The International Seabed Authority (ISA) today announced that all activities for the rest of 2020, under the Endowment Fund for Marine Scientific Research in the international seabed area (the Area) will be postponed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, no new applications will be reviewed during 2020.
The Secretariat of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has commissioned a study to assesses the potential impact of polymetallic nodules production from the international deep seabed area (the Area) on the economies of developing land-based producer States of metals, which would be most seriously affected.
Blue Minerals Jamaica Limited (BMJ), a company sponsored by the Government of Jamaica, has applied for approval of a plan of work from the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for the exploration of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located in the Pacific Ocean.
Polymetallic nodules contain nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese, which are the subject of increasing interest with the rise of green energy technologies required for a low-carbon future.
Today, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) marked the occasion of World Oceans Day on 8 June at the United Nations virtual event ‘Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean,’ where leading voices from around the globe convened to celebrate the role of the oceans in everyday life and inspire action to protect the ocean and the sustainable use of marine resources.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) today launched its new website to provide its Member States and the wider ISA community with an improved user experience.
The site has been redeveloped with a new look and feel, and helpful navigation features so users can easily find up to date information about ISA, along with its programmes and activities.
The secretariat of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is pleased to inform members of the Council, other members of the Authority not represented on the Council, as well as observers and contractors that a series of informal webinars will be organized with a view to providing information on the preparation of the comparative analysis of the financial aspects of seabed mining and land-based mining. It is recalled that this analysis was requested by the ISA Council.
Background
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has donated $3,000 USD and furniture from its headquarters in downtown Kingston, to the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) to help address the impact on human health and well-being, in particular for the most vulnerable groups of the society, namely the homeless population living in Kingston. ISA staff have also contributed an additional $2000 to the donation through their Staff Association.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) today announced that the second part of the 26th session of ISA initially scheduled to be held in July 2020 will be postponed, due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The session will instead take place in a reduced format in Kingston, Jamaica from 7 to 16 October 2020, with meetings of some of the technical bodies convened remotely starting from July 2020.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretariat is pleased to convey to members of the ISA Council that Mr. Vladislav Kurbatskyi, the Facilitator nominated by the Council, has decided to extend the deadline for submission of written comments and proposals on his first draft of a mechanism for the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC), submitted on 22 April 2020.
The draft can be downloaded here.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has launched a consultation with its members and particularly developing States, to identify their national capacity development priorities as they relate to the role and responsibilities given to ISA by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 1994 Agreement.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretariat is pleased to present to members of the ISA Council, the first draft of a mechanism for the election of members of the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) submitted on 22 April 2020, by Mr. Vladislav Kurbatskiy, Facilitator nominated by the Council.
The draft can be downloaded here
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India has extended the deadline for submissions for the stakeholder consultation on an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) developed to conduct technical trials concerning a nodule collector pre-prototype in the Central Indian Ocean Basin in 2021.
The deadline has been extended to 24 May 2020.
Applications are now open for training opportunities for candidates from developing States with the China Ocean Mineral Resources R & D Association (COMRA) as part of the International Seabed Authority (ISA)’s contractor training programme.
ISA is calling for candidates with Bachelor or Master’s Degrees in Science (geology, geophysics, biology or environment) or Engineering (marine, mining, mechanical or electrical) to participate in COMRA’s fellowship and engineering training programmes Qingdao and Changsha, China.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is pleased to announce the release of its most recent publication listed below issued between January and April 2020.
Kindly note that a few of the publications will only be available electronically on ISA’s website.
TBD 2020 - Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Postponement of workshop dates
