JUL 10, 2023 is shaping as D-Day for the world’s oceans.

That is the day after a two-year deadline placed on the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to finalise mining regulations in seabed areas beyond national jurisdiction is set to expire.

The possibility of mining the seabed being green-lighted in the absence of regulations has caused a lot of uneasiness among member states, environmental groups and the public.