Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

window on the conduct of an organization. He said that they provide a
framework that is internationally recognized with a science back up and
that is of a good standard. He said that these two points ought to
commend the standards to environmentalists.
It was pointed out by a participant that there has been recent work
in the United Kingdom on plumes with an AUV fitted with Light
Scattering sensors (LSS). He said that although these sensors will
eventually be used for hydrothermal monitoring or sniffing, this
technology seemed to be ideal for looking at a plume disposal. Dr. Corbett
acknowledged the potential of this technology, stating that part of the
problem with actually monitoring a plume particularly in a system that is
a very dynamic is that mixing is very fast. He said that with an AUV
equipped with such sensors, the results would be very useful.
On the comparative costs of manned versus unmanned vehicles for
measurements and observations in the ocean, one participant stated that
operators of the manned submersible Alvin had informed him that the
cost of using this submersible is the same as using an AUV because the
costs are in the personnel. He told the workshop that outside of the
personnel that are part of the dive, the same team is required to operate
and maintain either vehicle. He asked Dr Corbett for the reasons why De
Beers Marine believes that costs would be lower for an AUV. Dr. Corbett
pointed out that in De Beers Marine’s operations, there are five vessels
permanently stationed in the mining area. He said that this means that no
other vessel is needed for deployment, and eliminates the over-riding
overhead costs.
Finally, Dr. Corbett was asked what percentage of the cost of the
project he recommended should be invested in environmental studies. He
responded by stating that because very large sums of money are involved
in the project, he could not provide a figure for environmental studies. He
said that De Beers Marine sees a cost- benefit in its environmental work,
noting that a number of communities have benefited from it. He pointed
out that the cumulative effect of environmental impact need to be looked
at not just from an offshore mining point of view but also from the
viewpoint of the spectrum of marine uses of the resource. He was of the
opinion that the mining industry had invested significantly in doing
environmental work, not just De Beers Marine and NAMDEB, who have
done extensive work in the coastal zone, but also other companies that are
operating in the marine environment. He suggested that one of the roles
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 665