Is the International Seabed Authority about to investigate itself?
Also: Countries move forward with seabed mining exploration
Since her election last month as the next Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), Leticia Carvalho has made waves by announcing plans to investigate her predecessor, Michael Lodge.
In an interview with E&E News, Carvalho said she’ll assign a team to look into allegations of both mismanagement and potential corruption – the latter related to Lodge’s interactions with mining companies. While Carvalho didn’t name names when it comes to mining firms, she likely means The Metals Company (TMC). Lodge has come under repeated scrutiny for his interactions with TMC, including his appearance in a TMC promotional video and the improper sharing of ISA data with the mining firm.
Seabed mining opponents and some ISA member states have also raised more general concerns about Lodge’s leadership, claiming he has rushed the Authority towards greenlighting extraction as soon as possible, without considering calls for a precautionary pause.
Gerard Barron, TMC’s CEO, said the push for an investigation was brought about by unhappy member states “settling scores.” Barron told the Spotlight: “That pressure was coming from member states who just didn’t like Michael [Lodge]…I never saw anything untoward come from Michael. I mean, he talked to contractors. That’s an essential part of the role [of Secretary-General]. I’m sure the new Secretary-General will be in the same position.”
Carvalho has not said whether contractors might be sanctioned if an investigation into Lodge turns up wrongdoing on their part. Neither Carvalho nor Lodge responded to the Spotlight’s request for comment.
An investigation could slow-roll the member states’ work to finalize the Mining Code (the rulebook that would govern mineral extraction on the high seas). The Code has been in development for more than a decade, and ISA members aim to complete it next year. While this effort is a top concern for the ISA in 2025, Carvalho told E&E News that her newly announced investigation would be an “equally relevant” priority.
Carvalho’s 4-year term as Secretary-General begins in January, 2025. The Metals Company has said it will apply for the world’s first commercial mining license on the high seas “prior to March of 2025.” Neither an investigation into Lodge’s tenure nor the mining code are likely to be completed by then.
And in other seabed mining news…
Countries move toward mining in nationally controlled waters
A major seabed mining test was conducted this summer in the Bismarck Sea of Papua New Guinea. The controversial site, called Solwara I, is a hydrothermal vent containing copper and gold. (Hydrothermal vents host a far greater abundance and diversity of marine life than other seabed mineral formations like polymetallic nodules.)
In 2011, Papua New Guinea became the first country to grant a seabed mining license in its waters, giving Nautilus Minerals permission to mine Solwara I. However, Nautilus faced opposition from residents who claimed the operation, located about 30 miles from shore, would damage local fisheries. Amid a wave of financial and legal challenges, Nautilus went bankrupt in 2019. And last year, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape, placed a moratorium on mining in the country’s waters. That appeared to be the end of the road for Solwara I.
But when Nautilus went under, a company called Deep Sea Mining Finance took over its assets, including the Solwara I license. And despite Marape’s moratorium, the new company hauled up 180 tons of material from the seafloor this summer, catching many in the country off guard. More legal battles are likely.
Meanwhile, an ocean away, Nigeria seems poised to issue seabed mining rules within its Exclusive Economic Zone. The country would join the likes of Norway, Japan and the Cook Islands in standing up a legal framework for seabed mining. So here’s my routine reminder that the ISA isn’t the only regulator of seabed mining – any country with a coastline can choose to greenlight the practice.