GS Paper III

News Excerpts: 

Earlier this month, India submitted an application to the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) in Jamaica, seeking permission to explore two extensive areas of the Indian Ocean seabed that fall outside its jurisdiction.

More about the news: 

• Countries like China, Russia, and India are racing to access vast deposits of mineral resources such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese, located thousands of meters below the ocean surface. 
• These minerals are vital for producing renewable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and batteries, essential for combating climate change. India's request to explore one of these areas, the cobalt-rich crust referred to as the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount (AN Seamount), represents a strategic move. 
• Despite Sri Lanka already claiming rights to this region under a distinct legal framework, India's application is partly driven by concerns over reported Chinese vessels conducting reconnaissance in the same area. 
• India's deep-sea mining ambitions align with its goal of significantly expanding its renewable energy capacity, aiming for 500 gigawatts by 2030 and meeting 50% of its energy needs from renewables by then, with a long-term target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

• The AN Seamount, a geological feature stretching 400 kilometers in length and 150 kilometers in width, lies within the Central Indian Basin, approximately 3,000 kilometers from India's coastline. It rises from an oceanic depth of around 4,800 meters to about 1,200 meters and is recognized, based on surveys conducted over the past two decades, as abundant in deposits of cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper.
• Any potential extraction activities require interested parties, typically nations, to initially apply for an exploration license through the International Seabed Authority (ISBA), an independent international organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Exclusive Rights: 

• These rights are specifically applicable to areas within the open ocean, where no country can claim sovereignty over the air, surface, or seabed. Approximately 60% of the world's seas fall under this category, and while they are believed to hold significant mineral resources, the high costs and logistical challenges associated with extraction have hindered commercial exploitation thus far. 
• Countries are granted exclusive rights up to 200 nautical miles from their borders, including the underlying seabed. Some coastal states may possess a natural land bridge extending from their border to the deep ocean beyond this 200-mile limit, forming part of their continental shelf. 
• To assert such a claim, a nation must provide comprehensive scientific evidence, including underwater maps and surveys, to demonstrate this unbroken land connection to a scientific commission appointed by the International Seabed Authority (ISBA). 
• If approved, the country gains priority to explore and potentially exploit the living and non-living resources in the region.
• Typically, claims to the continental shelf do not exceed 350 nautical miles from the coast. However, there is a provision allowing countries along the Bay of Bengal to apply different criteria for extending their claims. 
• Sri Lanka, for instance, has asserted a claim of up to 500 nautical miles. Whether such claims are granted remains to be seen, but India has initiated exploration efforts due to observed Chinese presence in the region. Failing to stake a claim now could have implications in the future, according to officials.
• Regions not classified as part of a country's continental shelf are considered "high sea" and are open to exploration by any nation with permission from the ISBA.

Current Status: 

• India has submitted applications to explore the cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust in the AN Seamount area and the Carlsberg Ridge region, spanning 300,000 square kilometers in the Central Indian Ocean, for polymetallic sulphides. These sulphides, found near hydrothermal vents, are reportedly rich in copper, zinc, gold, and silver.
• India, like Sri Lanka, has claimed its continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles from its border but awaits official recognition. It has previously secured exploration rights for two large basins in the Central Indian Ocean and has conducted surveys in these areas.

Conclusion: 

Presently, no nation has successfully extracted resources from the open oceans. However, India's exploration endeavours may face potential obstacles from another UNCLOS-related entity, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, which determines the boundaries of a country's continental shelf and could impact India's ambitions in exploration.