The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) strongly condemns The Metals Company’s (TMC) attempt to fast-track deep-sea mining through a unilateral U.S. permitting process in international waters, attempting to undermine the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and bypass ongoing multilateral negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
Sofia Tsenikli, Global Campaign Director, DSCC said: “Just days after the High Seas Treaty has entered into force, this application to unilaterally mine the global commons is a direct challenge to international law, and a threat to the marine environment and the common heritage of humankind.
The moment requires bold and immediate action. We urge ISA Member States to urgently establish a moratorium on deep-sea mining, sending a clear message to governments, financiers, and the industry that the global commons are off limits to deep-sea mining.”
A growing body of independent science continues to warn of irreversible biodiversity loss, long-term ecosystem disruption throughout the water column, including impacts on carbon cycling and sequestration, if the industry is permitted to proceed.
To date, 40 governments, alongside over 60 major companies and financial institutions, scientists, human rights experts, fishing groups, Indigenous leaders and civil society organizations are calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining.
Matthew Gianni, Co-Founder and Senior Political Adviser, DSCC, said: “Unilateral action to bypass international law risks fundamentally undermining the global maritime order that has kept the ocean peaceful and shared for decades. Acting outside UNCLOS doesn’t just set a dangerous precedent for deep-sea mining, it weakens the rules that govern fisheries, navigation, maritime boundaries and security, and invites competing claims and rising geopolitical tensions at sea.
We urge the 170 countries that have ratified UNCLOS to unite and take action to confront this real and present danger to the health of our ocean and the prosperity it brings to billions of people around the world.”
As governments approach critical decisions at the ISA in 2026, this move underscores the urgent need for a deep-sea mining moratorium to uphold UNCLOS, protect ocean ecosystems and deter unilateral exploitation of one of Earth’s least understood ecosystems.
“The consolidated application by The Metals Company is an insult to the International Seabed Authority and its 171 Members. By bypassing the exploration requirements and seeking to mine commercially they are throwing caution to the winds, ditching the rules based order and endangering the deep sea marine environment“ said DSCC International Legal Adviser, Duncan Currie.
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Note to Editors:
The High Seas Treaty, otherwise known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is a new international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable development of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Treaty entered into force on 17 January 2026.