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OCEANic presence in deep-sea MINing: how the sEa co-proDuces situational knowledges and practices

Project description

The ocean’s role in sustainable marine resource usage

Deep Sea Mining (DSM) is a burgeoning industry attracting global interest. Yet, its rise poses significant challenges across political, scientific, and societal fronts. The deep sea, once revered as ‘the last great wilderness,’ is now a target for mineral extraction, altering its pristine ecosystem. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, the OCEAN-MINeD project dives into this uncharted territory, examining the ocean’s shifting dynamics when mineral extraction ventures into its depths. While social studies dissect political and environmental aspects of DSM, OCEAN-MINeD fills a crucial gap by exploring the ocean’s intricate dimensions. By studying DSM hotspots in Norway, the project investigates resource management, technology, and offshore operations.

Objective

"Deep Sea Mining (DSM) is capturing significant attention across political, scientific, and societal domains. The deep sea is becoming a valuable source of capital, challenging its historical perception as ""the last great wilderness"". OCEAN-MINeD seeks to venture into these uncharted waters in order to investigate the implications that arise when mineral extraction shifts to an entirely distinct environmental realm, such as the ocean. Despite numerous social scientific studies investigating political, jurisdictional and environmental aspects of DSM, an evident gap remains in the exploration of the ocean's intricate material and discursive dimensions. The ocean transcends being merely a static body of water—it stands as an ever-present and dynamic force that continually shapes the facets of maritime extraction, the experiences of workers, and the crafting of “situational” knowledges and practices. Drawing inspiration from the innovative literature on the oceanic turn and the new interest in the three-dimensional and turbulent materiality of the sea, OCEAN-MINeD asks how mining “get(s) wet” and grapples with the ceaseless “oceanic presence”. OCEAN-MINeD examines these questions by conducting a multi-sited and ethnographic research across three distinct DSM hotspots in Norway: at the headquarters of Loke Marine Mineral to explore resource management processes, at the head office of Kongsberg Maritime to untangle DSM technology, and on board a DSM vessel to explore offshore operations. OCEAN-MINeD aims to develop a novel theoretical and ethnographic ocean-based approach designed specifically to investigate the role of the sea as a political and social actor in understanding the sociality, work and automation of DSM. The project will thus contribute to a broader understanding of the complex interplay between humanity, technology and the ocean within the realm of DSM, which is crucial for developing more sustainable policies on the use of marine resources.  "

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITETET I BERGEN
Net EU contribution
€ 210 911,04
Address
MUSEPLASSEN 1
5020 Bergen
Norway
Region
Norge Vestlandet Vestland
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data