By Rashneel Kumar of 
A recent 20-day research cruise by the United States exploration vessel, EV Nautilus, conducted in partnership with SBMA, provided fantastic images of the wonderful life in our deep sea, "but is merely a small first step", says Te Ipukarea Society. Photo: Supplied / Ocean Exploration Trust
Cook Islands will extend seabed minerals exploration for a further five years, pushing the decision on whether to mine its polymetallic nodules-rich seafloor to at least 2032.
The extension was confirmed by the Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA), a government agency tasked with the management and regulation of all seabed minerals activity in the country.
Cook Islands issued exploration licences to three companies in February 2022 to conduct seabed minerals exploration over five years, involving scientific research and environmental impact assessments to determine if mining is viable.
Seabed Minerals commissioner Beverly Stacey-Ataera said that the current exploration licences are valid until February 2027, and these companies have not yet completed their approved plans of work.
"As the licence holders have not yet completed their approved plans of work, they will be required to apply for renewal of their exploration licences for a further five-year period if they wish to continue," Stacey-Ataera told Cook Islands News.
"The Seabed Minerals Authority is currently preparing for that process and will engage its independent Licensing Panel to evaluate all renewal applications in accordance with our legislation and regulations."
The companies - Cook Islands Cobalt (CIC) Limited, Moana Minerals Limited (a subsidiary of Ocean Minerals LLC) and Cook Islands Investment Company (CIIC) Seabed Resources Limited - were contacted for comment yesterday. This newspaper asked for an update on their approved plan of work, whether they agreed more time and exploration are necessary and if they will reapply for another five-year exploration term.
Local environment group Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) said they are glad to hear there will be an additional five years for exploration but would like to see a commitment to "at least 10 more years of meaningful research".
"Realistically, five years has never been an adequate timeframe to gather the necessary information for a well-informed decision on deep-sea mining. Anyone with even a slight appreciation for the vast unknowns of the deep sea would understand this limitation," TIS said.
"There are still far too many unknowns regarding the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by deep-sea life. While we are glad to hear there will be an additional five years for exploration, we would like to see a commitment to at least 10 more years of meaningful research that covers the whole spectrum of potential environmental impacts from this destructive industry before even considering issuing any commercial mining licences."
Cook Islands issued exploration licences to three companies in February 2022 to conduct seabed minerals exploration over five years. Photo: Supplied / Ocean Exploration Trust
TIS said that during the consultations on the draft Seabed Minerals Bill in 2019, they suggested to the Seabed Minerals Authority to follow the International Seabed Authority's lead and allocate a minimum of 15 years for effective exploration, with a possible extension of a further five years.
"A significant majority of our people remain unaware or improperly informed about this topic, including the potential risks involved and the changing global demand for these minerals. Specifically, there is now less demand for these particular metals within the context of the green energy transition," TIS stated.
"Given that the people are a key stakeholder in this matter, they deserve adequate time to be properly informed with balanced information regarding this new and highly speculative industry."
The environment group also acknowledged a recent 20-day research cruise by the United States exploration vessel, EV Nautilus, conducted in partnership with SBMA, saying it provided fantastic images of the wonderful life in our deep sea, "but is merely a small first step".
"We urge a focus on significantly more dedicated biodiversity research and an investigation into the crucial ecosystem services provided by the deep-sea nodule ecosystem."
Following the research cruise, SBMA knowledge management director Dr John Parianos said the findings would guide decisions about seabed mining.
"One day someone will have to make a decision about what to do and it's clear today we don't know enough to make a decision," Parianos told RNZ Pacific.
Last week, Chinese ocean research vessel, RV Da Yang Hao, conducted a short marine scientific research cruise from Suva, Fiji, to the Cook Islands - "a mission focused on strengthening national ocean science capability and deepening understanding of our deep sea", SBMA said.
Polymetallic nodules contain high concentrations of valuable metals, primarily cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, which are crucial for technologies like batteries. According to SBMA, current estimates suggest the Cook Islands has 6.7 billion tonnes of wet nodules.
