Switzerland-based Allseas Group will begin trials for its first seabed mining vessel in mid-2022 in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean.
Allseas is a strategic partner and shareholder of The Metals Company, which recently held an event in Rotterdam to showcase the technology.
The ship, called the Hidden Gem, is a 228-meter-long former drill ship. Allseas is modifying the ship to allow it to bring polymetallic nodules from the seafloor to the ship via its existing moonpool. Allseas will use a 4.3 kilometer-long riser which will facilitate nodule collection.
The Metal Company currently holds exploration contract areas that could power 280 million electric vehicles, TMC said.
TMC estimates that production of nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese could begin as early as 2024 from these contract areas, TMC CEO Gerald Barron said.
The area is administered by the International Seabed Authority and sponsored by Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a UN body, is still working on drafting regulations regarding seabed mining. Undersea mining will not be allowed until these regulations are released.
The ISA initially expected to complete these regulations within a two-year period, and has prepared 10 draft standards in 2020 and 2021, Reuters reported.
However, a group of Latin American and Caribbean nations released a letter in October saying that regulations would likely take longer to be agreed, citing a lack of tangible progress.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, and has received support from Google and BMW, according to Reuters.
