If ratified by Congress, it will grant a Kingston, Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA) the power to regulate deep-sea oil exploration, seabed mining, and fishing rights.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

If approved, it will grant a Kingston, Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA) the power to regulate deep-sea oil exploration, and seabed mining.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

But many marine scientists and conservationists have warned that the implications of this deep-sea gold rush are not yet understood - and that mining nodules or hydrothermal vents could prove catastrophic for seabed ecology.

BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush

De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea.

FORBES: Anglo American Receives Final Regulatory Approval for De Beers Acquisition