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Ambassador Of Japan Presents Credentials To The Secretary-General
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H.E. Mr Hiroshi Yamaguchi, presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority on Tuesday 22 May 2012.
Ambassador Yamaguchi has enjoyed a distinguished foreign-service career with many postings to Europe, South America, the USA and the Caribbean. He was the Head of Delegation of Japan for the Authority’s 16th and 17th annual sessions.
Ambassador Yamaguchi arrived in Jamaica in September 2009 to take up his responsibilities as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize and is the Permanent Representative of Japan to the International Seabed Authority.
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International Seabed Authority Receives Three New Applications for Seabed Exploration
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The International Seabed Authority has received three new applications for seabed exploration licences. The three new applications have been filed in respect of areas located in the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Two of the applications are for exploration for polymetallic sulphides and one relates to polymetallic nodules.
The first application was received on 21 May 2012 from the Government of the Republic of Korea. The application is for approval of a plan of work for exploration for polymetallic sulphides and the application area is located in the Central Indian Ocean. Korea already holds a contract for exploration for polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean, which was signed in 2001.
Two further applications were received on 23 May 2012. The Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (IFREMER) submitted an application for approval of a plan of work for exploration for polymetallic sulphides in an area located on the seabed of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. IFREMER's application is sponsored by the Government of France. IFREMER already holds a contract for exploration for polymetallic nodules, issued in 2001.
The third application, also submitted on 23 May 2012, was filed by UK Seabed Resources Ltd., a company sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The area applied for is in the Eastern part of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean where the Authority has already issued ten contracts for exploration for nodules between 2001 and 2012.
All three applications have been placed on the agenda of the Legal and Technical Commission of the Authority. The Commission starts its next meeting on 9 July 2012. Applications are normally considered in order of their receipt. Once the Commission has reviewed the applications, it must forward its recommendation to the Council of the Authority, which will then decide whether to approve the applications.
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Five Applications for Exploration Contracts Filed with the International Seabed Authority
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KINGSTON, JAMAICA, 5 June 2012 - - The Authority has received five new applications for seabed exploration licences; filed in respect of areas located in the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Speaking at the 22st Meeting of the States Parties to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in New York, Mr. Nii A. Odunton, the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority said two of the applications were for exploration for polymetallic sulphides and three were for polymetallic nodules.
The first application from the Government of the Republic of Korea was received 21 May 2012 and is for approval of a plan of work for exploration for polymetallic sulphides with the application area is located in the Central Indian Ocean.
The second application from IFREMER sponsored by the Government of France was submitted 23 May 2012 for approval of a plan of work for exploration for polymetallic sulphides in an area located on the seabed of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The third application also submitted 23 May 2012 was from the UK Seabed Resources Ltd., company sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The area applied for is in the Eastern part of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean where the Authority has already issued ten contracts for exploration for nodules between 2001 and 2012.
The fourth application was filed on 30 May 2012 by Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd., a state enterprise of the Republic of Kiribati in respect of reserved areas in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone that have been made available for exploration by developing States in accordance with the provisions of Annex III to the Convention and the 1994 Agreement.
The fifth application was filed on 31 May 2012 by G-Tec Sea Minerals Resources NV, a Belgian company sponsored by the Government of Belgium for areas in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
All five applications have been placed on the agenda of the Legal and Technical Commission. Once the Commission has reviewed the applications, it must forward its recommendation to the Council of the Authority, which will then decide whether to approve the applications.
If all these applications are approved, this will bring the number of active exploration contracts issued by the Authority to 17, compared to only 8 in 2010.
The Secretary-General said thee primary function of the Authority is to manage the mineral resources of the deep seabed, which are the common heritage of mankind, on behalf of mankind as a whole. He said the Authority does this strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the 1994 Agreement through a contract-based licensing system which involves issuing contracts of limited duration to those entities wishing to explore for minerals in the seabed.
Full Text of Secretary-General Speech
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InterRidge/ISA Endowment Fund Awards Three Fellowships for 2012
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KINGSTON, JAMAICA, 21 June 2012 - - The InterRidge/ISA Endowment Fund Fellowship Programme recently awarded fellowships to three students from developing countries.
