Cooperation and Engagement in the Asia-Pacific Region

"The present Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) provides an overview of the current status of deep seabed mining. A lack of specific regulations defining the terms and conditions for exploitation has been a significant barrier to deep seabed mining, but the Council of the International Seabed Authority has fast-tracked the development of regulations. Near universal acceptance of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, increased confidence in the ISA, successful trial mining, increased demand for strategic metals and tightening supplies, among other factors, suggest seabed mining on a commercial scale will soon occur"--