- Sri Lanka’s relationship with ISA – underutilised and poorly resourced
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) on 16 September, 2025 issued a press release on signing a 15-year contract with the Government of India for exploration for Poly-Metallic Sulphides (PMS) in the Carlsberg Ridge in the Arabian Sea.
As the seabed is becoming, or rather has become by now, another contested sphere, it is of relevance that our island nation investigates these developments with a strategic point of view, not to contest but to be benefitted by these regional developments.
The International Seabed Authority, based in Kingston, Jamaica, was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under UNCLOS, four instruments were established, namely the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), International Seabed Authority (ISA), and the State Party Meeting to discuss the law of the sea annually just like the UN’s General Assembly. Each of these instruments were established to better manage the oceans and ocean resources with the participation of the State Parties who are signatories to the UNCLOS.
Sri Lanka signed UNCLOS as one of the foremost countries on 10 December 1982 when it was opened for signature in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Along with Sri Lanka, India and China too signed the UNCLOS the same day and Sri Lanka had a special reason to be one of the pioneers of signing due to the leadership the island State played in drafting the UNCLOS.
The Sri Lankan delegation in the mid-’70s to early ’80s was among the world’s leading nations at that time to deliberate and formulate the UNCLOS text and among them, Ambassador Shirley Hamilton Amarasinghe stands most prominent. He chaired the 3rd UNCLOS session which finalised the document for signature by 107 State Parties on the first day itself. Sri Lanka ratified UNCLOS on 19 July 1994, whilst India ratified on 29 June 1995. China ratified UNCLOS on 7 December 1996.
The signing of the 15-year contract for exploration for the PMS is significant as there has been some controversy on the impact of the environment damages and disturbances caused by the methodology and instruments used in the course of such exploration or exploitation of seabed resources. This action was highlighted in the Southern-Pacific islands and heavily deliberated in ISA as the Authority at that time underwent a leadership change. It is unfortunate that Sri Lanka never paid due attention to these developments and always treated them as just news or happenings. Even today, Sri Lanka’s relationship with the ISA in Jamaica is looked after from the Permanent Representative Office in New York. ISA is a technical body that need to be represented by a permanent member with subject-matter knowledge, but Sri Lanka always overlooked such necessities, citing financial expenses, thereby losing our strategic advantages in the oceanic and marine environment.
Thus, the writer wishes to emphasise that Sri Lanka needs to be represented full-time in Jamaica if we are to survive the intense contestations already happening in the Indian Ocean. The finances for maintaining a full-time representation at ISA should be provided, as the Indian Ocean is our backyard and is clearly linked to our future. Thus, we cannot be left behind in this competition nor should our voices be heard from someone else’s mouth. ISA is no longer a mere institution to be treated as not-that-important as the seabed is a strategic concern for Sri Lanka.
The Carlsberg Ridge is in the Arabian Sea and is the northernmost part of the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge. It was named after the Danish Institute which funded the ‘Carlberg Foundation Oceanographic Expedition around the World’ conducted from 1928-1930. The foundation used two research vessels; Dana I and Dana II, and during this research expedition they identified the undersea ridge and named it as per the Internationally accepted nomenclature protocol. The Undersea Gazetteer (a web-based portal illustrating all seabed features identified so far maintained by GEBCO, IHO, and UNESCO) illustrates ten seamounts along the Carlsberg Ridge, and these facts underscore the competition brewing up for the seabed.
The identified seamounts along the Carlsberg Ridge are as follows (the brackets indicate the year of discovery and the flag-State of the research vessels);
- Yuqing Seamount (2012; China)
- Liezu Seamount (2012; China)
- Wanwu Seamount (2012; China)
- Keyi Seamount (2012; China)
- Daxi Seamount (2012; China)
- Vernadsky Seamount (1962; Russia)
- Longdeng Seamount (2012; China)
- Tianlong Seamount (2012; China)
- Guangde Seamount (2022; China)
- Sanbao Seamount (2012; China)
The writer previously in a two-part article dated 18 December 2024 and 19 December 2024 pointed out the focus of seabed surveys by India and China since 2010 and who was concentrating on what, as per the published reports and documents. The Carlsberg Ridge is a creation of volcanic action; thus, on one hand holds high-yield minerals and by the seabed feature entrap the sedimentations originated from the Arabian Sea. Thus, the potentials for PMS accumulation are high and in commercial exploitation, but the contract is for the exploration only. ISA has a separate mechanism for exploitation and thus far no country has been allowed with exploitation rights. These will be discussed in the corridors of ISA at Kingston and that makes it mandatory that this island State look ahead strategically as we are a state party to the whole process.
