Exploration and Exploitation of Seabed Minerals in the Tanzanian Maritime Zones and Beyond the Limits of National Jurisdiction

What is it about?

Tanzania is one of the coastal states of the Indian Ocean and an active state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This international treaty regulates, among others, the exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals, especially in the deep sea. Tanzania has enacted a law to implement the above treaty. Further, the country has various regulations to fully benefit from the marine mineral resources found in its maritime domain. Nevertheless, the existing legal framework does not comprehensively and adequately cover the exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals within the Tanzanian maritime zones and beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, the Area. This means that the current pieces of legislation only and partly touch on mining activities within the territorial sea, continental shelf and the EEZ. None of them regulates seabed mining in the Area. Thus, this paper discusses the need for Tanzania to enact comprehensive and adequate legal frameworks governing seabed mining in its maritime zones and the Area.

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