Deep Sea Mining
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the US President's Executive Order entitled Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources, published on 24 April 2025; and if he will issue guidance to UK nationals on the compatibility of involvement in seabed mining operations with UK membership of the International Seabed Authority.
Answered by Catherine West
The Government notes the US Executive Order on 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. The UK is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and is committed to the continued work of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to finalise the draft exploitation Regulations. The UK supports a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining by the ISA until there is sufficient scientific evidence to assess the potential impact of deep-sea mining on marine life, and until the ISA adopts robust, enforceable regulations.
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