SBMA Release: Historic First Seabed Minerals Exploration Licences Granted
L-R: CIICSR Director Mark Short, SBM Commissioner Alex Herman, Moana Minerals Director Des Eggleton, CIC Country Manager Shona Lynch, Prime Minister Mark Brown, CIICSR Director Michael Henry, Moana Minerals lawyer Brian Mason and CIICSR General Manager Eusenio Fatialofa
“Today we take an enormous step in our transformational journey towards a sustainable and thriving future. Today I am proud to stand before you all, to mark this significant and historic occasion for the Cook Islands. Today we issue our first ever exploration licences”. Those were the opening words of Prime Minister Mark Brown at the seabed minerals (SBM) exploration licence granting ceremony.
Held on 23 February 2022, the ceremony saw the signing of three SBM exploration licences with companies: CIC, CIIC Seabed Resources and Moana Minerals.
The licence granting was the culmination of a 16 month long application process, involving due diligence assessments, public consultations, expert panel evaluations, the establishment of SBM bodies, and numerous internal and external checks and balances. Speakers on the day commented on the thorough process that applicants went through before Government made it decision to grant the five-year exploration licences.
“These are long term partnerships, so we the Cook Islands government were very careful about who we allowed to operate in our waters,” said Prime Minister Brown.
"This exploration phase we are entering into is exciting and will open up a whole new world for us,” said Prime Minister Brown “We will gain valuable data and information, along with job and training opportunities for Cook Islanders and the use of local goods and services”.
Speakers also reflected on the decades long journey for the Cook Islands towards realising the long-held aspiration to see the development of the SBM sector, and acknowledged the Cook Islanders who helped paved the way to reach this milestone, such as Sir Albert Henry, Sir Geoffrey Henry, Sir Terepai Maoate and His Excellency Sir Tom Marsters.
“The guiding principle for the development of the SBM sector, including this exploration licensing process has been to ensure that it is for the benefit of our Cook Islands people” shared SBM Commissioner Alex Herman.
Due to COVID-19 being detected in the Cook Islands, the ceremony was limited to under 100 people. “We always envisaged our Cook Islands public sharing in the momentous occasion, but we must put everyone’s safety first and comply with public health measures,” said Herman “We are planning another public information event in the future so that that everyone can learn more about the three companies and exploration research activities they will be carrying out”.
The exploration activities anticipated over the next five years includes surveying and mapping the seafloor, collecting geological and biological samples, and carrying out environmental baseline studies. Exploration research will allow the Cook Islands to make informed science based decisions about future seabed minerals activities.
No minerals harvesting will be allowed under an exploration licence.
“We will continue to proceed using the precautionary approach, taking actions based on the best available science, to manage our seabed minerals resources and the protection of our biodiversity” said Prime Minister Brown.
The three Exploration Licences signed by Prime Minister Brown and each of the companies designated representatives
This is the first of a series of SBMA releases on the Exploration Licence Granting ceremony.
The next release will elaborate further on the key SBM speeches given.
Source by: Seabed Minerals Authority