Greenland parliament votes to ban seabed mining until 2029

Greenland's parliament has voted unanimously to direct the government to draft a law banning seabed mining and exploration, keeping a moratorium in force until the end of 2029 with extensions possible in two year steps.

Why it matters: The vote, a day after President Trump said large scale US oil, gas and mineral exploration was about to begin in Greenland, closes off the seabed route to the territory's critical minerals while leaving onshore projects such as Tanbreez untouched.

Data as of Friday, October 16, 2026, 19:41 ET. Mining.com report, opened and read in full, citing RMF24, corroborated by a second independent report of the same unanimous vote. Legislation is expected in the first half of 2027. Developing item, 2 to 3 sentences by design.

Greenland’s parliament has unanimously passed a resolution directing the government to introduce a ban on seabed mineral extraction, with the deep sea mining moratorium to stay in force until the end of 2029 and extensions possible in further two year periods, RMF24 reported on Friday. The legislation itself is expected to be passed in the first half of 2027.

The vote came a day after President Trump announced that large scale oil, gas and mineral exploration was set to begin in Greenland under the September security deal, a claim Denmark has said gives US investors no special resource rights. WWF Greenland welcomed the vote, citing how little is understood about deep sea mining’s effects on the marine ecosystems that support the territory’s fisheries.

Greenland parliament votes to ban seabed mining until 2029

Sources