Applications are now open for six (6) at-sea and post cruise training opportunities for candidates from developing States, Members of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The placements are provided by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of the Federal Republic of Germany (BGR) in accordance with its obligations under its contracts for exploration for polymetallic sulphides (PMS) with ISA.
The opportunities are divided as follows:
- Two (2) geophysical at-sea and post cruise training
- Four (4) geological at-sea and post cruise training
Geophysical training
The training is divided into two stages:
Part 1: Candidates will participate in an exploration cruise onboard RV Sonne to the German contract area in the Indian Ocean. The cruise is scheduled to take place from 3-27 September 2023 for a duration of 24 days (including roundtrip transit from port of call to working area). Port of call: Port Louis, Mauritius. Specific details for the cruise are to be determined and will be communicated to the trainees with sufficient lead time to prepare.
The major objective of the cruise is the investigation of the subseafloor mineralization of selected hydrothermal systems applying deep-towed geophysical instruments such as controlled-source electromagnetics (CSEM), magnetics, and self-potential. Additionally, biodiversity investigations based on video inspection and bathymetric mapping will be carried out.
Part 2: Subsequent to the onboard training, trainees will visit BGR, Hannover in spring/summer 2024 for a four-week post-cruise training to work on the results of the cruise. The training will mainly deal with 1D and 3D inversion modelling of and interpreting the geophysical data. It will also cover:
- Introduction to laboratory facilities at BGR, data processing, modelling, and interpretation;
- Exemplary work on selected data samples under supervision; and
- Compilation of the cruise report and preliminary resource evaluation.
Candidates should have a bachelor’s /master’s degree in marine geophysics or an equivalent educational background. Candidates must have a sound knowledge of English attested by a certificate where applicable.
Please visit this link for more information and to apply. Applications by qualified candidates should be received no later than 31 May 2023. Late or incomplete applications will not be processed.
Geological training
The training is divided into two stages:
Part 1: Candidates will participate in an exploration cruise onboard RV Sonne to the German contract area in the Indian Ocean. The cruise is planned to take place from 28 September to 18 November 2023 for a duration of 49 days at sea (including roundtrip transit from port of call to working area, plus 4 days in harbour). Port of call is Port Louis, Mauritius. Specific details for the cruise will be communicated to the trainees with sufficient lead time.
The major objectives of the cruise are:
- Recovery, maintenance and re-deployment of five sediment trap moorings in different parts of the contract area including first onboard processing of samples and data.
- High-resolution bathymetric mapping of the seafloor and the near-bottom water column in search for new hydrothermal systems using the BGR-own deep-towed bathymetric sled / sensor platform Homeside.
- Detailed geological and biological mapping and sampling of known and new hydrothermal systems (both active and inactive) using a remotely operated vehicle equipped with rock and sediment sampling tools (manipulators and push cores), a fluid sampling system, and a vertical temperature probe.
- Systematic shallow subsurface sampling in the hydrothermal fields using a gravity corer (for hydrothermal sediments) and a rock drill mounted to the ROV (for hard rocks).
- Systematic near-bottom water sampling within different hydrothermal fields for meta-barcoding and eDNA investigations as part of environmental baseline studies.
- Deployment of fish traps equipped with a time-lapse still camera for 24 hours in different hydrothermal fields and outside of them as part of the environmental baseline studies.
- First onboard analyses of rock and sediment samples using mobile XRF, XRD and SEM tools, first microscopic investigations of the meiobenthos, and systematic organization of all cruise data in an ArcGIS Pro project.
Part 2: Subsequent to the onboard training, trainees will visit BGR, Hannover in spring/summer 2024 for a four-week post-cruise training to work on the results of the cruise. The programme will also cover:
- Introduction into laboratory facilities at the BGR and other German research institutions (including biological labs and processing of bathymetric data).
- Introduction into sample preparation and different analytical methods such as ICP, XRF, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), scanning electron microscopy, Laser-ablation ICPMS etc.
- Geochemical modelling, data interpretation and reporting.
- Exemplary work on selected data samples under supervision.
- Compilation of the cruise report and preliminary resource evaluation.
Candidates should have a bachelor’s /master’s degree in marine geology, marine biology or experience and/or education in terrestrial volcanic-hosted massive sulphides deposits. Candidates must have a sound knowledge of English attested by a certificate where applicable.
Please visit this link for more information and to apply. Applications by qualified candidates should be received no later than 5 June 2023. 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 in 2022 was ‘Enhancing the role of Women in Marine Scientific Research through Capacity Building’ – As partner of the Women in Deep-Sea Research project (WIDSR), BGR has pledged to allocate 50% of the training opportunities to qualified women applicants.
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All contractors with ISA have a legal obligation to provide and fund training opportunities for personnel from developing States and those of ISA.
The legal basis for the requirement stems from the provisions of UNCLOS and the 1994 Agreement and is set out in the standard terms of contracts. Its purpose is to ensure that personnel from developing States are provided with appropriate operational expertise to enable them to participate in deep-seabed mining.
Please visit this page to know more about the Contractor Training Programme.
For additional information, please contact:
Ms. Annekah Mason, Training Coordinator, ISA, training@isa.org.jm