The concluding seminar of PECC international project on marine resources focused on deep sea mining, marine infrastructure and technology for communication across the sea waters. The seminar took place in Auckland, New Zealand on December 4-5, 2012, led by FPTPEC and hosted by NZPECC and the University of Auckland. It gathered about 20 speakers from related industries and research from New Zealand, France, Japan, the US, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Four key topics were discussed:

1. Identification and exploitation of deep sea mineral and energy resources: identification of the existing resources, looking for new resources (eg. nodules, rare earth metals), the development of clusters and international alliances, technology transfer and innovation through PPPs, the legal framework, and the prevention of environmental risks;
2. Surveillance of oceans: Protecting fishing zones from non-authorized users, monitoring and fight against marine and coastal pollution, the development of an international early warning system to prevent potential environmental disasters; 3. Oceans as a means of communication: Enhancing the competitiveness of small island economies by developing sea transportation; working towards a “hub and spoke” or a “point to point” model to link the economies; and
4. Development of high speed communication by optical fiber in the Pacific Rim to enhance economic and financial relations