TMC Subsidiary NORI Shares Preliminary Findings on Environmental Impacts of Pilot Nodule Collection System Test

The findings cover the seafloor plume; separate data on the distribution of midwater plumes are still expected.

Rhea-AI Summary

TMC (TMC) reported preliminary seafloor sediment-plume findings from subsidiary NORI’s 2022 pilot nodule-collection test on December 14, 2023. NORI’s data and modeling indicate that sediment stirred up by the collector at a depth of approximately 4 kilometers forms a gravity-driven flow along the seafloor rather than rising into the water column. During the trial, over 50 monitoring assets and marine sensors were deployed across a 4 km by 2 km test field to measure plume behavior.

Remotely operated vehicle observations in the NORI-D area found that sessile organisms—those fixed in place and identified in earlier baseline studies—were still present in areas influenced by the seafloor plume twelve months after the test. Those observations are qualitative. NORI expects to release separate data on midwater sediment plumes in the coming months.

Key Figures

Follow-up period: 12 months Monitoring assets and sensors: Over 50 Test field: 4km x 2km +1 more

Follow-up period

12 months

After the pilot nodule collection system test; sessile organisms remained present in plume-influenced areas

Monitoring assets and sensors

Over 50

Deployed during the plume monitoring study

Test field

4km x 2km

Area monitored during the trials

Collector depth

Approximately 4 kilometers

Depth at which sediment was mobilized by the nodule collector vehicle

Key Terms

turbidity current, remotely operated vehicle, benthic, sessile organisms

4 terms

turbidity current technical

"forms a gravity-driven turbidity current that hugs the seafloor"

An underwater flow of water mixed with sand, silt and other particles that moves downhill along the sea or lake floor under gravity, like an underwater avalanche of mud. It matters to investors because turbidity currents can rapidly reshape the seabed, damage or bury pipelines, cables and drilling equipment, alter the location and recoverability of mineral or hydrocarbon deposits, and change engineering and environmental risk profiles for projects.

remotely operated vehicle technical

"using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) at the seafloor"

A remotely operated vehicle is an unmanned machine controlled from a distance by a human operator or automated system, often using a tether or wireless link; examples include underwater submersibles and surface or aerial drones. Think of it as a remote‑control robot used to inspect, repair, or gather data in places that are dangerous, deep, or hard to reach. Investors care because ROVs affect a company’s operational reach, safety profile, cost structure, and revenue opportunities in sectors like energy, marine services, infrastructure, and defense.

benthic technical

"preliminary benthic (seafloor) plume data and modelling"

Relating to the bottom of a body of water — the seabed, lake floor, or riverbed — and to the plants, animals and sediments that live or accumulate there. Like the forest floor for marine life, benthic habitats are where many key biological processes and pollutant stocks concentrate, so descriptions of “benthic” conditions matter to investors because they affect environmental assessments, permitting, cleanup liability and the ecological impact of offshore or water‑related operations.

sessile organisms technical

"sessile organisms identified during NORI’s environmental baseline studies"

Organisms that remain attached to a surface for most or all of their lives and do not move around under their own power, such as many plants, corals, barnacles, and microbes in biofilms. They matter to investors because their fixed lifestyle affects where and how products, drugs, or technologies are developed and used — for example in aquaculture, anti-fouling coatings, medical device infections, or habitat restoration — which can influence market demand and regulatory considerations.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

See more from StockTitan in Google Search and AI answers. Adds StockTitan as a preferred source · opens Google

Add on Google Not now

• Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI) has begun sharing emerging data on impacts of seafloor sediment plumes one year on from its 2022 test mining campaign.
• Building upon earlier laboratory predictions and in-field verifications, NORI now has multiple lines of evidence that indicate that the seafloor plume forms a gravity-driven turbidity current that hugs the seafloor and does not loft into the water column to be transported long distances by ocean currents, as has been widely speculated.
• Additional qualitative data acquired this month using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) at the seafloor in the NORI-D area show that sessile organisms identified during NORI’s environmental baseline studies are still present twelve months after its pilot nodule collection system test in areas that have been influenced by the seafloor plume.
• In the coming months, NORI will release additional data on midwater sediment plumes which will further address concerns as to the scope and scale of their distribution.

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC the metals company Inc. (Nasdaq: TMC) (“TMC” or the “Company”), an explorer of the world’s largest estimated undeveloped source of critical battery metals, today provided an update on the environment program of its NORI subsidiary, including a detailed overview of the latest research on the potential impacts of sediment plumes at the seafloor based upon emerging data from NORI’s 2022 pilot nodule collection system test.

