Norway on Wednesday postponed the first licences to permit deep-sea mining in its Arctic waters for four years, a delay environmentalists hope signals the "nail in the coffin" of the plans.

The country was the first in Europe aiming to commence the practice in its waters, but following thorny negotiations, Norway's minority Labour government clinched a deal with small political allies that secures a majority for its 2026 budget in exchange for the postponement.

The government agreed "not to launch the first tenders for deep-sea mining during the current legislative term", which ends in 2029, according to a deal that received the support of two key parties in the early hours of Wednesday.

"This must be the nail in the coffin for the deep sea mining industry in Norway," said Greenpeace de

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