The International Seabed Authority (ISA) and DHI have entered a partnership to jointly promote evidence-based decision-making, regional environmental planning and monitoring and capacity development in support of the protection of the marine environment. 

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) and DHI are pleased to announce the signing of a Letter of Cooperation (LoC) to enhance scientific cooperation and environmental management. The agreement was signed at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice, France, by Leticia Carvalho, Secretary-General of the ISA, and Mette Vestergaard, Chief Executive Officer of DHI.

The LoC formalises a strategic partnership that will support the ISA’s mandate under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to ensure the sustainable and responsible management of mineral resources beyond national jurisdiction. Through this collaboration, ISA and DHI will jointly promote evidence-based decision-making, regional environmental planning and monitoring and capacity development in support of the protection of the marine environment.

Mette Vestergaard stated, ‘The international seabed area is of vital importance to us all. With this partnership agreement, we are one step further in ensuring that decisions about the seabed are guided by science and based on knowledge about the impact on the environment.’

Leticia Carvalho welcomed the collaboration, saying, ‘The ISA is constantly seeking to expand both national and international knowledge of the deep sea, our common heritage, through sound data and to expand capacities for both regional environmental planning and global ocean management. Our collaboration with DHI is an important step in these efforts.’

Under the terms of the LoC, DHI will support the analysis of deep-sea environmental data collected by the ISA over the past three decades. The collaboration will include advisory services and training programmes designed to strengthen the technical and scientific capacity of the ISA’s Member States, particularly developing countries, and to advance regional environmental planning initiatives in the international seabed area.

Danish ocean expertise in global collaboration
Denmark has long been recognised for its leadership in marine research, environmental technology and sustainable water management. As an acknowledged Research and Technology Organisation (RTO), DHI combines advanced modelling, scientific tools and field expertise to transform research into practical solutions, from laboratory to the open ocean.

The ISA and DHI have already worked together on capacity building, the development of threshold values and regional environmental planning. This new agreement builds on that foundation and creates new opportunities to support ISA’s work in ensuring environmental stewardship and the equitable use of deep-sea resources.

Shared vision for the ocean’s future
The ISA was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and is mandated to regulate deep-seabed mineral activities beyond national jurisdiction – an area that covers more than fifty per cent of the Earth’s surface. Its dual responsibility is to ensure that the resources of the deep seabed benefit all of humanity, while protecting the marine environment for future generations.

The partnership between ISA and DHI reinforces their shared commitment to informed, transparent and responsible ocean governance, grounded in the best available science.