Energy Law | Advancements in Deep-Sea Mining, Geopolitics, and a General Overview of the Legal Framework of UNCLOS and the International Seabed Authority

Deep-sea mining (DSM) has shifted from science fiction to geopolitical flashpoint. Advancements in technology now make it possible to extract vast deposits of cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other critical minerals from the ocean floor - resources essential to clean energy and battery technologies.

This article examines the international legal framework governing DSM under UNCLOS and the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which was established to regulate and license mining activities in the international seabed beyond national jurisdiction. With the ISA still deadlocked on a mining code, the US pursuing an independent permitting route under domestic law, and China holding more exploration licenses than any other state, the deep sea has become a new arena of superpower competition — one where law, environment, and geopolitics collide, and where the rules of the game are still being written.

Published in collaboration with the Institute for Maritime Policy & Strategy (MPS)  and the Israeli National Center of Blue Economy.

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