Minerals Report

928 Pages·2004·20.44 MB·English

Workshop on Minerals
Other than Polymetallic
Nodules Of the
International Seabed Area

Prepared by:
Office of Resource and Environmental Monitoring
International Seabed Authority, Kingston, Jamaica
April 2004

Cover photo courtesy of Dr Verena Tunnicliffe, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Minerals Other than
Polymetallic Nodules of the
International Seabed Area

ii
Published in Jamaica 2004 by the International Seabed Authority
© International Seabed Authority 2004
National Library of Jamaica Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

International Seabed Authority Workshop (3rd : 2000 : Kingston)
Minerals other than polymetallic nodules of the International Seabed Area
: proceedings…
p. ; ill., maps ; cm.

ISBN: 976-610-647-9 (pbk)

1. Marine mineral resources 2. Oceanography 3. Ocean bottom
I. Title
553.09162 - dc. 21

ISA/04/01

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the
prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such
permission with a statement of purpose and extent of the reproduction
should be addressed to the Secretary-General, International Seabed
Authority, 14-20 Port Royal Street, Kingston, Jamaica.

Copyright © International Seabed Authority, 2004
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD 1
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS 5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11

PART 1. SEAFLOOR MASSIVE SULPHIDES AND 67
COBALT-RICH FERROMANGANESE
CRUST DEPOSITS

Chapter 1 Metallogenesis of Marine Mineral Deposits 69
Dr. Peter Rona, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences,
Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA

Chapter 2* Seafloor Massive Sulphide Deposits and their 109
Resource Potential
Professor Peter Herzig, S. Petersen and Mark D.
Hannington

Chapter 3 Regional and Local Variability in the Spatial 162
Distribution of Cobalt-Bearing Ferromanganese
Crusts in the World’s Ocean
V. M. Yubko

Chapter 4 Hydrothermal Sulphide Mineralisation of the 175
Atlantic – Results of Russian Investigations,
1985-2000
G. Cherkashev, A, Ahsadze and A.Glumov

Chapter 5* Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts: Global 188
Distribution, Composition, Origin and Research
Activities
James R. Hein

*The papers contained in these chapters have been previously published under
separate cover as Technical Study: No.2; ISBN # 976610467-0. The technical study
does not contain the associated presentations or summaries of the discussions

iv
Chapter 6* Impact of the Development of Seafloor Massive 273
Sulphides on deep-sea hydrothermal Vent
Ecosystems
S. Kim Juniper

Chapter 7* Technical Requirements for Exploration and for 303
Mining of Seafloor Massive Sulphide Deposits
and Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts*
Professor Peter Herzig and S. Petersen

Chapter 8 Financing Exploration for Seafloor Sulphide 332
Deposits.
Julian Malnic

Chapter 9 Status Report on the Data and Information 357
Requirements of Papua New Guinea’s Seafloor
Massive Sulphide Deposits.
James Wanjik

Chapter 10 Current National and International Programmes 376
of Exploration for Seafloor Massive Sulphides
and State-of-the-art Techniques and Operations
in Exploration
Dr. Chris German

Chapter 11 A Comparison of Possible Economic Returns 427
from Mining Deep Seabed Polymetallic Nodules,
Seafloor Massive Sulphides and Cobalt-Rich
Ferromanganese Crusts
Jean-Pierre Lenoble

*The papers contained in these chapters have been previously published under
separate cover as Technical Study: No.2; ISBN # 976610467-0. The technical study
does not contain the associated presentations or summaries of the discussions

v
PART 2. ISSUES TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT 469
IN DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR
EXPLORING AND EXPLOITING
SEAFLOOR MASSIVE SULPHIDES AND
COBALT-RICH FERROMANGANESE
CRUST DEPOSITS IN THE AREA

Chapter 12 Open discussion, led by the Secretary-General 470

PART 3 PROSPECTS FOR OTHER MARINE 486
MINERALS THAT MAY BE FOUND IN
THE AREA

Chapter 13 Petroleum Potential and Development Prospects 487
in Deep-Sea Areas of the World
Vladimir Vyotsky and A. I. Glumov

Chapter 14 Submarine Methane Hydrate – Potential Fuel 520
st
Resource of the 21 Century
Erhlich Desa

Chapter 15 A Case Study in the Development of the 575
Namibian Offshore Diamond Mining Industry
Ian Corbett

Chapter 16 A Case Study in the Development of an 617
Environmental Baseline in Large Open-Ocean
Systems off Southern Namibia by De Beers
Marine
Ian Corbett

Chapter 17** Evaluation of the Non-Living Resources of the 670
Continental Shelf Beyond the 200-mile Limit of
the World’s Margins
Lindsay Parson

