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Mining companies may soon bypass UN rules and mine the deep sea

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 897 words · By Cara B G James
Environmental Regulation International Law vs. National Sovereignty Corporate accountability
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The article discusses a potential conflict between a U.S. executive order allowing deep-sea mining and United Nations regulations under UNCLOS. It specifically examines whether Canada could face legal ramifications if a Canadian company, The Metals Company, mines international waters via a U.S. subsidiary.

Propaganda risk 20%
Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left14%
Center72%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A Canadian deep-sea mining company may become the first to commercially mine the international seabed under a controversial U.S.

Why it matters

executive order that bypasses United Nations regulations.

Common ground

A recent legal analysis suggests that this could place Canada in violation of international law.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

The article discusses a potential conflict between a U.S. executive order allowing deep-sea mining and United Nations regulations under UNCLOS. It specifically examines whether Canada could face legal ramifications if a Canadian company, The Metals Company, mines international waters via a U.S. subsidiary.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/mining-companies-may-soon-bypass-un-rules-and-mine-t…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
schedule Pending 2
verified Verified 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
cancel Disputed 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified
Claim 1: “The United States never ratified the treaty [UNCLOS].”
VERIFIED
Multiple cross-references and web search results explicitly state that the United States has signed but not ratified UNCLOS.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Nations comprise 193 sovereign states and the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the United Nations General Assembly. The Charter of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_the_United_Na…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is the official United Nations Association of the United States, a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting pol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Association_of_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States is a charter member of the United Nations and one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The United States boasts the headquarters of the United Nations, which include…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_the_United_N…
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 2: “TMC USA has only existed by that name since January 2025”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or cross-references regarding the specific date the entity 'TMC USA' began operating under that name.
schedule
Claim 3: “the upcoming ISA assembly meeting scheduled in July 2026”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 4: “as of June 2026, the regulations remain unfinished.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results dated June 2026 explicitly state that the ISA regulations remain unfinished as of that date.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 8, 2026 ... However, as of June 2026, the regulations remain unfinished. Representatives from the U.S. argue that their country neither signed not ratified ...
https://theconversation.com/mining-companies-may-soon-bypass…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 18, 2026 ... The draft Exploitation Regulations, which will govern exploitation of mineral resources in the Area, have been under development by the ISA ...
https://www.hsfkramer.com/notes/mining/2026-posts/deepsea-mi…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 9, 2026 ... The ISA has been working since 2014 to finalize a mining code for commercial deep-sea mining, but the regulations remain unfinished. Major ...
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/experts-say-bare-bones-us-…
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Claim 5: “TMC expects will lead to a permit to mine the seabed by the first quarter of 2027.”
DISPUTED
One source (Phys) claims a permit by Q1 2027, while another web search result states the company is targeting a Q4 2027 window for the commencement of projects, creating a discrepancy in the timeline.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd is an integrated titanium dioxide manufacturing public sector undertaking in Kollam, Kerala, India. Its operations comprise mining, mineral separation, synthetic rutile …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala_Minerals_and_Metals
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sandstorm Gold Ltd. (formerly Sandstorm Resources) is a Canadian company that provides funding to mining companies in exchange for royalties, principally in the form of net smelter returns and streams…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandstorm_Gold
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sokolov is a Russian jewelry company with production facilities in Kostroma, Krasnoye-na-Volge and Privolzhsk, and over 400 stores in Russia and abroad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokolov_(company)
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that an application made by Vancouver-based The Metals Company (via their U.S. subsidiary, TMC USA) is fully compliant with NOAA regulations.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results from May 1, 2026, and July 27, 2025, explicitly state that NOAA determined TMC USA's consolidated application is in full compliance with regulations.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) is the primary federal law regulating deep sea mineral activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) until the United States ratifies an i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Seabed_Hard_Mineral_Resou…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Deep sea mining is the extraction of minerals from the seabed of the deep sea. The main ores of commercial interest are polymetallic nodules, which are found at depths of 4–6 km (2.5–3.7 mi) primarily…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_sea_mining
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Seabed mining, also known as seafloor mining is the recovery of minerals from the seabed by techniques of underwater mining. The concept includes mining at shallow depths on the continental shelf and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabed_mining
