The China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA) is waiting for approval from the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for China to exploit cobalt-rich crust deposits in the Western Pacific, according to a statement issued by COMRA on Wednesday.

The ISA recently confirmed the application submitted by the COMRA on July 27 for the exploitation in an area of 3,000 square km in the ocean.

A COMRA official said the application will likely be discussed and approved by the ISA in 2013.

The COMRA began surveying cobalt-rich crust resources in 1997, and the selection of this mining area was based on investigation in the past 15 years, the statement quoted an unnamed official as saying.

This is China's third application for exploitation of international seabed mining areas after the country won rights to a poly-metallic nodule mining area in the Northeastern Pacific in 2001 and poly-metallic sulfide deposits in the Southwestern Indian Ocean in 2002.