Topics Archives

onMarch 19, 2026

Noise & Light – What does the data tell us?

Key points Hydrophone monitoring found noise above 120 decibels, the U.S. National Marine Fishery Service threshold for a cetacean behavioral response, extends about 3.6 km around the production vessel. The main noise source is the vessel’s dynamic positioning thrusters, not seismic…

onMarch 19, 2026

Innovation at Depth – Go with the Flow: Mine Planning to Reduce Impact

Key points TMC found that sediment plumes form turbidity currents that follow the seabed’s contours and flow downslope into depressions, letting engineers predict where sediment will settle with high accuracy. The original straight-line mine plan required 80 to 100 km runs with the…

onMarch 17, 2026

Deep Sea Joins U.S. Defense Industrial Base

Key points Deep Sea Minerals identifies the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ), located west of Baja California, Mexico, as its most attractive area outside EEZ waters. The CCZ has been studied for decades by industry, governments, and academia, with well-documented resource potential. The…

Regulations

onMarch 16, 2026

How the Midterms Could Affect NOAA Seabed Mining Permits

The 2026 U.S. midterms could reshape the political backdrop for NOAA's review of The Metals Company's permit applications.

Education

onMarch 12, 2026

Who Loses if Deep Sea Mining Works

An analysis of who loses if deep sea nodule mining reaches scale, threatening the pricing power of land based metal producers.

onMarch 12, 2026

Innovation at Depth – Midwater Release: Less Up, Less Down

Key points TMC’s commercial system adds a hydrocyclone step to the dewatering process to filter out abraded nodule fragments below one millimeter, so the return water consists of sediment and water only. Separated sediment is released through a return pipe at a depth of 2,000 meters, a…

Education

onMarch 6, 2026

UK Marine Aggregates: A Model for Offshore Mineral Development

The UK's marine aggregates industry, overseen by the Crown Estate, offers an established model for offshore mineral development.

onMarch 5, 2026

Innovation at Depth – Calming the Current

Key points Allseas’ diffuser system releases excess water used in nodule collection back into the environment, returning up to 95% of entrained sediment at the diffuser level before it can enter the riser system. The diffuser slows and concentrates the exiting flow, promoting formation…

onFebruary 27, 2026

Webinar: Navigating the Hidden World of Cultural Significance in the Deep Ocean

Key points Archaeologist Dr. Matthew Piscitelli of SEARCH outlines tangible cultural heritage (shipwrecks, downed aircraft, whale remains, shark teeth) and intangible cultural heritage (indigenous beliefs and practices) as factors in deep sea mining projects. He cites a study identifying…

onFebruary 27, 2026

The Metals Royalty Company Introduction

Key points TMCR holds a 2.0% gross overriding royalty on the NORI polymetallic deposit operated by TMC the metals company Inc. (NASDAQ:TMC). The company acquires and manages royalties, streams and similar structured interests across energy, defense and the broader critical minerals value…

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