The three successful applicants are Hanchao Jian - a PhD student at Peking University, Beijing, China; Sanitha Sivadas - a postdoctoral researcher at NIO, India; and Andrew Thaler - a PhD student at Duke University, USA, who will train Freddie Alei, from Papua New Guinea.
The InterRidge Student and Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme continues to develop and reach out to the global community of young ocean scientists.
In the past years a successful partnership has been established between InterRidge and the ISA Endowment Fund, designed to support early career scientists from developing countries in collaborative marine scientific research.
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Secretary-General Addresses Deep Seabed Mining Symposium in Germany
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Secretary-General Nii Odunton was one of two keynote speakers at the Symposium on Deep Seabed Mining – A Challenging Technological & Resource Potential for the German Economy held on 19 June at the Ministry of Federal Economics in Berlin.
In his opening address, Secretary-General Odunton said he saw Germany as one of the first rank of States that could provide technology for environmentally sound mining of marine mineral resources.
Also addressing the symposium was Federal Government Coordinator of the Maritime Industry and Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Hans-Joachim Otto, who stated that marine mineral resources could make a solid contribution to the supply of metallic raw materials in the medium term and with the increasing worldwide interest in deep seabed mining in recent years, Germany wanted to seize the opportunities offered at an early stage.
Mr Otto said German companies had great expertise in maritime technology and were in an excellent position to develop the necessary innovative systems for deep seabed mining.
The symposium hosted 160 participants from business, government and science discussed possibilities and prospects of the extraction of marine mineral resources as well as the latest global developments in deep seabed mining.
The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) has been exploring mineral deposits in the German license area in the Central Pacific since 2006.
Secretary-General Nii A Odunton
Information provided by Federal Ministry of
Economics and Technology, Berlin
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ISA Legal and Technical Commission to Hear Presentations from Applicants for Seabed Exploration
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KINGSTON, JAMAICA, 10 July 2012 - -The Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) will today begin to hear oral presentations by the five new applicants for seabed exploration.
The five applicants are UK Seabed Resources Ltd. (sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd.(a state enterprise of the Republic of Kiribati); G-TECH Sea Mineral Resources NV (sponsored by the Government of Belgium); the Government of the Republic of Korea and IFREMER (sponsored by the Government of France).
Once the Commission has reviewed the applications, it will forward its recommendation to the Council of the Authority, which will then decide whether to approve the applications.
If all these applications are approved, this will bring the number of active exploration contracts issued by the Authority to 17, compared to only 8 in 2010.
The Commission began its meetings on Monday 9 July.
At its opening session, Russell Howorth (Fiji) was elected Chairman and Christian Reichert (Germany) as Vice-Chairman.
The programme of work for the Commission also includes the consideration of the annual reports of the contractors and the consideration of proposed amendments to the nodules regulations.
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Draft Regulations, Exploration Applications, and Election of Council Members Among Issues for Consideration at ISA 18th Session
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KINGSTON, JAMAICA, 13 July 2012 - - The adoption of draft Regulations on prospecting and exploration for cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts; consideration of five new applications for approval of plans of work for exploration and election of 20 members of Council and of the Secretary-General are among substantive issues for consideration on the agenda of the International Seabed Authority when it convenes its 18th Session in Kingston, Jamaica from 16-27 July 2012.
Other agenda items include the budget of the Authority for the financial period 2013 to 2014, contributions to the voluntary trust fund, proposed revisions to the Nodules
Regulations adopted in 2000, and a plan for the formulation of the exploitation code for polymetallic nodules in the Area.
There will also be a Special Session, on 24 July 2012, to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the opening for signature (on 10 December 1982 in Montego Bay, Jamaica) of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The session will include statements by distinguished participants in the Third Conference, the Preparatory Commission for the International Seabed Authority and for International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the United Nations and the Authority. The Government of Jamaica will also unveil a scroll commemorating the event on 21 July 2012.
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ISA Council Approves Five New Applications for Exploration
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KINGSTON, JAMAICA, 23 July 2012 - - The workload of the International Seabed Authority is set to increase dramatically with the approval, by its Council in Kingston this afternoon, of five new plans of work for exploration of marine minerals in the deep oceans.
Approval of the plans brings the number of active exploration contracts issued by the Authority to 17, compared to only eight in 2010.
