Deep-Sea Mining and Energy Exploitation

Abstract

In James Cameron’s alien first-encounter movie, The Abyss, much of the action takes place on a semi-mobile drilling platform called The Benthic Explorer, located hundreds of meters beneath the surface. While present-day technology may not match Cameron’s Benthic Explorer, mining the ocean floor is a step closer to reality thanks to increased energy demand and the efforts of neophyte marine mining companies who are exploring the possibility of mining deep-sea-floor deposits. Until very recently, such a venture was neither economically nor technically possible, but recent advances in technology mean we may be on the brink of an era of deep-ocean exploitation.