The mining company exploring for deep sea minerals in Temotu Province of Solomon Islands insists it's taking a very cautious approach to its work.
Australia-based Bluewater Metals was granted a licence last year to search for gold in sites around Temotu.
Greenpeace has found the potential impact of deep sea mining is not properly understood and Temotu people concerned about the environmental impact of deep sea mining are calling for more consultations before it proceeds.
Bluewater's co-founder Timothy McConachy says people should be assured that they're only exploring at this stage.
"We're taking baby steps every step of the way so that we can assess and review the outcomes of our work and we'll proceed to the next step with care once we've assessed these baby steps. In exploration we're not damaging environment in really any way. It's as much as or as little really as what researchers would do carrying out scientific investigation, and that's exactly what we're carrying out at this stage."
Timothy McConachy
