On 19 November 2021, the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) confirmed the selection of candidates for two undergraduate degrees provided by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) of the Government of India in accordance with its obligations under its exploration contract for polymetallic nodules with ISA. The selected candidates are:
- Mr. Fabricio Gabriel Cardillo from Argentina
- Mr. Usman Abubakar from Nigeria
The seven-week online training course will cover the following deep-sea mining related areas pertinent to polymetallic nodules (PMN): survey and exploration; Environment monitoring and impact assessment; UNCLOS and marine policy; Mining technology development; research ships and ship management; ocean state data collection, analysis, modelling and forecasting; Extractive Metallurgy and related developments; marine mining and exploitation. Practical aspects of the training and lab work would be demonstrated through training videos. The training is expected to commence on 1 December 2021.
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All contractors with ISA have a legal obligation to provide and fund practical training opportunities for personnel from developing States and those of ISA, including the participation of such personnel in all activities in the Area which are covered by the contract.
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 exploration contracts signed with ISA.
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