Washington DC, USA, – President Trump signed yesterday a sweeping Executive Order advancing U.S. ambitions to launch deep sea mining in U.S. and international waters.[1] This rogue action is highly politically controversial for appearing to bypass the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the regulatory body set up by the United Nations to protect the deep sea as the common heritage of humankind and decide whether deep sea mining can start in the international seabed.
Arlo Hemphill, Project Lead on Greenpeace USA's campaign to stop deep sea mining, said: "We condemn this administration's attempt to launch this destructive industry on the high seas in the Pacific by bypassing the United Nations process. This is an insult to multilateralism and a slap in the face to all the countries and millions of people around the world who oppose this dangerous industry."
"This Executive Order is not the start of deep sea mining; rather, it's likely to galvanise international opposition-as wherever DSM has faced increased scrutiny, it has ultimately been stopped. We call on the international community to stand against this unacceptable undermining of international cooperation by agreeing to a global moratorium on deep sea mining. The United States government has no right to unilaterally allow an industry to destroy the common heritage of humankind, and rip up the deep sea for the profit of a few corporations."
This unilateral action by the U.S. government fundamentally undermines multilateral cooperation and the United Nations. The Metals Company – a deep sea mining company – recently declared its intention to work with the Trump Administration outside of the UN-established regulatory framework, to try to start mining in the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific – a region that sits outside jurisdiction. This was met with swift and strong international rebuke. The Executive Order instructs the Secretary of Commerce to expedite the process for reviewing and issuing exploration and commercial recovery permits under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), breaking the longstanding tradition of the US being a good-faith actor on UNCLOS (The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea).
Despite now fundamentally moving to undermine the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the United States has benefited significantly from the Convention.[2] Although these benefits have been disproportionately favourable to a single nation, the Executive Order now undermines this agreement, signalling an end to U.S. leadership in global maritime affairs.
Hemphill continued: "This is a clear sign that the U.S. will no longer be a global leader on protecting the oceans, which support all life on this planet."
Today's act follows recent negotiations at the ISA, where governments refused to give The Metals Company a clear pathway to an approved mining application via the ISA. This March, the ISA meeting took a notably different tone from previous meetings, with over 20 countries voicing support for a general environmental policy to be developed at the ISA.
According to The Metals Company, they will apply for permits "in the second quarter of 2025," with reports stating intent to commence mining operations as soon as 2027. Gerard Barron, the CEO of The Metals Company, has gone on the record with his company's willingness and desire to bypass internationally agreed regulations, stating in reference to the ongoing negotiations at the ISA "by all means, go ahead and sign your treaty…we'll be out there".[3]
The EO announcement comes as countries conclude a UN meeting to prepare for the first Ocean COP, aiming to achieve 30×30, a meeting from which the United States delegation did not participate.
32 countries around the world publicly support a moratorium on deep sea mining. Millions of people have spoken out against this dangerous emerging industry. ISA Member states and the body's newly appointed Secretary-General, Leticia Carvalho, swiftly condemned an earlier announcement from TMC, on the penultimate day of the ISA's 30th Council session, as a blatant attempt to sidestep international law and undermine multilateral governance of the global commons.[4,5]
