Cook Islanders confront US-funded vessel over seabed mining threat
COOK Islands activists in kayaks confronted a United States-funded exploration vessel as it returned to port in Rarotonga on Wednesday, holding a banner that read “Don’t Mine the
Seabed Mining
Concern over Cooks mining talks
Cook Islander Helena Keenan-Williams is calling for greater transparency and genuine consultation over the government’s controversial seabed mining
Cook Islands seabed minerals consultations under fire for excluding environment groups again
Environmental groups are again raising red flags as the second round of overseas public consultations on seabed mining gets underway in Queensland, Australia, citing the Cook Islands government’s refusal to allow
Researchers find active volcanic hotspot in Cook Islands seabed
Researchers have discovered a potentially younger and active volcanic hotspot beneath the Cook Islands’ waters, prompting excitement for geological understanding and raising calls for caution regarding seabed
American Samoa Governor places moratorium on seabed mining
An executive order that American Samoa Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga issued places a moratorium on seabed mining in the waters of American Samoa. The moratorium applies to the mining, extracting, or removal of
‘Talanoa’ key to Forum’s seabed mining approach
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, the Pacific Islands Forum outgoing chair, told the media in May that one of the outcomes of the Leaders meeting in Rarotonga last year on the issue was a “talanoa” (a Pacific
‘Greenwashing’: Cook Islands Environment group slams ‘mineral harvesting’ in Seabed Mining Act
The introduction of the term ‘mineral harvesting’ in the legislation governing seabed minerals in the Cook Islands is an attempt to ‘greenwash this destructive industry’, says a local environment group. Te
Moratorium placed on deep sea mining in PNG: PM Marape
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says a moratorium has been placed on the Nautilus deep sea mining and will continue until scientific evidence proves otherwise. Marape said the Melanesian Spearhead
Cook Islands PM asks partners to get serious about debt and climate financing as economic ministers meet
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says if the region’s donor partners are serious about helping Pacific economies grow and recover, they “have to be serious about looking at changing the rules around financing,
Politics blocking U.S influence on ocean laws, warns military
American and Australian national security is at risk because the U.S. Congress has blocked the Biden administration from signing up to a convention on the world’s oceans that covers seabed mining, say experts
Pacific Elders call halt to seabed mining
Pacific Elders’ Voice (PEV) calls for a halt in seabed mining until “proper regulatory instruments can be put in place,” and recommends a regional expert body be created to provide expert advice to Pacific Island
Moana Minerals secures Cook Islands exploration licence
Moana Minerals Limited has been awarded an exploration licence by the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority. The exploration license grants Moana with exclusive rights for a period of five years to explore for cobalt-
France, the oceans and seabed mining
Pacific leaders have joined a major oceans summit hosted by the French government in the port city of Brest, addressing climate change, illegal fishing, ocean acidification and plastics pollution.
Cook Islands opens seabed minerals exploration
Companies interested in conducting seabed minerals exploration work in Cook Islands have until December to put in their Expressions of Interest. This was announced by Prime Minister Mark Brown in an elaborate ceremony