Effective control and state sponsorship in deep seabed mining.

Effective control is central to the State sponsorship system for deep seabed mining (DSM) in the Area. It ensures there is always a State(s) responsible for private sector company DSM contractors, and is a precondition for the relationship between a non-State ISA contractor and its sponsoring State (UNCLOS). Two core approaches have emerged in literature and in practice to interpreting 'effective control': 'regulatory control' and 'economic control'.