22/07/2026
"It was an excellent opportunity to come together in Papua New Guinea." | Lord Fakafanua says no deep sea mining in Tongan waters for now
by Tina Mata'afa Tufele
The Lone Star Samoan-Utah
PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA — Tonga's Prime Minister says his government will stick to international law despite earlier commitments to deep sea mining.
Lord Fakafānua says there'll be no mining in Tonga's own waters, and decisions beyond those waters will be guided by science.
He was in Papua New Guinea in May for the Melanesian Ocean Summit and talked to ABC Pacific Reporter Marian Kupu about why it was important for Tonga, a Polynesian nation, to be part of a Melanesian-led summit.
"It was an excellent opportunity to come together in Papua New Guinea with the intent of collaborating and deepening relations and looking at common challenges," Lord Fakafānua said.
"A need for climate action, but also looking at Pacific-led solutions."
The prime minister's comments came after the United States and Tonga struck a deal in February to cooperate to “advance marine scientific research for the responsible exploration of seabed mineral resources.” This is according to a report published by The Guardian.
A statement released on Feb. 26, said the two countries were “uniquely positioned” to work together in this field.
“Together, we commit to responsible exploration of seabed minerals and enhancing global scientific understanding of the deep ocean,” the statement said.
Lord Fakafānua, who was elected prime minister in November 2025, said the partnership was “an exciting development for us”.
He added: “With regards to deep-sea minerals, as a nascent industry, Tonga remains fully committed to scientific exploration of our oceans under the multilateral systems we are legally bound to and continues to strictly maintain a cautious approach of firstly do no harm.”
Tonga has a long-running partnership with The Metals Company for exploration work, though no mining has taken place.
Environmental groups are concerned that exploration and deep-sea mining could damage fragile ocean ecosystems. Concern has also been raised in Tonga that the public have not been adequately consulted on the U.S. deal.
Drew Havea, the chair of the Civil Society Forum of Tonga, is a strong opponent to deep-sea mining and has called for a moratorium on the practice.
“Most Tongans disagreed with their country’s involvement in deep-sea mining,” Havea said.
He called for a referendum on the issue at last year’s November election but the then government did not comply with the request.
Read the report from ABC Pacific here: https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/tonga-pm/106677668
Read the report from The Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/24/tonga-us-deal-deep-sea-minerals-environmental-concern
Photo Credit: Expedia and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat
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