Is Deep Sea Mining One Step Closer to Reality?

Mining & Minerals - Evaluations / Deep Sea Mining

Ali Somarin reported last year that a recent post discussed mining asteroids for natural resources. In this post Somarin opines about a subject in the opposite direction - to the deep sea. Like asteroid mining, the concept of deep sea mining is being driven by the dwindling availability of rare earth and other metals and the conclusion by geoscientists that such valuable resources can be found at the surace of and beneath the ocean floor. Unlike asteroid mining, however, sea mining is already happening. Diamond producer DeBeers, for example, mines diamonds from southern African waters, but at relatively shallow depths.

Deep sea mining, with its harsh conditions and exorbitant costs, not unlike offworld environments, has proven more elusive, but recent developments indicate this mining sector may be poised for growth. As more deep sea mineral deposits are discovered and the demand for these resources increases, mining companies are renewing their efforts to build the technologies and equipment needed to go after them. According to a recent BBC News article, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body that oversees all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, has issued seven new exploration licenses. This brings the total number of minerals prospecting permits to 26, covering an area of 1.2 million square kilometers. This will be good practice for going to the Moon and asteroids....both are high dollar projects, both will need oxygen for set up, and both will need robots operated by well-trained personnel.

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