DEME announces seabed mineral mining tests with Japanese partner

DEME is set to conduct new tests with a Japanese partner to assess the feasibility of mining polymetallic nodules from the seabed. The tests are scheduled for the early 2030s, the group announced on Monday.

Polymetallic nodules contain nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese and lie on the ocean floor, often several kilometres below sea level. Their extraction remains controversial. Environmental organisations warn of ecological damage caused by deep-sea mining, while proponents emphasise the importance of the materials contained in the nodules for the energy transition, including their use in battery production.

The Antwerp-based maritime services provider DEME is active in deep-sea mining through its subsidiary Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR). The company holds a licence area in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, where it has previously conducted tests. No further operations are currently under way there pending the finalisation of a regulatory framework for deep-sea mining.

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Over 4,000 metres deep

GSR is now preparing new tests in another licence area within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, in collaboration with the Japanese deep-sea mining company DORD. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding, a framework agreement setting out the terms of the project.

“This test will validate the safe and reliable operation of an integrated commercial‑scale mining system – including a seafloor collector, vertical transport system and surface vessel – at depths exceeding 4,000 meters,” DEME said.

According to the Belgian group, the tests will comply fully with exploration regulations and environmental guidelines of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), and will include a comprehensive environmental impact assessment. They are scheduled for the early 2030s.

^{#FlandersNewsService | A polymetallic nodule at Scotland House London in London. PHOTO © Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) / AFP}

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