Secretive ‘gold rush’ for deep-sea mining dominated by handful of firms

Greenpeace report warns against granting licences to deeply destructive' industry with opaque oversight, and calls for global ocean treaty

Private mining firms and arms companies are exerting a hidden and unhealthy influence on the fate of the deep-sea bed, according to a new report highlighting the threats facing the world's biggest intact ecosystem.

An investigation by Greenpeace found a handful of corporations in Europe and North America are increasingly dominating exploration contracts, and have at times taken the place of government representatives at meetings of the oversight body, the UN's International Seabed Authority (ISA).