SPC Geoscience Division

THE International Seabed Authority's Council has approved applications for seabed exploration work plans from Nauru, Tonga, China and Russia.

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated that the applications were recommended for the council's approval by the Legal and Technical Commission of the authority.

"Fiji and Pacific Island countries are represented on this commission by Dr. Russell Howorth, the director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Suva-based Applied Geoscience and Technology Division - SOPAC," the statement said.