- 11/16/2023: Senator Murkowski reintroduces resolution calling for the US Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- 11/21/2023: Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI) shares data from their 2022 test mining on the impacts of seafloor sediment plumes. See the informative video embedded below.
- 12/7/2023: 31 members of congress send letter to Secretary Austin (attached) regarding the importance of deep-sea polymetallic nodules from a national security standpoint.
- 12/28/2023: NORI completes research campaign in the Pacific.
- 1/3/2024: National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is signed into law, and includes provisions directing the Department of Defense to submit a report to the House Armed Services Committee assessing the domestic processing of seafloor polymetallic nodules by March 1, 2024. See text pasted below.
- 1/9/2024: The Storting (Norwegian parliament) endorses the Government’s proposal to open parts of the Norwegian continental shelf for exploration for and production of seabed minerals. (Of interest to long-time offshore energy observers, the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) changed its name to the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (NOD) effective 1/1/2024. Fortunately, the serpent logo, my favorite offshore agency logo, has been retained!)
- 1/11/2024: The Wall Street Journal reports on growing US political support for deep sea mining.
“the committee directs the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy shall, by March 1, 2024, submit a report to the House Armed Services Committee assessing the processing of seabed resources of polymetallic nodules domestically. The report shall include, at a minimum, the following:
NDAA, p. 230
(1) a review of current resources and controlling parties in securing seabed resources of polymetallic nodules;
(2) an assessment of current domestic deep-sea mining and material processing capabilities; and
(3) a roadmap recommending how the United States can have the ability to source and/or process critical minerals in innovative arenas, such as deep-sea mining, to decrease reliance on sources from foreign adversaries and bolster domestic competencies.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 