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

Tanzania is one of the coastal states of the Indian Ocean. It is also an active state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This international instrument regulates, among others, the exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals, especially in the deep sea. Tanzania has promulgated a law to implement the UNCLOS. Additionally, the country has various regulations to fully benefit from the marine mineral resources found in its maritime domain. However, the existing legal framework does not adequately and comprehensively 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 article discusses the need for Tanzania to enact comprehensive and adequate legal frameworks governing seabed mining in its maritime zones and the Area.