International Seabed Authority:
The International Seabed Authority has decided that it will start taking permit applications from companies that want to mine the ocean floor.
- International Seabed Authority is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- It has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities.
- It has its headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica
- Its primary function is to regulate the exploration of poly-metallic nodules.
- Polymetallic nodules are rounded accretions of manganese and iron hydroxides that cover vast areas of the seafloor.
- These are most abundant on abyssal plains at water depths of 4000-6500 metres.
- They are mainly found in the north-central Pacific Ocean, the southeastern Pacific Ocean, and the northern Indian Ocean.
