Deep Seabed Mining Bill

Bill No. 2/2015

Read the first time on 19th January 2015.

An Act to make provision for deep seabed mining, and for connected purposes.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows:

PART 1

PRELIMINARY

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Deep Seabed Mining Act 2015 and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“Agreement” means the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 adopted on 28 July 1994 by the General Assembly of the United Nations;

“Area” means the seabed and ocean floor, and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of any national jurisdiction;

“Convention” means the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea adopted on 10 December 1982 by the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea;

“corresponding ISA contract”, in relation to a licence granted to a person to explore for or exploit a type of resource in a part of the Area, means an ISA contract authorising the person to explore for or exploit (as the case may be) that type of resource in that part of the Area;

“Court” means the High Court;

“ISA” means the International Seabed Authority established under the Convention;

“ISA contract” means a contract between the ISA and a person under Article 153 and Annex III, Article 3 of the Convention that authorises the person to explore for or exploit a type of resource in a part of the Area;

“licence” means a licence granted under section 6;

“licensee” means a Singapore company holding a licence that is in force or suspended;

“resource” means any solid, liquid or gaseous mineral resource in situ in the Area at or beneath the seabed, including polymetallic nodules;

“Seabed Disputes Chamber” means the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea established under the Convention;

“Singapore company” means a company incorporated in Singapore;

“Singapore national” means —

(a)	a Singapore citizen; or
(b)	an entity incorporated, formed or established in Singapore under any written law.

Purposes of Act

3. The purposes of this Act are —

(a)	to regulate the exploration for and exploitation of resources in the Area by persons sponsored by Singapore under the Convention and the Agreement;
(b)	to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment against any harmful effects of those activities; and
(c)	to fulfil Singapore’s obligations under the Convention and the Agreement in relation to those activities.

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