Deep Sea Mining

Date: 6.00 pm, Tuesday 7 October 2025

Venue: The Embassy Room, The British Hotel, North Quay, Douglas

Deep Sea Mining by Dr. Philomène Verlaan

Ferro-Manganese (Fe-Mn) nodules are discussed in terms of their resource interest, extraction technology, technical and regulatory challenges, and relevance to the marine community and IMarEST, including the most recent developments on their exploitation at the 30th meeting of the International Seabed Authority in July 2025.

About the Speaker

Dr. Philomène Verlaan JD PhD FGS FIMarEST FSUT is an Oceanographer and Attorney-at-Law specialising in law of the sea, especially in relation to marine scientific research, marine mining, sustainable use of the marine environment and its resources. In addition to conducting research on formation of Fe-Mn nodules and crusts, she works on the interface between marine science and international marine law and policy with international and intergovernmental organizations.

Her work includes managing intergovernmental marine projects for a variety of UN and other intergovernmental bodies, as well as ongoing participation in the negotiation and implementation of international treaties on oceans issues. She has participated in 26 oceanic research cruises (most recently September 2024), as well as in nine research submersible dives (to 2000m water depth), so far. She served as Senior Technical Adviser at IMarEST HQ from June 2010-June 2015. She is the Special Advisor to the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (www.acops.org.uk) and a visiting scientist at the Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii. An author of over 60 refereed (many invited) international publications in her two professional specialties, she also is regularly invited to speak on topics related to her work.