Fiji cautious on seabed mining

Fiji has minerals on its ocean floor, but not enough to make deep-sea mining commercially viable, and the Government will not proceed until international regulations are finalised.

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo said Fiji’s position on deep-sea mining had always been cautious.

“We want more scientific information before decisions are taken on whether deep-sea mining should happen in our territorial waters,” Mr Vosarogo told the Fiji Sun today.

He confirmed Fiji has minerals within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but said the quantity was insufficient to justify commercial mining.

Mr Vosarogo said Fiji would not operationalise its International Seabed Minerals Management Act 2013 until the International Seabed Authority (ISA) finalised its mining code and regulations.

“Because Fiji is closely aligned with the ISA, we do not want our domestic law to move ahead of international instruments and guidance,” he said.

He said the ISA had resolved 29 of 33 outstanding issues, with four remaining before the mining code could be passed.

Mr Vosarogo also said Fiji was in discussions with France, whose research capabilities could help the country make evidence-based decisions on whether to pursue seabed exploration in the future.

The Cook Islands remains the only Pacific nation to have conducted significant seabed exploration within its own waters and has the legal framework in place to mine if it chooses.