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “In April 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to fast-track mining permits for seabed minerals in areas beyond U.S. national jurisdiction.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results and a cross-reference confirm that President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 24, 2025, to fast-track seabed mining permits.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The religious views of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, have been a matter for discussion among observers and the American public. Trump was raised in his Scottish-born …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_religion
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump assumed office as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025. The president has the legal authority to nominate members of his cabinet to the United States Senate for con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_cabinet_of_Donald_Trump
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “TMC USA applied for a first commercial recovery permit to mine approximately 25,000 square kilometres of seabed in the Pacific Ocean. This application was later amended to 65,000 square kilometres”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the initial application for 25,000 square kilometres and the subsequent amendment/increase to 65,000 square kilometres.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — TMC's consolidated application spans about 65,000 sq. km, up from roughly 25,000 sq. km in its 2025 filing, and outlines an estimated 619 million tonnes of ...
https://www.northernminer.com/environment/tmc-shares-soar-as…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 8, 2026 ... The same month, TMC USA applied for a first commercial recovery permit to mine approximately 25,000 square kilometres of seabed in the Pacific ...
https://theconversation.com/mining-companies-may-soon-bypass…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 24, 2026 ... The same month, TMC USA applied for a first commercial recovery permit to mine approximately 25,000 square kilometres of seabed in the Pacific ...
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026/06/24/Vancouver-Company-Role…
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Claim 9: “In 2023, the Canadian government announced its support for a moratorium on commercial seabed mining in international waters.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 10: “They instead cite the U.S. Deep Seabed Hard Minerals Resources Act, a little-used legislative pathway through which some exploration permits were handed out in the early 1980s”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and government-related web search results confirm the existence of the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 and its role in authorizing NOAA to regulate seabed mining activities.
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web search NEUTRAL — 1980 federal law of the United States. Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act.1973, a third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea was convened to draft the legal framework used to regulate o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Seabed_Hard_Mineral_Resou…
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web search NEUTRAL — recovery of hard mineral resources of the deep seabed depends. upon the enactment of suitable interim national legislation; (15) a Law of the Sea Treaty is likely to establish financial. arrangements …
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/96/hr2759/text
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web search NEUTRAL — However, the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA; P.L. 96-283), signed into law in 1980 prior to the establishment of the ISA, authorized the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration…
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47324/5
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 11: “UN member states have been working towards a regulatory framework for commercial mining of deep-sea minerals since 2014, under the guidance of the International Seabed Authority.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has been working to finalize a mining code for commercial deep-sea mining since 2014.
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web search NEUTRAL — The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has delivered a comprehensive legal framework that governs maritime rights, navigational freedoms, and the sustainable use of ocean resourc…
https://www.renewablematter.eu/en/isa-leticia-reis-de-carval…
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web search NEUTRAL — The order comes despite the United States not being a member of the International Seabed Authority, the global body overseeing deep-sea mining. “Fast-tracking deep-sea mining is an environmental disas…
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/tr…
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web search NEUTRAL — The deep-sea mining industry got tired of waiting for international approval. Enter Trump. Inside the little-understood fight between deep sea miners and Indigenous advocates for the ocean.
https://grist.org/global-indigenous-affairs-desk/the-deep-se…
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Claim 12: “Around 90 per cent of UN member states have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”
CORROBORATED
Web search results state UNCLOS has 168 parties out of 193 UN member states, which is approximately 87% (rounding to 'around 90%'). This is corroborated by multiple search results and the original claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the explora…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — High seas fisheries management refers to the governance and regulation of fishing activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction, often referred to as the 'high seas'.1 The 1982 United Nations Conve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_seas_fisheries_management
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The International Seabed Authority (ISA; French: Autorité internationale des fonds marins) is a Kingston, Jamaica-based intergovernmental body of 171 Member States plus the European Union. It was esta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Seabed_Authority
+ 4 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.