Untapping Ocean Resources. Ethnographic Cases of Offshore Wind and Deep-Sea Mining Industry in Norway.

The technologisation of sea resources—such as wind, waves, and the hydrothermal vents—represents the realisation of a long-standing ambition to explore and exploit maritime potential. Historically viewed as the "last great wilderness" (Ramirez-Llodra, 2011)—an idealised space outside of societal reach, untouched by capitalists who once saw the ocean as an empty surface (Steinberg, 2001)—the deep sea and offshore wind infrastructures have emerged as key geopolitical issues (Hannigan, 2016; Enevoldsen & Sovacool 2016). Scientifically, these domains have become the “epicenter of knowledge generation” (Thurber & Netburn, 2020). While maritime mineral resources within deep-sea mining are designated as the common heritage of humankind (UNCLOS), access to them remains restricted to a small group of scientists, mirroring dynamics seen in the offshore wind industry. As offshore wind farms expand, they reshape maritime landscapes and challenge traditional understandings of the sea. This paper examines the implications of shifts in human-machine-environment interactions as both mineral extraction and wind energy infrastructures extend into the maritime domain. How do emerging techno-scientific narratives associated with DSM and offshore wind reshape the relationship between human societies and marine ecosystems? Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Norway’s offshore wind industry and DSM, this paper reflects on how science, corporations, and technology interact with the ocean, both as a tangible and discursive entity. It explores the ways in which knowledge of the sea is intertwined with increasing automation, electrification, and digitalisation of systems, as well as scientific engineering and oceanographic expertise. Lastly, it considers how the ocean as an unpredictable force contributes to shaping situated knowledges and practices in these evolving industries.