On May 13, 2024, the 2024 engineering and technology training class under the exploration contract contractor training of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA) formally opened at the National Deep Sea Center. COMRA Vice Chairman Liu Feng, National Deep Sea Center Deputy Director Song Chengbing, and 12 trainees from 7 countries, Indonesia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Algeria, Panama and China, attended the opening ceremony.
Vice Chairman Liu Feng reviewed COMRA’s participation in exploration of international seabed contract areas and its efforts to help developing countries strengthen their capacity to participate in international seabed affairs. Deputy Director Song Chengbing described the centre’s preparations for the training assignment and encouraged trainees to make the most of the opportunity and apply what they learn in their work. The international trainees thanked China for the learning opportunity, saying they expected the training to bring them new knowledge and skills that they would apply to the deep-sea endeavours of their own countries.
The class runs for one month, with sessions in Qingdao, Shandong Province, and Changsha, Hunan Province. The training covers survey and evaluation, exploration and mining, and mineral processing and metallurgy of deep-sea cobalt-rich crusts, polymetallic sulphides and polymetallic nodules, as well as the law and policy of the international seabed area, deep-sea ecology and environment, and deep-sea technology and equipment. It is intended to improve trainees’ scientific knowledge and hands-on skills in deep-sea resource exploration and development and deep-sea technical equipment.
China signed exploration contracts with the International Seabed Authority for polymetallic nodules in 2001, polymetallic sulphides in 2011 and cobalt-rich crusts in 2014. This class is the training activity covering the most contracts and with the largest scale since China began fulfilling its contractor training obligations. It is presented as a demonstration of COMRA actively fulfilling its contract obligations as an exploration contractor. The class is implemented by the National Deep Sea Center on COMRA’s behalf.