** The paper presented by Mr Parson has been published under separate cover as ISA
Technical Study No:1, ISBN#976-610-375-5. this technical study does not contain the
associated presentation or summary of the subsequent discussions.
vi
PART 4 REGULATORY AND PROMOTIONAL 768
FRAMEWORKS

Chapter 18 Status Report of the Data and Reporting 769
Requirements of Namibia’s Offshore Mining
Policy as it Relates to Prospecting and
Exploration
Inge K. Zaamwani

Chapter 19 Status Report on the Data and Reporting 796
Requirements of Norway’s Offshore Licensing
Policies as it Relates to Petroleum Exploitation
Bente Nyland

Chapter 20 Status report of the Data and Reporting 824
Requirements of Brazil’s Offshore Mining Policy
as it Relates to Prospecting and Exploration
Roberto Viera de Macedo and Walter Sa Leitao

Chapter 21 Status Report of the Data and Reporting 855
Requirements of Indonesia’s Offshore Mining
Policy as it Relates to Prospecting and
Exploration
Ambassador Hasjim Djalal

Chapter 22 The Role of SOPAC in Promoting Exploration for 887
Marine Mineral Resources in the Pacific Region
C. Pratt, Alfred Simpson, K. Kojima and R. Koshy

vii
FOREWORD

This publication contains the proceedings of a workshop convened by
the International Seabed Authority on mineral resources other than
polymetallic nodules, to be found in marine areas beyond the limits of
national jurisdiction (the Area). It is the third in the series of workshops that
have been convened by the International Seabed Authority to inform the
international community of scientific and technological developments that are
taking place with regard to marine mineral resources. In 1998, at the resumed
Fourth session of the Authority, the representative of the Russian Federation
made a request to the Authority to adopt rules, regulations and procedures
for exploration for seafloor massive polymetallic sulphides deposits and
cobalt-rich manganese crusts. To prepare the Authority for work in this
regard, it was decided to convene this workshop on the future development
of minerals other than polymetallic nodules in the Area. It was decided at the
outset that a comprehensive effort would be made to obtain information and
understanding on the present knowledge base for the possible exploration
and exploitation of these other resources, in particular seafloor massive
polymetallic sulphides deposits and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts. It is
recognized that while a good deal of scientific research has been
accomplished, the transition from marine scientific research to prospecting
and exploration for these resources, and then to their commercialisation will
require a certain amount of flexibility in rule making.

To date, the work of the Authority has focused on the exploration for
deep seabed polymetallic or ferromanganese nodules that are to be found in
the international area. Under the parallel system prescribed for deep seabed
polymetallic nodules, a prospector who seeks an exploration contract from the
Authority is to submit “an application that covers a total area, which need not
be a single continuous area, sufficiently large and of sufficient estimated
commercial value to allow two mining operations. The application shall
indicate the coordinates of the area, defining the total area and dividing it into
two parts of equal estimated commercial value and shall contain all the data
1/
available to the applicant with respect to both parts of the area” .
________________________
1/ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Annex III; Resolution II, paragraph 3(a).
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 1
The Authority designates one of two areas as reserved area for
exploration either by its operating arm, the Enterprise, or by the Authority in
association with developing States. The other area is allocated to the
applicant as a contract area.

For deep seabed polymetallic nodules that lie on and in sediment that
covers the seafloor in the abyssal plains of the world’s ocean, this requirement
has worked and seven entities have obtained exploration contracts with the
Authority under that system. Given the difference in the nature of the
deposits, a fundamental question for consideration is whether the parallel
system will work for seafloor massive sulphides and ferromanganese crust
deposits. Would work done during prospecting be sufficient to delineate two
seafloor massive polymetallic sulphides deposits or two cobalt-rich
ferromanganese crust deposits of equal estimated commercial value? Should
a different system be devised to meet the objective of the parallel system that
was based on the principle that there should be opportunity for all to
participate in the exploitation of the mineral resources in the Area?

Based on the need to provide the international community with a
response to these and other related matters, the workshop was convened with
the following objectives:

(a) To obtain information and understanding on marine minerals of the
Area for which rules, regulations and procedures for prospecting,
exploration and exploitation are yet to be adopted by the Authority,
with an emphasis on seafloor polymetallic massive sulphides and
ferromanganese crust deposits; and in the case of the latter two
deposits,

(b) To obtain information on their distribution, the marine environment
where they are found, metals of commercial interest, resource
potential and developments with regard to research and exploration
for these deposits.

The workshop also addressed the nature of regulatory regimes in
some countries that have established marine mineral industries. This was
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 2