National Legislation Database
Database on National Legislation with Respect to
Activities in the Area
UNCLOS, Article 153(4) provides that the obligation of the sponsoring States under UNCLOS, Article 139 entails “taking all measures necessary to ensure” compliance by the sponsored contractor.
UNCLOS, Annex III, Article 4(4) makes it clear that such sponsoring States’ “responsibility to ensure” applies “within their legal systems,” and therefore requires the sponsoring States to adopt “laws and regulations” and to take “administrative measures which are, within the framework of its legal system, reasonably appropriate for securing compliance by persons under its jurisdiction.”
During the 17th session of ISA in 2011, the Council further invited sponsoring States and other members, as appropriate, to provide information on, or texts of, relevant national laws, regulations and administrative measures to the ISA Secretariat (ISBA/17/C/20, para. 3).
The present collection of laws, regulations and administrative measures concerning activities in the Area is based on submissions made by the Member States. Accordingly, the texts are reproduced in the form and the language(s) received from the Member States and were not formally edited and/or translated by ISA.
Disclaimer: Reference to the external websites below does not imply endorsement by the ISA Secretariat of their contents. Any views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the ISA Secretariat. The hyperlinks are provided solely for informational purposes.
NATIONAL LEGISLATION DATABASE
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
- Note Verbale dated 07 April 2022
- Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones (Amendment) Act 2021
Belgium
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)
Benin
- Note Verbale dated 30 March 2022
Brazil
Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of Brazil
China
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). Chinese version
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 version [Chinese] (Promulgated by the State Council on 25 March 2010 and in force on the same day)
Cook Islands
Cuba
- Cuba Mining Law, No: 76 dated 23 January 1995; and Decree No. 222 dated 19 September 1997
Czechia
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.
Dominican Republic
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Note No. 001348
Embajada de la Republica Dominicana Jamaica
Note No. EDR-MIN/16-16
Ecuador
Egypt
Federated States of Micronesia
- 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
Fiji
- International Seabed Mineral Management Decree 2013
Decree No. 21
France
- 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
Georgia
Note Verbale dated 3 May 2017
Germany
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).
Guyana
India
Japan
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)
Kenya
Kiribati
Information on National Legislation
Mexico
- 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.)
Montenegro
- 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]
Nauru
- Republic of Nauru International Seabed Minerals Act 2015. No 26 of 2015.
Netherlands
- Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands [26 June 2017]
New Zealand
Nigeria
Niue
- 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
Oman
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 Island Region
- 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.
Panama
- Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of Panama on 16 August 2024.
Existing National Legislation
- Mineral Resources Code of 1963
- Law 55 of 1973
- Law 109 of 1973 on non-metallic minerals
- Law 32 of 1996 on ecological balance and adequate use of mineral resources
- Regulation of authorization for extraction of minerals destined for public works, DGRM-98-93
- Regulations for Mining Applications for Non-Metallic Mineral Concessions DGRM-98-67
- Law 13 of 2012 reforming the Mineral Resources Code for metallic minerals
Republic of Korea
- Note Verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea
Russian Federation
- Diplomatic Note [28 May 2018]
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Tonga
Existing National Legislation
- Note Verbale 22 August 2016
- Tonga Seabed Minerals Act 2014
Tuvalu
Existing National Legislation
- Note Verbale (19 April 2018)
- Tuvalu Seabed Minerals Act 2014
United Kingdom
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.
United States of America
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)
Zambia
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