Technological advancements in underwater drones, artificial intelligence, and connected sensors are accelerating the exploitation of ocean resources. This rapid growth targets everything from seabed minerals and oil to biodiversity and renewable energy sources like tidal and wind power.
Technological drivers of marine exploitation
A technological revolution
is fundamentally changing how humans access the ocean, according to Guillaume Pitron, a researcher and journalist. Pitron, an associate researcher at the international relations institute IRIS and author of Océans, le nouveau partage du monde, notes that the industry is being stimulated by algorithms, connected sensors, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology.
Submarine drones have become a central component of this shift. Some companies have developed a technological striking force
that allows them to deploy underwater drones in swarms, according to Pitron. He describes the American-British company Ocean Infinity as a SpaceX of the Abyss.
Ocean Infinity has already secured significant mandates, including a 2025 contract from Malaysia to restart the search for the Boeing MH370, which disappeared in 2014.
Diverse resources across the ocean
The push for ocean exploitation spans different layers of the marine environment. Pitron breaks down the available resources as follows:
- Ocean floor: Metals, minerals, and sand, as well as oil and gas located beneath the floor.
- Water column: Resources derived from biodiversity.
- Surface and atmosphere: Tidal forces that can be converted into electricity and marine winds for decarbonized electricity production.
Industrial expansion threatens ocean ecosystems and triggers new treaties
The expansion of industrial activity brings significant environmental risks. Pitron warns that if the quest for ocean resources becomes as industrialized as fishing has been over the last few decades, it could lead to immense ecological challenges, Europesays reported.
To address these concerns, the international community has set a goal to protect at least 30% of the high seas by 2030, up from approximately 8% currently. The legal status of these waters has also changed with the 2026 entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty. This treaty means the high seas, which cover nearly half of the planet’s surface, are no longer a lawless space.
Strategic autonomy through desalination
Beyond minerals and energy, the ocean serves as a source of strategic autonomy through water production. Israel has invested heavily in large-scale desalination plants since the 2000s to reduce its historical dependence on the Golan Plateau, which contains most of the sources feeding the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias. The state seized this area during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1981.
By 2024, nearly 75% of Israel’s domestic water consumption was provided by desalinated water.
