TMC USA nodule recovery (Clarion-Clipperton Zone) by The Metals Company: status and timeline

TMC USA nodule recovery (Clarion-Clipperton Zone)

Start the first commercial deep-sea mining operation, supplying nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese from a single ore outside Chinese-dominated supply chains.

PilotStage 3 of 5

NOAA review under way, comments close Oct 19, 2026; collection system commissioning targeted Q4 2027.

Updated 19 Aug 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · NOAA certification, environmental review and permit decision

Pilot trial lifts 3,000+ t of nodules up a 4.3 km riserNov 2022Complete.
Consolidated NOAA application (~65,000 km2) filedJan 2026Complete.
NOAA: application in substantial compliance9 Mar 2026Complete.
NOAA: consolidated application in full compliance28 Apr 2026Complete.
Allseas development and production contract signed11 May 2026Complete.
NOAA certification, environmental review and permit decisionTarget Oct 2026Current milestone.
Collection system commissioning beginsTarget Q4 2027Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Oct 2026NOAA certification, environmental review and permit decision (next)
13 Oct 2026NOAA virtual public hearing on TMC USA application
19 Oct 2026Public comment period on the consolidated application closes
Q4 2027Collection system commissioning begins

Current obstacles

Permit slipping laterNOAA's certification slipped a few months, and the environmental review that follows has no fixed deadline, so the permit could come late.
Environmental oppositionScientists and many governments oppose seabed mining before its effects are understood, which can deter buyers and partners.
Scaling from pilot to 3 Mt a yearThe 2022 pilot ran one collector at 86 t/h; commercial output needs bigger collectors, a wider riser and months of reliable running.

Physics limits

Pumping rock up 4 km of waterLifting solids through kilometres of pipe takes a lot of energy and wears pumps and pipe; every extra metre of depth raises the cost per tonne.
Nodules regrow over millions of yearsThey form a few millimetres per million years, so a collected area will not renew on any human timescale, and the habitat they provide is lost.
Sediment plumes spread in still waterCollectors stir up fine seabed mud that settles slowly in the near-still deep ocean, smothering life well beyond the tracks driven.

How it works

4 parts

Collect

Tracked vehicles on the abyssal plain

Two robotic collectors drive over the soft seabed and use water jets to lift loose nodules, leaving most of the mud behind.

Lift

A 4 km riser pipe

Nodules are pumped up a steel pipe hanging from the ship, carried by a fast flow of water and air.

Ship

Hidden Gem and bulk carriers

Allseas' ship Hidden Gem receives the nodules and transfers them to bulk carriers bound for onshore processing plants.

Refine

Smelting into alloy and manganese

On land, nodules are smelted into a nickel-copper-cobalt alloy and a manganese product, then refined for batteries and steel.

Spec sheet

Spec	TMC USA nodule recovery (Clarion-Clipperton Zone)
Planned nameplate capacity	3.0 Mt wet nodules/yr^R (reported)
Applied commercial recovery area	~65,000 km2^R (reported)
Estimated nodules (USA-A area)	619 Mt wet^R (reported)
Operating depth	Over 4 km^R (reported)
2022 pilot sustained rate	86.4 t/h^R (reported)
Collector vehicles	2 tracked collectors^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

4 updates

About The Metals Company

The team behind TMC USA nodule recovery (Clarion-Clipperton Zone)

The Metals Company

Deep-sea nodule collection, nickel, cobalt

The Metals Company (TMC) wants to collect potato-sized metal nodules from the Pacific seafloor, 4 km down, for nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese. Founded in 2011 as DeepGreen Metals and listed on Nasdaq since 2021, it is seeking the first US commercial deep-sea mining permit.

Applied to NOAA for a US permit to collect nodules over about 65,000 km2 of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone.
Allseas contract signed May 2026 for a 3 Mt/yr collection system; commissioning targeted Q4 2027.
A 2022 pilot lifted over 3,000 tonnes of nodules up a 4.3 km pipe to a surface ship.

metals.co (opens metals.co)Company profile →

Founded: 201115 yrs
Headquarters: Canada
Status: Public
Listed: TMCNasdaq
Valuation: public
Raised: $85M1 round
Last round: Strategic investment (Korea Zinc, ~5%) · $85M17 Jun 2025
Works in: MaterialsLithium & critical minerals
Coverage: 1 program · 5 updateslatest 19 Aug 2026checked 11 Oct
Lead investors: Korea Zinc
Customers: Glencore
Partners: Allseas (opens workboat.com)Mariana Minerals
Investors: Korea Zinc (opens miningreporters.com)
People: Gerard BarronChairman & CEO

Spec

TMC USA nodule recovery (Clarion-Clipperton Zone)

Planned nameplate capacity

3.0 Mt wet nodules/yr^R (reported)

Applied commercial recovery area

~65,000 km2^R (reported)

Estimated nodules (USA-A area)

619 Mt wet^R (reported)

Operating depth

Over 4 km^R (reported)

2022 pilot sustained rate

86.4 t/h^R (reported)

Collector vehicles

2 tracked collectors^R (reported)

TMC USA nodule recovery (Clarion-Clipperton Zone)

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Tracked vehicles on the abyssal plain

A 4 km riser pipe

Hidden Gem and bulk carriers

Smelting into alloy and manganese

Spec sheet

Update log

Wed 19 Aug

Mon 11 May

Mon 9 Mar

Mon 14 Nov 2022

About The Metals Company

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Tracked vehicles on the abyssal plain

A 4 km riser pipe

Hidden Gem and bulk carriers

Smelting into alloy and manganese

Spec sheet

Update log

Wed 19 Aug

Mon 11 May

Mon 9 Mar

Mon 14 Nov 2022

About The Metals Company