Two well-known shipping names are deeply involved in what is painted as a massive green initiative, but which environmental organisations want to ban — seabed mining of battery minerals.

That puts Maersk Supply Service and Allseas in a squeeze in terms environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. Is what they are doing decarbonisation, or is it planetary devastation?

The Danish offshore owner and the Dutch ocean construction specialist, along with commodities and mining powerhouse Glencore, are key suppliers to Canada's DeepGreen Metals in a project to mine about 3m square km of seabed between Hawaii and Mexico.