The seabed exploration and exploitation take another turning point with the USA Congressional authorisation dated 25 April 2025 to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to engage in seabed mining. On 24 April 2025, as part of a broader national effort to secure reliable supplies for critical minerals, President Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O.) titled ‘Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources’ and by now a framework for American mining companies to engage the seabed is all but set.
The USA, being a non-signatory to UNCLOS, has decided to empower the NOAA to reach out globally for seabed resources in the high seas. Under UNCLOS, all seabed outside the national jurisdiction become ISA’s responsibility and US Congressional Decree challenged that ‘rule-based-order’ the world has thus far seen.
The new ‘High Sea Treaty’ or the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) to which Sri Lanka signed as the 58th ratification State, does not talk about the seabed in its own context but the disturbances inducing from seabed exploration and exploitation are linked to the agreement. Thus, understanding all these spheres; from technicalities to the legal implications and to that of geo-politics is a must. Sri Lanka needs to build such capacities among our young generation and within the relevant state institution based on skills and merit, and not on political affiliation.
The image shown demonstrates yet another strategic concern for this island State; the high-sea fishing in the Arabian Sea. The Carlsberg Ridge falls in a general area where much of Sri Lanka’s high-sea fishing is undertaken and this fishing area is now coming under the BBNJ treaty. Although fishing is on the water column and seabed resources are at depths of 3-4 km under water, they seemingly do not interact, but interaction comes when environmental and geo-strategic concerns creep into the otherwise regular pattern of business. The ocean space is vast, and nature has its own way of healing itself as long as the activities are sustainable. The climate changes happening around and the forecasted El-Nina effect towards the end of this year in the northern part of the Indian ocean remains a question in deciding the nature of fishing creating a domino effect on the socio-economic fabrics of all nations involved. Thus, a contractual agreement for 15 years to explore the seabed seems a very isolated happening, but we, as an Island State in the Indian Ocean, should start thinking differently to govern the oceans around us, which we are dependent on, rather than remaining with our inward-looking political view of world affairs.
India, it seems through the media release, is determined to boost their presence in the ISA as yet another global body having powers to regulate and control the seabed resources. In the much-debated 25 October 2022 Note Verbale, India halted the consideration of the Sri Lanka’s submission on demarcating the outer edge of the continental margin for no apparent reason and remain yet to respond to repeated official notifications by the Sri Lankan Government to engage in finalising the seabed claim made under the submission in 2009. Under these circumstances, the writer is of the opinion that the Government of Sri Lanka adopt the following measures without further delay to play the role Sri Lanka is destined to in shaping the affairs of the Indian Ocean. These include having a permanent Sri Lankan Representative in ISA Kingston, Jamaica and the representative needing to have the technical knowledge and strategic vision to secure Sri Lanka’s interests in changing the geo-political landscape. Sri Lanka should develop a generation of competent youngsters to take over global affairs away from bureaucrats who often follow the ‘much-talked, but-no action’ mantra for governance. The new focus on maritime affairs and the oceanic front is very beneficial to island nations like Sri Lanka and the shifting power base from the North to South is augmented the standing of small island states; more in the Indian ocean than in the pacific.
As India continues to expand its scientific research in the oceans, Sri Lanka too needs to adopt more home-grown mechanisms to rejuvenise the island’s capacity to undertake ocean research. Although global support is available, the writer is of the opinion that all marine research needs to be centrally controlled as each of them need to cater for the national strategic goals rather than institutional or personal. The ISA-India Agreement needed to be evaluated to trigger our own thoughts of how best to exploit the present circumstances for the betterment of the island State.
(The writer is the former Chief Hydrographer/Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy who writes on maritime environment and analyses the regional developments in maritime and geo-strategic scope. He remains an International Consultant for Undersea Cables and Maritime Intelligence and is a member of the LKIIRSS Board)
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication