KINGSTON, JAMAICA 11 December 2010 - - The adoption at the sixteenth session of the Authority of the regulations for prospecting and exploration for polymetallic sulphides was  an important achievement for the Authority made possible by the positive commitment shown by member States in concluding the negotiations on the draft regulations.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA  15 November  2010 - - The International Seabed Authority/Tongji University scholarship application deadline has been extended to 31 January 2011.

The Scholarships Programme will provide  funding for  3 - 5 candidates from developing countries in the field of marine sciences to pursue Masters or Doctorate degrees in Marine Science at the Tongji University in Shanghai, China.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA 8 November 2010 -- The Workshop to Develop an Environmental Management Plan for the Clarion Clipperton Zone gets underway in Kingston on Monday 8 November 2010 and  will be webcast live on the ISA website

The objectives of the workshop are to:

The International Seabed Authority  Endowment Fund recently awarded training fellowships to four qualified professionals to participate in a training course offered by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa, India.

The awardees are Suzan El-Gharapawy of Egypt, Wahiebah Hoosain of South Africa, Schery Umanzor of Costa Rica and William Saleu  of Papua New Guinea. 

The Training Program began 17 October and ends 11 December 2010.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA 15th June 2010 -- The International Seabed Authority will be holding an International Workshop to Develop an Environmental Management Plan for the Clarion Clipperton Zone in Kingston, Jamaica, from 8-12 November, 2010. 

Consultants will create a proposal outlining an Environmental Management Plan for presentation  at the workshop. The proposal will take into consideration how the nine areas of particular environmental interest identified in documents ISBA/14/LTC/2 and ISBA/15/LTC/4 relate to areas explored by contractors and future mining activities.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA 15th June 2010 -- The public hearings of the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea regarding the Request for an Advisory Opinion on the responsibilities and obligations of States sponsoring persons and entities with respect to activities in the International Seabed Area opened on 14 September 2010 at 3 p.m. presided by Judge Tullio Treves, President of the Chamber.

InterRidge announced the recipients of its 2010 Fellowship Programme today.

The three awards made this year included one from InterRidge and two provided from the International Seabed Authority Endowment Fund.

The InterRidge fellowship will allow Shinsuke Kawagucci, a postdoctoral researcher at JAMSTEC, Japan to develop international links, as well as giving him opportunities to expand the interdisciplinary nature of his research.

KINGSTON JAMAICA, 25 May 2010 - - The China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA) has submitted an application to the International Seabed Authority for approval of a plan of work for exploration for polymetallic sulphides.

The general location of the application area is on the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge.

In a bid to further strengthen the existing cooperation with the International Seabed Authority, China has granted funding to support between 3 - 5 candidates from developing countries in the field of marine sciences to pursue Masters or Doctorate degrees in Marine Science at the Tongji University in Shanghai, China.

Applicants for the ISA-Tongji University scholarships must have a bachelor’s degree in geology, chemistry or biology, must be under the age of 35 and must be nationals of developing countries.

A framework for the future development of mineral resources of the deep seabed was realised at the 16th Session of the ISA with the approval of Regulations to govern prospecting and exploration for polymetallic sulphides in the Area.

It took six years of debate and compromise in the Council and culminated in its unanimous adoption by the members of the Authority marking a milestone in the progressive development of a comprehensive set of rules, regulations and procedures to govern prospecting, exploration and exploitation of marine minerals.

The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority, meeting in Kingston this morning adopted a $13,014,700 budget for the Authority's operations for the 2011-2012 biennium.

The Assembly also adopted a draft decision (ISBA/16/A/L.3) authorizing the Secretary-General to establish a scale of assessments of contributions for 2011-2012 based on that used for the regular budget of the United Nations for 2010.

The Council of the International Seabed Authority in a meeting yesterday afternoon decided by consensus to adopt a draft decision related to the Regulations which it had continued to deliberate upon at the 16th Session.

The Council has decided to remove regulation 23: Overlapping claims, from the draft Regulations on prospecting and exploration for polymetallic sulphides in the Area and reformulate its contents into a resolution.

The Council of the International Seabed Authority yesterday heard divergent views on a proposal by Nauru for an advisory opinion from the Seabed Disputes Chambers of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

The Government of Nauru had sponsored an entity; Nauru Ocean Resources  Inc., for a plan of work in prospecting and exploration for polymetallic nodules in the Area. 

In its meetings on Friday, the ISA Assembly continued  deliberations on a range of issues including the need for the adoption of the draft regulations on polymetallic sulphides, the promotino of training of scientists from developing countries through the Authority's Endowment Fund and the need for more technical workshops and regional sensitization seminars.

In the Council meetings, discussions continued on possible changes in the procedure for electing members of its expert body - the Legal and Technical Commission (LTC).

The Assembly of the International Seabed Authority yesterday elected Bangladesh (Asian Group), Uganda (African Group), Czech Republic (Eastern European Group) and Trinidad and Tobago (Group of Latin American and Caribbean States) as its Vice-Presidents for 2010.

Also elected to the Credentials Committee were the representatives of Australia, China, Haiti, Namibia, Russian Federation, Senegal, Spain, Suriname and Viet Nam.

The Assembly continues with its debate this morning on the report of the Secretary-General and the work of the Authority.