Greenpeace is protesting against deep-sea mining in Basel
Keystone-SDA
On Saturday in Basel, the environmental lobby group Greenpeace staged a protest against plans by the Swiss company Allseas to carry out deep-sea mining. At around 9.30 pm, activists projected a film onto the building of the Old University on the banks of the Rhine in Greater Basel.
In the film, Allseas is accused of operating without permission from the International Seabed Authority and relying solely on an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump.
Greenpeace fears major damage to the seabed should deep-sea mining get underway, as a spokesperson on site said. According to an accompanying statement, interference with deep-sea ecosystems would be devastating and would release large quantities of CO2.
Greenpeace has recently carried out similar actions at Chillon Castle in Vaud and in Zurich.
Operations planned in the Pacific
Allseas, based in Châtel-Saint-Denis in the canton of Fribourg, specialises in heavy offshore operations. According to a press release issued in May by the Canadian deep-sea mining company The Metals Company (TMC), Allseas and TMC have entered into a partnership to extract metals from the seabed in the Pacific.
Allseas’ vessel “Hidden Gem” plays a central role in this. According to Allseas, it carries a remotely operated submersible that collects metal-rich nodules from the seabed. Both companies emphasise on their websites that this is a sustainable method.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.