Our studio guest is Dr. Michael Wiedecke, from the German Geological Survey (BGR, Hanover)

We talk with Michael Wiedecke about the future of mining maganese nodules in the deep sea.

DW-TV: How many nodules did you find while you were at sea?


Michael Wiedicke: We were on a mission to explore the situation. We gathered about 400 kilos of nodules but this is only a very small portion. Right now we are exploring it. And we calculate that in the exploration area we are observing, there is an amount of about 900 million tons of nodules to be found."


DW-TV: What are the biggest obstacles to mining these nodules?


Michael Wiedicke: There are two big obstacles. The first is the remoteness of the area. It takes several days to reach it from the nearby coast. The second is the water depth , which is between four and five kilometres. And any activity has to overcome this huge distance and the related deep sea pressure. Those are the greatest obstacles right now.



DW-TV: What about environmentalists? They have big objections to this kind of mining don't they?"


Michael Wiedicke: They do, yes. They fear pollution and the destruction of certain parts of the ocean floor. Actually I would say there will be a certain imprint made by human activity. But I would also argue that it's also a question of overcoming this and minimizing potential effects. At the end of our exploration activity, we have to conduct an environmental impact assessment. And only if this can be handled sufficiently can a mining operation start."


DW-TV: What about the rights issues. Who does the ocean floor where these nodules would be potentially be mined actually belong to?


Michael Wiedicke: The ocean floors are considered the common heritage of mankind and the institution which take care of them is the United Nations. They have founded an institute called the International Seabed Authority and they are taking care of it.



DW-TV: Is this kind of prospecting actually worth it? How much do the individual nodules cost?


Michael Wiedicke: I would estimate a nodule like that has a value of some 50 cents.


DW-TV: It's not a whole lot of money. Is it cost effective to mine them?


Michael Wiedicke: Right now we are in exploration activity and are doing a lot of basic research, so I would not call it cost effective. You cannot treat your cost effectiveness in the forefront of any industrial activity. Right now, it's research, trying to capture new trends and new ideas for problems that are arising on the horizon.


Interview: Heather deLisle