"Deep-sea miner TMC seeks U.S. approval, potentially bypassing global regulator", 28 March 2025

Canadian deep-sea mining firm The Metals Company (TMC) has announced it “initiated a process” with U.S. regulators to apply for both exploration and exploitation licenses, potentially circumventing the international regulator. TMC’s process with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration falls under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 (DSHMRA), which was established as an interim legal framework for the recovery of seabed mineral resources prior to the creation of an international regulatory framework under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

A spokesperson for NOAA, who declined to be named, confirmed that TMC had requested to initiate a pre-application consultation process.

TMC made the announcement via a press release and a public-facing investor call just before the conclusion of the latest meeting of the 36-member council of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) ....

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“We have amassed an unprecedented wealth of environmental impact data, have gone above and beyond to design a system that minimizes environmental impacts, and feel confident that we now know enough to get started and prove we can manage environmental risks,” Barron said during the investor call. “What we need is a fair hearing and a regulator willing to engage. Thankfully, we have another path forward.”

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