OPPOSITION legislators on Friday tackled the Government on its arrangement with Blue Minerals Jamaica Limited, a company seeking to undertake deep sea mining exploration, and demanded to know the details of its sponsorship agreement with this entity and the Administration’s definitive position on deep sea mining or exploitation.

Leader of Government Business in the Upper House Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, during the sitting of the Senate on Friday, initially responded to several questions posed by Opposition Senator Sophia Frazer Binns on the matter, but she was not satisfied with the responses and continued to press for specific answers.

Noting that the commencement of deep sea mining exploration has raised concerns among several nations, Frazer Binns wanted Johnson Smith to state if Jamaica has a policy or position on deep sea mining, and to state definitively whether or not the Government is in support of the activity.

Johnson Smith, while avoiding a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, pointed out that Jamaica has no policy on deep seabed mining as yet, but has taken a position on the issue which has developed over time.

“Essentially, we believe that the commercial benefits of exploitation should be and can be leveraged by small island states like Jamaica when and if an appropriate and environmentally sound scientifically based regulatory framework is in place. So we believe in science-based decision-making; we believe in ensuring that there is a strong environmentally sound protective framework under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in place prior to, or in order for mining to take place,” she said.

She argued that this is the broad and balanced approach which is more largely held throughout the membership of the International Seabed Authority, which is headquartered in Jamaica.

“We think it is only appropriate to take a balanced position. So we support science, we support exploration for this reason because exploration is the only way that you will improve the knowledge base, the body of research which exists,” she said, adding that deep seabed mining is not authorised anywhere in the world.

Turning to Frazer-Binns’ follow-up query pressing for further details about the sponsorship agreement with Blue Minerals Jamaica Limited pertaining to the company’s transfer of shares to a Swiss company and whether there was a breach of contract, Johnson Smith explained that the sponsorship agreement is simply the means by which a company is authorised to apply for authorisation from the Seabed Authority in order to explore.

“So it is not a substantive agreement on its own and we’re not aware of any breach of the agreement in the change of shareholdings, and they did provide notice when that was to take place,” she said, adding that the agreement holds no financial obligations for Jamaica, but there are benefits such as training capacity, capacity-building, and eventually financial benefits as well.

She also noted that the details of the authorisation contract with Blue Minerals is confidential. But Opposition Senator Peter Bunting pressed her to know why the identity of the ultimate owners of Blue Minerals is being kept a secret.

Responding, Johnson Smith said, “I will ask the technical people to refresh my memory on these matters.”

JOHNSON SMITH… we think it is only appropriate to take a balanced position.