Who will reap the mineral riches of the deep

Journal Article · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · Nation's Bus.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6220591

Slappey, S G

Nodules in the seabed are composed of approximately one-third metal ores--copper, cobalt, iron, manganese, nickel, and traces of molybdenum and other ores. The remainder is packed mud. Technology to mine the nodules is advanced, but still in the experimental stage. An international controversy over seabed mining rights has been going on since the mid-1960s. Mining ships could legally go out and mine, but they have not started the commercial harvest. The reasons, American mining experts say, include an amalgam of politics in the United Nations, jealousy, antiprivate enterprise sentiment, charges of American greediness, hopes by delegates to the marathon UN Conference of the Law of the Sea to radically restrict the U.S. role in seabed mining, and attempts by delegates from underdeveloped countries to write the mining rules to their own advantage and to penalize technologically superior nations. Arrangements called for by such groups are discussed. The Group of 77, comprised of about 100 UN nations, has also stated its demands, calling for a deep sea bed mining organization based on the principle of one nation, one vote, regardless of a country's size or contribution to the mining operation. Some advanced nations also support this principle. Considering all possibilities, American experts say, it is likely that consortia will be in commerical mining in about 5 years, either because law-of-the-sea conditions are fair enough to satisfy the consortia, because of passage of domestic legislation in several Western countries, or because the seabed miners will be operating under flags of foreign nations which are not directly represented in the consortia. (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 6220591
• Journal Information: Nation's Bus.; (United States), Journal Name: Nation's Bus.; (United States) Vol. 66:3; ISSN NBUSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290400* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Energy Resources
520500 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CONCRETIONS
CURRENTS
DECISION MAKING
ENFORCEMENT
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INDUSTRY
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
LAWS
LEGAL ASPECTS
LICENSES
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
MINING LAWS
OWNERSHIP
PACIFIC OCEAN
PROCESSING
RESOURCES
SEA BED
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
UNITED NATIONS
WATER CURRENTS