India–Sri Lanka Seabed Minerals Standoff Freezes Access to Afanasy Nikitin Seamount
A legal and procedural dispute between Sri Lanka and India has stalled both Colombo’s extended continental shelf claim at the CLCS and New Delhi’s ISA exploration license bid for the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount. The deadlock ties critical mineral access to wider Indian Ocean geopolitics, including sensitivities around foreign research vessel activity and third-party involvement.