ISA: June 2025 Submission of Application for Plan of Work for Exploitation Announced

On 12 November 2024, Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI), falling under the responsibilities the Republic of Nauru as the applicable Sponsoring State, has signalled that it expects to submit an application for a plan of work for the commercial exploitation of mineral resources in the Area to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) on 27 June 2025. The submission date appears to have been selected to directly follow Part I of the Council’s scheduled meeting (17 – 28 March 2025) and directly before Part II of the Council’s scheduled meeting (7 – 18 July 2025) during the 30th Session of the International Seabed Authority. Consultation and support of Nauru as the Sponsoring State is evident in the reported actions, whereby “the Republic of Nauru has requested in a formal letter that the ISA clarify the submission and review process during the March session [Part I], with the goal of providing certainty for all stakeholders and allowing for review to begin immediately after NORI’s submission under an agreed-upon process [Part II]”. An accompanying statement suggests the NORI submission strategy is to seek review of its application for a plan of work for exploitation in 2025, regardless of whether the Mining Code has been finalised and adopted i.e. including ISA’s possible review of the application based on the draft regulations.