A number of countries are listed as having signed up for a moratorium, pause, or ban. Although these countries may have made public statements, the vast majority have not passed legislation. In fact, these countries have signed UNCLOS, which legally commits them to deep sea mining regulated by the ISA. Some of these countries have sponsored exploration applications. If they legally supported a moratorium, pause, or ban, they would be in violation of their legal obligations and could lose their exploration areas.
A number of companies are listed as having signed up for a moratorium, pause, or ban. The wording says, “Before any potential deep seabed mining occurs, it needs to be clearly demonstrated that such activities can be managed in a way that ensures the effective protection of the marine environment.” This is the purpose of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which must be approved by the regulator before any mining can start. After a regulator approves an exploitation application, the EIA will provide for protecting the marine environment. So, any companies that have signed the moratorium will be free to purchase deep sea minerals.
