Consider the following statements:

1. The Global Ocean Commission grants licences for seabed exploration and mining in international waters.
2. India has received licences for seabed mineral exploration in international waters.
3. “Rare earth minerals’ are present on seafloor in international waters.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• The International Seabed Authority (ISA), not the Global Ocean Commission, grants licenses for seabed exploration and mining in international waters.
• The Global Ocean Commission is an independent international body that promotes the sustainable use of the world’s oceans. It was established as a joint initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the University of Oxford, and two other partner organisations.

Statement 2 is correct

• India holds exclusive rights to explore polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), an area of approximately 75,000 sq. km in international waters. This license was granted by the ISA.
• The allocated area contains substantial resources, including an estimated 380 million tonnes of polymetallic nodules, with valuable minerals such as nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese.
  • Polymetallic nodules are lumps of iron, manganese hydroxides, and rocks partially submerged in many parts of the ocean floor, which are essential for the production of lithium-ion batteries.
  • They are most abundant in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone off the west coast of Mexico, the Central Indian Ocean Basin, and the Peru Basin.

Statement 3 is correct

• The international deep-seabed area harbours abundant mineral resources, including polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, and hydrothermal sulfides, which contain significant quantities of critical energy minerals, such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements.

  

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Hard