By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau KOROR, 31 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)—Pacific civil society organisations are maintaining their call for a ban on deep sea mining, warning Pacific leaders that seabed extraction could expose countries to major legal, financial and environmental liabilities. The warning was made during a civil society interview at the Pacific Media Workshop […]
Tag: Deep Sea Mining
Posted inWorld News
Fresh concerns over radioactive risks from deep sea mining near American Sāmoa
PAGOPAGO, 22 JULY 2026 (PMN) — A new scientific warning is adding to growing Pacific opposition as the United States moves ahead with plans to auction offshore deep-sea mining leases near American Sāmoa later this year. Researchers and environmental groups say mining could release naturally occurring radioactive materials into the ocean, raising fresh questions about […]
Posted inIn Focus
Deep-sea wildernesses are more important than the promise of seafloor mining
Analysis by Andrew D. Thaler SUVA, 15 APRIL 2026 (MONGABAY)—When I set sail on the MV NorSky in the summer of 2008 to probe the depths of Manus Basin off the coast of Papua New Guinea, I believed in the promise of deep-sea mining. As an early-career deep-sea ecologist, I was swayed by arguments in […]
Posted inIn Focus
Applying Indigenous wisdom to deep-sea mining
By Angelo Villagomez WASHINGTON, 02 FEBRUARY 2026 (LAS VEGAS SUN) — The Trump administration argues that opening America’s seafloor to deep-sea mining is essential for strengthening our economy and securing our energy future. From a Pacific Islander perspective, this rush to extract metals from the ocean — especially near the Mariana Trench and American Samoa […]
Posted inPacific News
NOAA to map critical mineral deposits in deep waters off American Samoa
PAGO PAGO, 23 JANUARY 2026 (NOAA) — NOAA’s National Ocean Service announced today a new hydrographic survey project to map and characterise more than 30,000 square nautical miles of federal waters off American Samoa. This project is part of the Department of Commerce’s implementation of the U.S Offshore Critical Minerals Mapping Plan as defined by […]
Posted inIn Focus
Deep sea mining is the next geopolitical frontline – and the Pacific is in the crosshairs
By Viliame Kasanawaqa CANBERRA, 22 JANUARY 2026 (THE CONVERSATION) —i When the United States recently escalated its confrontation with Venezuela – carrying out strikes in Caracas and capturing President Nicolás Maduro – the moves were framed as political intervention. But the raid also reflected a deeper contest over oil and critical mineral supply chains. For […]