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8 hours ago
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Source: AFP
A 1,000-tonne vessel is exploring the far-flung South Pacific for riches buried beneath the waves, spearheading efforts to dredge the tropical waters for concern deep-sea mining.
Fringed by sparkling lagoons and palm-shaded beaches, Pacific federation the Cook Islands has opened its immense water territory for mining exploration.
Research vessels roam the seas searching for deposits of artillery metals, uncommon earths and captious minerals that litter the heavy ocean's abyssal plains.
Source: AFP
The frontier manufacture is likened by immoderate to a modern-day golden rush, and decried by others arsenic biology "madness".
AFP visited the sunburst-orange MV Anuanua Moana astatine the Cook Islands' sleepy larboard of Avatiu, wherever it loaded supplies earlier mounting sail for the archipelago's outer reaches.
"The assets successful our tract is astir apt successful the bid of astir US$4 cardinal successful imaginable value," said main enforcement Hans Smit from Moana Minerals, which converted the erstwhile proviso vessel into a deepwater probe vessel.
Source: AFP
It is fitted with chemistry labs, sonar arrays and sensors utilized to probe the seabed for coveted metals.
For 2 years it has sailed the Cook Islands, halfway betwixt New Zealand and Hawaii, gathering information to person regulators that deep-sea mining is safe.
While exploration is acold advanced, nary institution has started mining connected a commercialized scale.
Big concern
"I privation to beryllium mining earlier 2030," Smit said from the ship's tower, arsenic whirring cranes loaded woody crates of dense cogwheel below.
"Absolutely, I deliberation that we can."
Source: AFP
Large tracts of seabed astir the Cook Islands are carpeted successful polymetallic nodules, misshapen achromatic globes encrusted with cobalt, nickel, manganese and different coveted metals.
Demand has been driven by the emergence of electrical vehicles, rechargeable batteries and durable alloys utilized successful everything from operation to medicine.
The Cook Islands laic assertion to 1 of conscionable 4 large nodule deposits globally.
Source: AFP
It is "the world's largest and richest assets of polymetallic nodules wrong a sovereign territory", according to Australia's University of Queensland.
Moana Minerals -- a subsidiary of a Texas-based institution -- owns the rights to research 20,000 quadrate kilometres (7,500 quadrate miles) wrong the Cook Islands' exclusive economical zone.
"If we enactment 1 mining vessel connected there, and we started producing metals, we volition beryllium 1 of the largest mines around," said Smit.
'Belongs to us'
Few countries are arsenic reliant connected the water arsenic the Cook Islands, a seafaring federation of immoderate 17,000 people scattered crossed a concatenation of volcanic isles and coral atolls.
Source: AFP
Pristine lagoons lure affluent tourists that prop-up the economy, fridges are stocked with food plucked from vibrant reefs, and section myths thatch children to revere the sea.
Many Cook Islanders fearfulness deep-sea mining could taint their precious "moana", oregon ocean, forever.
"I person seen the vessel successful the harbour," said circuit usher Ngametua Mamanu, 55.
"Why bash we request the mining worldly to destruct the oceans?"
Retiree Ana Walker, 74, feared overseas interests had travel to plunder her land home.
"We deliberation that these radical are coming implicit to marque money and to permission the messiness with us."
Deep-sea mining companies tout the request for captious minerals to marque electrical vehicles, star panels and different "green" technologies.
Source: AFP
The thought holds immoderate allure successful a spot similar the Cook Islands, wherever clime alteration is linked to droughts, destructive cyclones and rising seas.
"If each goes well, determination is bully that tin travel retired of it. Financially," said third-generation pearl husbandman James Kora, 31.
"But it relies connected however good we negociate each those minerals. If the subject says it's safe."
'Guinea pigs'
Marine biologist Teina Rongo squinted into the sunlight arsenic his tiny vessel motored past the Anuanua Moana, an emblem of an manufacture helium views with heavy distrust.
"We were ne'er astir exploring the bottommost of the ocean, due to the fact that our ancestors believed it is simply a spot of the gods," said Rongo.
"We don't beryllium there."
Deep-sea mining companies are inactive figuring the champion mode to retrieve nodules that tin prevarication 5 kilometres (three miles) oregon much beneath the waves.
Source: AFP
Most absorption connected robotic harvesting machines, which scrape up nodules arsenic they crawl the water floor.
Critics fearfulness mining volition smother marine beingness with plumes of waste, and that the alien sound of dense machinery volition disrupt oceanic migrations.
Environmentalist Alanna Smith said researchers knew precise small astir the heavy ocean.
"We'd truly beryllium the guinea pigs of this industry, going archetypal in.
"It's a risky, risky move."
Powerful friends
A US-backed probe expedition successful the 1950s was the archetypal to observe the "enormous fields" of polymetallic nodules successful the South Pacific.
Waves of Japanese, French, American and Russian ships sailed the Cook Islands successful the pursuing decades to representation this trove.
But deep-sea mining was mostly a fringe thought until astir 2018, erstwhile the burgeoning electrical conveyance manufacture sent metallic prices soaring.
Source: AFP
Mining companies are present vying to exploit the world's 4 large nodule fields -- 3 successful planetary waters, and the 4th successful the Cook Islands.
The International Seabed Authority meets this period to mull rules that could pave the mode for mining successful planetary waters.
Although the Cook Islands tin excavation its territory without the authority's approval, it inactive has a involvement successful the decision.
The Cook Islands besides ain 1 of 17 contracts to hunt for nodules successful the planetary waters of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, halfway betwixt Mexico and Hawaii.
So far, the Cook Islands has said its attack -- adjacent successful its ain waters -- would beryllium intimately "aligned" with the authority's rules.
But it remains unclear if it volition proceed without those regulations.
"We're not mounting clip frames successful presumption of erstwhile we privation to get this started," said Edward Herman, from the Cook Islands' Seabed Minerals Authority.
"I deliberation the clip frames volition beryllium determined based connected what the probe and the subject and the information tells us."
Many of the Cook Islands' South Pacific neighbours privation to spot deep-sea mining banned.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a scathing indictment successful June, saying the "predatory" manufacture was biology "madness".
But the Cook Islands has almighty friends.
It signed an statement with China earlier this twelvemonth for the "exploration and probe of seabed mineral resources".
"There was a batch of noise," said Herman, referencing the backlash implicit the China deal.
"And evidently there's a batch of interest... whenever China engages with anyone successful the Pacific.
"And we understand, we judge it, and we volition continue."
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Source: AFP
