Greenpeace says UK’s deep-sea mining permits may be unlawful
Licences given to arms firm Lockheed Martin said to go against government’s stance on exploiting seabed.
Greenpeace says the deep-sea mining licences granted by the British government are “riddles with inaccuracies” and could be unlawful. The claims are backed up by the conservation charity, Blue Marine Foundation.
The licences were granted to UK Seabed Resources, a subsidiary of the arms multinational Lockheed Martin, and have only recently been disclosed.
Lawyers for Greenpeace say they have written to the secretary of state for business and energy, Kwasi Kwarteng, warning of potential flaws in the licences, but have so far received no response.
The licences cover the prospecting for polymetallic nodules on the Pacific Ocean seabed, and appear to have been granted for 15 years, but UK law stipulates they can only be granted for 10.
