The Metals Company Inc. (TMC), an explorer of the world’s largest undeveloped resource of critical metals for infrastructure, defense, energy, and future technologies, announced that its US subsidiary, The Metals Company USA LLC (TMC USA), has submitted applications for a commercial recovery permit and two exploration licenses under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implementing regulations which form the US seabed mining code.

The submission follows last week’s Executive Order, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources”, which directs the Department of Commerce to expedite permitting and the Departments of Defense and Energy to explore using the National Defense Stockpile and offtake agreements to secure seabed minerals essential to US industrial resilience.

TMC USA’s applications are informed by over a decade of scientific research, environmental data collection, and proven offshore engineering by the Company and its partners, paving the way for responsible commercial development of deep-sea critical minerals and building upon the foundation laid by NOAA as a pioneer of deep-sea environmental research in the 1970s and 80s.

Gerard Barron, Chairman and CEO of The Metals Company, said: “Today marks a major step forward—not just for TMC USA, but for America’s mineral independence and industrial resurgence. With these applications, we are offering the United States a shovel-ready path to new and abundant supplies of nickel, copper, cobalt, and manganese—critical metals for energy, infrastructure, and defense. After continuous delay at the international level, the United States now has a clear opportunity to reclaim its leadership role in the deep sea and set a global standard for responsible, science-based deep-seabed resource development.”

“We have invested over half a billion dollars and have spent more than a decade preparing for this moment, investing in deep-sea science, engineering, and technology to build the world’s most advanced deep-sea minerals platform. With strong support from Washington and a stable, enforceable US regulatory pathway, we look forward to delivering the world’s first commercial nodule project—responsibly, transparently, and economically—and to helping power a new era of American industrial strength.”

TMC USA’s commercial recovery permit application covers a proposed 25,160 square-kilometer area referred to as TMC USA-A_2, which includes areas that contain the Company’s already indicated and measured resources in the CCZ, located approximately 1,300 nautical miles south of San Diego.

We believe the TMC USA-A and USA-B exploration areas contain SEC SK 1300-compliant resources of 1,635 million wet tonnes of polymetallic nodules, with an additional estimated 500 million tonnes of potential exploration upside based on internal estimates. Together, the resource is estimated to contain approximately 15.5 million tonnes of nickel, 12.8 million tonnes of copper, 2.0 million tonnes of cobalt, and 345 million tonnes of manganese. These areas contain the Company’s estimated resources, which are supported by existing SK 1300 Technical Report Summaries.

TMC USA’s strategic move under DSHMRA sets the foundation for an emerging industrial ecosystem expected to mobilize tens of billions of dollars in private sector investment across US shipbuilding, port infrastructure, minerals processing, and manufacturing, enabling the United States to secure new supplies of critical minerals.

NOAA is expected to make an initial determination as to whether TMC USA’s applications for exploration licenses are in full or substantial compliance with the applicable requirements under DSHMRA and its implementing regulations within 30 days of receipt and whether TMC USA’s application for a commercial recovery permit is complete within 60 days. NOAA is then expected to proceed with a full review of the applications, including environmental and technical evaluations.