Greenpeace Activists Occupy New Zealand Research Ship Over Deep-Sea Mining

Greenpeace activists boarded a New Zealand government-owned research ship in Wellington after it returned from a deep-sea mineral survey in the Pacific.

Five activists were later removed from the Tangaroa by police, and charges are being considered, a police spokesperson told 1News.

One activist was dressed as US President Donald Trump and flew an American flag from the ship. Another held a banner that said, “Don’t Mine the Moana”.

Greenpeace said the protest was aimed at New Zealand’s involvement in deep-sea mining work linked to the United States.

The Tangaroa is operated by Earth Sciences New Zealand. It recently returned from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the international waters of the Pacific, where it surveyed deep-sea minerals.

The work was carried out for UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSR), a wholly owned subsidiary of US company Glomar Minerals Inc.

Glomar has said it wants to start commercial mining of the seafloor as early as 2027.

Greenpeace said samples of mineral nodules collected during the Tangaroa’s survey would help efforts to build critical mineral supplies for the United States.

Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee said the group was concerned that a government-owned New Zealand ship had been used for the work.

Lee said deep-sea mining could cause irreversible damage to the ocean. She called on New Zealand not to take part in efforts to start commercial mining.

The protest comes as the United States takes steps to speed up deep-sea mineral exploration and commercial recovery.

In April 2025, Trump signed an executive order aimed at speeding up deep-sea mining in US and international waters.

Earlier this year, the US government launched Project Vault. The initiative is aimed at securing a global supply of minerals and building a reserve for military and industrial use.

Greenpeace said the US administration was preparing to issue commercial permits for seabed minerals.

The group said this would bypass the International Seabed Authority (ISA), where UN member states are negotiating rules for deep-sea mining.

The ISA is working on regulations that would govern commercial mining in international waters.

Chris Williams, CEO of Glomar, has said seabed mining “is likely to proceed regardless” of the international negotiations, according to Greenpeace.

Greenpeace said Glomar could use data collected by the Tangaroa to apply for a US commercial exploitation permit.

New Zealand has supported a conditional moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters since 2022.

Greenpeace said 46 countries around the world, including New Zealand, support an international moratorium.

The group said opposition to deep-sea mining was strong across the Pacific.

Lee said mining the seafloor could damage the ocean and put Pacific communities and their cultural heritage at risk.

Greenpeace is calling on New Zealand not to support efforts to begin commercial extraction.

The protest has also raised questions about the use of a New Zealand government-owned research vessel for mineral exploration carried out for a company planning commercial seabed mining.

This is not the first time Greenpeace has targeted the Tangaroa.

In 2015, activists occupied the vessel to protest its use by the oil industry for exploration work.

Reference: Greenpeace