International Seabed Authority hosts seminar

A three-day seminar on the functions of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opened yesterday at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

ISA Secretary General Nii Odunton of Ghana said the seminar will be attended by representatives from 35 of its 155 members, including Jamaica's delegate, Raymond Wolfe.

It will also be addressed by experts in underwater exploration from Australia and China.

"This seminar is really to sensitise people to the work we do. It gives our members an opportunity to shed light on the amount of work being done," said Odunton.

It is the fifth seminar of this nature to be staged within the last four years by the ISA, which was established in 1994 with headquarters in Kingston. Previous meetings were held for regional delegates in Indonesia (Asia), Brazil (South America), Nigeria (Africa), and Spain for Mediterranean Europe.

For caribbean members

The Jamaica leg, dubbed 'Prospecting, Exploration and Exploitation of Deep Seabed Mineral Resources in the Area: Challenges for the Caribbean and Opportunities for Colla-boration', is being held specifically for Caribbean members.

The ISA's members are signatories to the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.

It grants exploration rights to 50 per cent of the Earth's underwater surface.

Currently, it has eight contractors (seven companies and the government of India) who hold exploration licences to mine polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, which is located in the north Pacific Ocean.

Those nodules contain cobalt, copper, and nickel, which produce metal when refined. Once companies are given permission by the ISA, they are allowed to mine the polymetallic sulphide, which is a source for minerals such as copper, iron, zinc, silver, and gold.

Contractors are required to pay the ISA royalties once they are granted a mining licence.

The ISA's 16th annual session was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre one year ago.