The groups include the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Greenpeace. This week, six environmental organisations called on the Norwegian government to put a stop to plans to permit deep-sea mining. Reuters has reported that DeepGreen, GSR, Seabird Exploration and UK Seabed Resources (a Lockheed Martin subsidiary) are among the companies holding exploratory licences. According to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, these expeditions have identified deposits of metals and minerals valuable for manufacturing components of electric vehicles, wind turbines and phones. Norway has supported several expeditions to map the ocean floor. Deep-sea mining would explore near hydrothermal vents (which could contain valuable metals including gold, cobalt and silver) or sites with many polymetallic rocky masses. The process has started with a public consultation on a proposed impact assessment programme, which could result in the first deep-sea mining licences issued in 2023.ĭeep-sea mining would involve extracting minerals from the ocean floor at depths of hundreds of metres rather than in shallow coastal waters where most marine mining is focused. In January this year, the Norwegian government announced a process to open areas on its extended continental shelf to exploring and extracting minerals from the ocean floor.