On 28 February 2023, the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) confirmed the selection of four (4) candidates for at-sea and post cruise training opportunities provided by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of the Federal Republic of Germany (BGR) in accordance with its obligations under its exploration contract for polymetallic nodules with ISA.
The selected candidates are:
- Tanga Morris from Cook Islands
- Laura Florez from Argentina
- Walter Obuya from Kenya
- Roshaun Brown from Jamaica
Two (2) placements will be geology based whilst the other two (2) will be biology focused.
The training will be comprised of two parts:
Part 1: The exploration campaign which will take place on-board R/V KILO MOANA within the BGR polymetallic nodule contract area of the north-eastern Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone. The schedule dates are from 28 March to 14 May 2023, with port of call Honolulu (USA).
The major objectives of the cruise are the surveying, sampling and processing of manganese nodules, sediments and the water column for nodule resource evaluation, environmental studies (pore water and water geochemistry; oceanography) and benthic as well as pelagic biodiversity assessments.
Part 2: Subsequent to the onboard training, trainees will visit BGR in Hannover, Germany for a four-week stay to work on the results of the cruise. The post-cruise training will, inter alia, consist of: an introduction into the laboratory facilities at BGR; sample processing for physical sediment properties (dry bulk density, porosity); geochemical analyses of sediment and water samples; grain size analytics; Interpretation of seafloor images; preliminary resource evaluation; visits to other research facilities in Germany, for example, the laboratories for analyses of biodiversity and geochemistry; a longer visit and training in deep-sea biodiversity assessments (morphological and genetic analyses) for the two biology trainees, thereby supporting the objectives of the ISA’s SSKI initiative; scientific writing and reporting.
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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