After two years of exploring the ocean floor, Cook Islands gains 'new knowledge'

Cook Islands nodule field - photo taken within Cook Islands EEZ.

The Cook Islands has just finished its second year exploring its ocean to see if deep sea mining can happen.

The exploration phase - which will continue for about another three years - gives three companies access to the nations waters to see if mining is a viable option.

As part of the process companies need to review the environmental risks associated with the task. If the companies can prove mining is viable the government will award them a mining license.

Deep sea mining involves extracting potato size rocks, called nodules, kilometres deep from the seafloor.

They are packed full of valuable metals like nickel and cobalt, deep sea mining companies argue it will fuel the green transition as the world moves towards electric power.

Alex Herman, who heads Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority - the agency responsible for the regulation of seabed minerals activity in the Cook Islands - said knowledge of the nodules dates to the 1970s, with more active steps taken by the country to sustainably develop the resource starting about 20-years ago.

Herman said the minerals programme is being led by Cook Islanders, which is different to outsiders moving into the Pacific - something she has seen done previously.

"That's what is making the development of our sector so special, because we're going in clear-eyed, and we're making sure that how this has been developed is in the best interests of our country."

Herman said the country has been gaining new knowledge about its ocean in the process.

"We now have never before seen high resolution footage on our sea floor, we have more information on our water column, this is all of the new knowledge that we anticipated we would get if we went through with this exploration process."

Herman said it's too early to say whether companies will progress to the stage of extracting the nodules off the seafloor.

"We've been very clear with the [exploration] license holders that getting an exploration license does not guarantee that you will then in the future be successful with obtaining a mining license.

"They're all clear on that and they will understand that the onus is on them, to show to the Cook Islands government and people, and satisfy us that they will be able to commercially extract nodules from our waters in a way that is environmentally safe and economically feasible."

Moana Minerals Limited, CEO Hans Smit on board the company’s research vessel. Photo: Moana Minerals Limited

There's a growing call for a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep sea mining, particularly in international waters.

The United Kingdom is one of the latest of the 24 nations calling for the activity to halt.

"We fully respect every country's sovereign right to their own views to their own positions. That's quite a fundamental right and one that we respect," Herman said.

"Likewise, we would also ask that countries respect the Cook Islands own sovereign decision making.

"We're clear that we're taking a precautionary approach, we're clear that our actions are well in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"So we really just ask that reciprocal respect."

'Clear on the facts'

Environmental non-government (NGO) organisations have also been calling for seabed mining bans or moratoriums, claiming the activity will be environmentally destructive including contributing to climate change.

"I think one of the issues that we find in terms of the rhetoric about seabed minerals is that there is a conflation, deliberate or otherwise, of the types of seabed minerals and the environmental issues associated with them," Herman said.

"A lot of the work that the Seabed Minerals Authority does, is trying to be clear on the facts because there tends to be deliberate to otherwise a little bit of misinformation about what the issues are and what the current science is telling us."

Aligned with other NGOs local environment Te Ipukarea Society, has been calling for a moratorium.

One of the groups major concerns is it could be hard to get the companies to leave if they're not granted a mining license. Particular concern is around Odyssey Marine Exploration which is a part owner in two of the three companies carrying out exploration in the Cook Islands.

In 2019, Odyssey sued the Mexican government for billions of dollars after being denied a mining license. Odyssey claimed it was illegally denied the license. The outcome of the case is still pending.

'We're taking good advice'

Herman said the country's greatest protection is making decisions in line with legislation.

"We have access to our own lawyers both within government as well as externally, to ensure that we're taking good advice and that we are making decisions in line with our laws."

Herman also questioned the accuracy of previous reporting on Odyssey and said she did not feel it was appropriate to comment further.

Another concern by Te Ipukarea Society is environmental impact assessments (EIA) will be carried out by the companies.

However, Herman said the assessments will be independently reviewed.

"It's not that a company will develop an EIA, and there is no independent oversight or verification of that work.

"There are independent checks that are part of the process to ensure that it's robust."

Source: RNZ