26/07/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/199DvGuoEJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
A U.S. company wants to mine the seafloor beside French Polynesia’s protected waters.
French Polynesia is challenging a U.S. company's plan to explore for valuable minerals on the deep ocean floor just outside its maritime borders, saying it was never properly consulted.
The proposal comes from California-based American Deep Sea Minerals, which is seeking U.S. approval to explore an area of international waters surrounded by the maritime boundaries of French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and Kiribati. The company hopes to identify minerals used in batteries and military technologies.
French Polynesia's president, Moetai Brotherson, said the territory was contacted but never meaningfully consulted before the proposal moved forward. He argues that projects so close to protected ecosystems should not proceed without the participation of neighboring Pacific communities.
The dispute is unfolding as countries negotiate global rules for deep-sea mining through the International Seabed Authority. The Trump administration has instead encouraged companies to seek permits directly through the United States, a move that many countries argue undermines international law.
French Polynesia banned seabed mining in 2022, and France followed with its own ban in 2023. The territory is also home to Tainui Atea, one of the world's largest marine protected areas, which supports more than 1,000 fish species, 176 coral species, and 21 shark species.
Scientists are still studying the long-term impacts of deep-sea mining, but many worry it could damage fragile ecosystems, disrupt fisheries, create underwater sediment plumes, and harm species that are still poorly understood.
Supporters of seabed mining argue the minerals found on the ocean floor could help supply materials needed for electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy technologies, and defense industries, reducing dependence on land-based mining.
French Polynesia says it is not opposed to scientific research, but believes any project that could eventually lead to commercial mining should undergo a thorough, independent environmental review and include meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities before moving forward.