US claims to Pacific Ocean seabed areas could reach 963,000 sq km — Mongabay
The area of seabed sections in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean claimed by US companies, together with Lockheed Martin’s existing licensed areas, could reach 962,634 sq km. This will happen if the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approves all submitted applications without changes, Mongabay reports.
This area would amount to approximately half of the seabed in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone that the International Seabed Authority has designated for mining activities, including contract and reserved areas. The zone is located between Mexico and Hawaii and contains significant deposits of polymetallic nodules. Commercial extraction of minerals from the seabed has not yet begun anywhere in the world.
Applications after Trump’s executive order
Following an executive order by the administration of US President Donald Trump in April 2025 to accelerate the development of the deep-sea mining industry, companies began submitting applications to NOAA for operations in international waters. At least seven companies, two of which have a common parent structure, submitted about a dozen applications for exploration or mining in the Pacific Ocean. According to the publication, nine applications remain active.
Seven applications from six companies concern the Clarion-Clipperton Zone directly and cover about 727,738 sq km. Lockheed Martin already holds two active exploration licenses in this zone with a total area of 234,896 sq km. The calculation does not include another claimed area of 147,430 sq km because its geographical data have not been made public.
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Overlap with international contracts
The UN-affiliated International Seabed Authority has been concluding contracts for mineral exploration in international waters since 2001. In the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, it has concluded 17 contracts covering 1.23 million sq km. If US applications and Lockheed Martin’s active licenses are compared only with the authority’s contract areas, their total reaches nearly 80%.
Some areas claimed in the United States overlap with sections already covered by International Seabed Authority contracts, as well as reserved territories for future development and the potential benefit of developing countries. The United States has not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea but has observer status at the authority.
NOAA refers to the US Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980, which the agency uses to review such applications. At the same time, the legal basis for unilaterally authorizing mining in international waters is disputed by the International Seabed Authority, the European Commission, and some legal experts. US environmental organizations have already filed a lawsuit against NOAA over the certification of one of TMC USA’s applications; certification does not mean a license has been issued.
According to Mongabay, 46 states have called for a pause in the industry’s development because of risks to poorly studied deep-sea ecosystems, the need for additional research, and the absence of international rules for commercial extraction.
