Chinese Scientists Test Deep-Sea Cobalt Mining Rover in Western Pacific Beyond US Second Island Chain
- MM24 News Desk
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Chinese researchers have successfully tested a smart mining rover on a seamount in the western Pacific Ocean, operating at depths of 2,000 metres in a region lying beyond the US military's "second island chain." The robotic vehicle, designed to harvest valuable cobalt-rich crusts, demonstrated the ability to traverse rugged seabeds and autonomously adjust its posture, marking a significant step in China's quest to tap into vast underwater mineral reserves.
The trial, reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), took place approximately 1,000km east of Guam in a zone authorized for exploration by the UN's International Seabed Authority since 2013. This area contains cobalt-rich crusts—slow-growing mineral layers that hold concentrations of cobalt, nickel, and platinum. According to industrial estimates, the ocean floor holds more than 7.3 billion tonnes of cobalt, which is over 600 times the amount of all known land-based reserves.
The development of the mining vehicle was led by a team from the National Engineering Research Centre for Metal Mining in Changsha, along with researchers from Central South University and Tianjin University. Senior engineer Jiang Min, who led the research, noted in a paper published in the journal Mining Research and Development that previous efforts had largely remained theoretical. "No field trials were conducted in real operational environments, making the reliability of conclusions difficult to verify," Jiang's team wrote.
The rover itself is a sophisticated piece of engineering, featuring four independently driven tracks that can each adjust their height autonomously. This design allows the vehicle to maintain stability on complex terrain. It can advance at speeds of up to 20cm per second, though data from the trial indicated that its optimal stability was achieved at a much slower crawl of just 5cm per second. Despite the challenges of real-world conditions, the new engineering solutions were shown to improve driving stability by two to three times compared to earlier designs.
This technological advance comes amid intensifying global competition for seabed resources. The US Department of Defence had launched a plan to stockpile cobalt earlier this year, stated SCMP, but cancelled the initiative by October due to technical and logistical challenges. Meanwhile, China already dominates the global supply chain for cobalt, controlling most of the world's mining and refining capacity. Accessing the immense seabed reserves could further solidify this position.
The strategic implications are significant. The successful trial signals that China's deep-sea mining ambitions are transitioning from concept to reality, a shift that could reshape global supply chains for critical minerals.
The ability to operate beyond the second island chain—a string of US military bases—also highlights China's growing technological reach into the Pacific. However, the mission details, including the vehicle's payload capacity and the exact test location, remain undisclosed, underscoring the project's strategic sensitivity.
Scientists worldwide have raised concerns, cautioning that deep-sea mining could devastate fragile marine ecosystems. The push for these resources, driven by their importance to batteries and modern technology, is creating a new frontier of both geopolitical and environmental contestation. China's latest test proves that the race to the bottom of the ocean is now fully underway.