities Act of 26 July 2002 (Federal Law Gazette I, p. 2876). Amended by article 4 of the Act of 2 June 2008 (Federal Law Gazette 2008 II, p. 520).

ISBA/18/C/8

Laws, regulations and administrative measures adopted by sponsoring States and other members of the International Seabed Authority with respect to the activities in the Area. Report of the Secretary-General

Attachment:

AR CH EN ES FR RU

• The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002
• The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act 2002 (2010)

Existing National Legislation

• Mining Act (adopted 20 December 1950, amended 22 July 2011) (Combined Japanese text and provisional English translation)
• Act on Interim Measures for Deep Seabed Mining (Act No. 64 of 1982)

Information on National Legislation

• Seabed Minerals Act 2017

• Note Verbale from the Embassy of Mexico in Jamaica on 5 June 2018

• Updated information by the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the Secretariat of Economy and the Mexican Geological Service. Received 5th June 2018

• Report submitted by the Embassy of Mexico in Jamaica on 21 December 2011 on the Laws, Regulations and Administrative Measures of Mexico on Underwater Mining

• Guide for the Presentation of Environmental Impact Statements for the Mining Sector 

• Analysis of Gaps and Omissions in the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in Mexican Oceans, Coasts and Islands

Existing National Legislation

• General Law on Ecological Balance and the Protection of the Environment (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente), Diario Oficial de la Federación, 28 January 1988. Reform and update of 4 June 2012.

• Regulation of the General Law on Ecological Balance and the Protection of the Environment on Environmental Impact Assessment (Reglamento de la Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente en Materia de Evaluación del Impacto Ambiental), Diario Oficial de la Federación, 30 May 2000. Reform and update of 26 April 2012.

• United Mexican States. Mining Law, Diario Oficial de la Federación, 26 June 1992. Amended 28 April 2005.

• National environmental policy for the sustainable development of Mexico’s oceans and coasts: Strategies for their conservation and sustainable use. (See A/61/372, annex.)

• Law of the Sea [ 18 December 2007 ]
• Law on the ratification of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, 9 October 2007
• Law on the confirmation of the Protocol on integrated coastal zone management in the Mediterranean, 17 November 2011 
• Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Structures [En]

• Republic of Nauru International Seabed Minerals Act 2015. No 26 of 2015.

• Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands  [26 June 2017]

• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Act 1996
• Continental Shelf Act 1964

• Note
• Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act, 2007

• Maritime Zones Act 2013
• Certifying Statement
• Treaty between Niue and the United States of America on the Delimitation of a Maritime Boundary
• Continental Shelf Outer Limit Notice No. 2013/2E

Royal Decree No. 2011/8 issued 24 January 2011  regulating the exploration for oil and gas and Royal Decree No. 2003/27 and Ministerial Decress No. 2010/77 - Regulations of the Mining Act.

• Pacific-ACP States Regional Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Deep Sea Minerals Exploration and Exploitation . Secretariat of the Pacific Community-European Union Deep Sea Minerals Project, 18 April 2012.

• Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea

• Diplomatic Note [28 May 2018]

• Deep Seabed Mining Act, 2015

Existing National Legislation

• Note Verbale 22 August 2016
• Tonga Seabed Minerals Act 2014

Existing National Legislation

• Note Verbale (19 April 2018)
• Tuvalu Seabed Minerals Act 2014

Existing National Legislation

• United Kingdom. Deep Sea Mining Act 2014
• United Kingdom. Deep Sea Mining (Temporary Provisions) Act 1981. 1981, chapter 53, 28 July 1981.
• United Kingdom. Deep Sea Mining (Exploration Licences) (Applications) Regulations 1982, No. 58. Effective 25 January 1982.
• United Kingdom. Deep Sea Mining (Exploration Licences) Regulations 1984, No. 1230. In operation on 3 September 1984.
• United Kingdom. Deep Sea Mining (Temporary Provisions) Act 1981 (Isle of Man) Order 2000, No. 1112. In operation on 1 May 2000.

Existing National Legislation

• United States. Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act, 1980. [download version] Public Law 96-283, 28 June 1980, 94 Stat. 553 (30 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.), as amended to 1 July 2000.
• United States. Deep Seabed Mining Regulations Affecting Pre-Enactment Explorers. 45 Fed. Reg. 226 (20 November 1980), pp. 76661-76663
• United States. Deep Seabed Mining Regulations for Exploration Licenses 1980. 46 Fed. Reg. 45896 (15 September 1981); 15 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 970
• United States. Deep Seabed Mining Regulations for Commercial Recovery Permits, 54 Fed. Reg. 525 (6 January 1989); 15 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 971.
• United States Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS). Guidelines for Obtaining Minerals other than Oil, Gas and Sulphur on the Outer Continental Shelf (Public Law 103-426, enacted 31 October 1994; 108 Stat. 4371). OCS Report. MMS 99-0070 (December 1999)

Existing National Legislation

• Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act (No. 12 of 1990); and (Amendment) Act 1999 (No. 12 of 1999) — Cap 204 of the Law of Zambia

 Regional Efforts

• Pacific-ACP States Regional Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Deep Sea Minerals Exploration and Exploitation (Prepared under the SPC-EU EDF10 Deep Sea Minerals Project), July 2012