International Seabed Authority

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The Legal and Technical Commission (LTC) is an organ of the Council of the International Seabed Authority and currently consists of 25 members who are elected by the Council for a period of 5 years on the basis of personal qualifications relevant to the exploration, exploitation and processing of mineral resources, oceanography, economic and/or legal matters relating to ocean mining and related fields.

The Commission is entrusted with various functions relating to activities in the deep seabed area including the review of applications for plans of work, supervision of exploration or mining activities, assessment of the environmental impact of such activities and provide advice to the International Seabed Authority’s Assembly and Council on all matters relating to exploration and exploitation of non-living marine resources (such as polymetallic [manganese] nodules, polymetallic sulphides and cobalt crusts).

The Commission has since its inception developed the Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for Polymetallic Nodules in the Area and is in the process of finalizing the Regulations on Prospecting and Exploration for Polymetallic Sulphides and Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts in the Area.

Meetings of the LTC usually precede the annual sessions of the Authority and tables its report to the Council during the session.

Members of the Legal and Technical Commission were elected on 14 August 2006 (ISBA/12/C/11) for a five-year term of office commencing 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011.

At its 14th Session in 2008, Mr Sandor Mulsow Flores (Chile) was elected chairman of the LTC and Ms Elva Escobar (Mexico) was elected vice chairman.

Also at its 14th Session, Mr Christian Reichert,  head of the Geophysical Subdivision of the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of Germany was nominated (ISBA/14/C/5) to replace Michael Wiedicke-Hombach. Mr Reichert will serve out the remaining term through to the end of 2011.