The action of the 36-member Council followed the recommendations of the Legal and Technical Commission, the Authority’s expert body, in a report presented this morning.
In a debate on the applications, the Council indicated that its decision would contain wording to indicate to contractors that they would be liable to assume costs related to the ongoing management of contracts, pursuant to Regulation 30 - Periodic review of the implementation of the plan of work for exploration.
The applicants are listed below in the order they were received by the Legal and Technical Commission):
a. Government of the Republic of Korea (submitted 21 May 2012)
b. Institut français de recherche pour l’exploitation de la mer (IFREMER) (submitted 23 May 2012)
c. UK Seabed Resources Ltd. (submitted 23 May 2012)
d. Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd (submitted 30 May 2012)
e. G-TEC Minerals Resources NV (submitted 31 May 2012)
The Republic of Korea and IFREMER submitted applications to explore for polymetallic sulphides while UK Seabed Resources Ltd, Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd and G-TEC Sea Minerals Resources NV from Belgium, applied for approval for the exploration of polymetallic nodules.
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ISA Commemorates Law of the Sea Convention Signing
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KINGSTON, JAMAICA, 24 July 2012 - - Thirty years ago, in Montego Bay, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) opened for signature. Today, in Kingston, the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority met in a special session to commemorate that milestone event, and pay tribute to those who worked for the successful adoption of UNCLOS.
Opening the morning session, President of the Assembly Mr. Milan J. N. Meetarbhan (Mauritius), said the landmark Convention allowed the world to celebrate a treaty addressing the concept of the common heritage of mankind, and the establishment of its appurtenant legal regime and implementing agency. He described Article 136 of the Convention as “one of the landmarks of legal drafting of international instruments by virtue of its simplicity, yet unambiguous affirmation of a commitment to international cooperation and equity”
Prime Minister of host country Jamaica, the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller, said the thirtieth anniversary commemoration held special significance for her government and people who are celebrating fifty years of nationhood this year. “We are humbled by the fact that just over a decade after gaining Independence, Jamaica was able to play an active role in helping to craft this landmark legislation”, the Prime Minister said.
Mrs. Simpson Miller highlighted some contributions of the Convention to global political and economic development such as improved international maritime law and the avoidance of disputes, and scientific research. She said the emphasis on the protection and preservation of the marine environment and its resources is of major importance to Jamaica and the Caribbean which rely on the ocean’s resources for tourism, fishing and transportation.
In his address, Secretary-General Nii Allotey Odunton (Ghana) reflected on the Authority’s significant achievements since it was launched thirty years ago on 10 December 1982. He recalled the skepticism deep sea mining attracted during its infancy in the 1960s and the years of negotiations it took before the Authority was established on 16 November 1994 with headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.
The Secretary-General said the Authority has endured teething pains and “evolved into a substantive organization with the current 162 Parties to the Convention.” He noted that ISA has adopted two sets of Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for polymetallic nodules (in 2000) and for polymetallic sulphides (in 2010) in the Area, and is on the verge of adopting a third set of regulations on cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.
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Seabed Assembly Ends Productive 18th Session of the Authority
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The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority concluded its 18th Session after approving the Regulations on cobalt-rich crusts, electing Mr. Nii Odunton as Secretary-General for a second four-year term and adopting the budget and a scale of assessment for the 2013-14 financial period.
The Regulations, the result of three years of work, are entitled Regulations on prospecting and exploration for cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the Area, and represent the third set of regulations produced by the Authority, established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to protect and develop deep ocean riches as the “common heritage of mankind”.
In other actions before adjourning, the Assembly also renewed half of the membership of the 36-member Council for a four-year term from 2013 through to 2016. The 20 newly elected members of Council are:
Group A: China, Japan
Group B: India
Group C: Canada, South Africa
Group D: Bangladesh, Brazil, Uganda
Group E: Argentina, Czech Republic, Guyana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Poland, Senegal, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom
Spain is elected for a four-year term with the understanding that it will relinquish its seat after one year to Norway for the year 2014; the United Kingdom will relinquish its seat after two years to Norway for the year 2015; and after serving for three years, The Netherlands will relinquish its seat to Norway for the last remaining year of its term.
The Assembly has also decided to hold its nineteenth session in Kingston 15 – 26 July 2013, with the Legal and Technical Commission meeting the week before.
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