International Seabed Authority (ISA) marks its 30th anniversary

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International Seabed Authority (ISA) was established upon entry into force of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1994.

ISA is the only example of an international organization established to manage a global commons for benefit of humanity on the basis of equity in resource allocation.

About ISA

It is an autonomous international organization mandated by UNCLOS to manage mineral resources of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction for shared benefit of humankind.
- Area under its jurisdiction covers around 54% of total area of world’s oceans.
Mandate:
- Regulating conduct of all exploration activities and exploitation of deep-sea minerals.
- Protection of marine environment from harmful effects of deep seabed related activities.
- Encourage marine scientific research.
Headquarters: Kingston, Jamaica.
Members: 168 Member States (including India) and European Union.
- All nations that ratify UNCLOS automatically become members of ISA.

Marine Scientific Research Action Plan in support of UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative: Aiming to describe over 1,000 new deep-sea species.
Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMPs): Following the success of first REMP for Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), ISA is developing additional REMPs for mid-Atlantic ridge, Indian Ocean and Northwest Pacific Ocean.

India is among 38 countries that maintains permanent missions to ISA.
Recently, India submitted two applications for seabed exploration in two Indian Ocean regions:
- Polymetallic sulphides in Carlsberg Ridge.
- Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts of Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount.
Currently, India holds two contracts for exploration in the Indian Ocean:
- Polymetallic nodules exploration in Central Indian Ocean Basin.
- Polymetallic sulphides exploration in Indian Ocean Ridge.