Contrary to plume models created by NGOs that were widely publicized in the media, NORI’s preliminary benthic (seafloor) plume data and modelling show that sediment mobilized by its nodule collector vehicle at depths of approximately 4 kilometers (kms) forms a gravity-driven turbidity current that hugs the contours of the seafloor and does not loft up into the water column where it could possibly be transported longer distances by ocean currents.

Last month NORI provided an update on its environment program and shared the latest data on the characteristics of sediment plumes at the seafloor during a global stakeholder webinar [watch here].

During its 2022 nodule collection system trials, NORI worked with DHI Water and Environment — leading experts on sedimentation modelling — to implement a plume monitoring study. Over 50 assets and marine sensors were deployed to the 4km x 2km test field to collect data on all aspects of plume dynamics, concentration, and dispersal from which DHI have generated a verified plume model.

Building upon earlier laboratory predictions and in-field observations from previous collector tests by other contractors, multiple lines of evidence now show that the sediment plume at the seafloor is low-lying and that the dispersal of this mud is largely influenced not by ocean currents, as had been claimed, but by the contours of the seafloor. Given the efficient manner with which the Allseas-designed collector vehicle separates sediment at the seafloor, NORI believes the sedimentation footprint will narrow upon further in-field verifications taking place this month as part of its ongoing offshore campaign.

Following a global stakeholder webinar to share the preliminary results, NORI Environmental Manager Dr Michael Clarke commented: “These new findings demonstrate the shortcomings of developing plume models in the absence of any primary data and how this can lead to significant errors in the results. Models put forward by some activist groups claiming a vast area of impact are undermined by their lack of appreciation that the benthic plume forms a turbidity current spreading under its own weight away from the collector tracks, underlining the importance of investing in the science before engaging in speculation.”

In November, NORI provided additional details of its ongoing offshore environmental campaign to assess ecosystem function and recovery one year on from test mining, adding to the significant research conducted in the deep sea. Since the late 1960s, over 300 hundred offshore campaigns have been conducted in international waters with over $2 billion invested in environmental baseline and impact studies and technology development, with most of the capital invested by private companies. To address knowledge gaps, governments and contractors like NORI have spent over 9,000 days – the equivalent of almost 25 years – at sea, assessing the deep-sea environment, research and investment which has accelerated significantly since the establishment of the International Seabed Authority’s exploration regime.

About The Metals Company
The Metals Company is an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, on a dual mission: (1) supply metals for the global energy transition with the least possible negative impacts on planet and people and (2) trace, recover and recycle the metals we supply to help create a metal commons that can be used in perpetuity. The Company through its subsidiaries holds exploration and commercial rights to three polymetallic nodule contract areas in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean regulated by the International Seabed Authority and sponsored by the governments of Nauru, Kiribati and the Kingdom of Tonga. More information is available at www.metals.co.

More Info
Media | media@metals.co
Investors | investors@metals.co

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements and information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “seeks,” “will” and variations of these words or similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, TMC’s expectations with respect to the success of its ongoing offshore campaign, the results or outcomes of the campaign and the data generated during the ongoing offshore campaign respectively. The Company may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, among other things: the Company’s ability to successfully complete the ongoing campaign; the Company’s strategies and future financial performance; the International Seabed Authority’s (“ISA”) ability to timely adopt the Mining Code and/or willingness to review and/or approve a plan of work for exploitation under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS); the Company’s ability to obtain exploitation contracts or approved plans of work for exploitation for its areas in the Clarion Clipperton Zone; regulatory uncertainties and the impact of government regulation and political instability on the Company’s resource activities; changes to any of the laws, rules, regulations or policies to which the Company is subject, including the terms of the final Mining Code, if any, adopted by ISA and the potential timing thereof; the impact of extensive and costly environmental requirements on the Company’s operations; environmental liabilities; the impact of polymetallic nodule collection on biodiversity in the Clarion Clipperton Zone and recovery rates of impacted ecosystems; the Company’s ability to develop minerals in sufficient grade or quantities to justify commercial operations; the lack of development of seafloor polymetallic nodule deposit; the Company’s ability to successfully enter into binding agreements with Allseas Group S.A. and other parties in which it is in discussions, if any; uncertainty in the estimates for mineral resource calculations from certain contract areas and for the grade and quality of polymetallic nodule deposits; risks associated with natural hazards; uncertainty with respect to the specialized treatment and processing of polymetallic nodules that the Company may recover; risks associated with collective, development and processing operations, including with respect to the development of onshore processing capabilities and capacity and Allseas Group S.A.’s expected development efforts with respect to the Project Zero offshore system; the Company’s dependence on Allseas Group S.A.; fluctuations in transportation costs; fluctuations in metals prices; testing and manufacturing of equipment; risks associated with the Company’s limited operating history, limited cash resources and need for additional financing; risks associated with the Company’s intellectual property; Low Carbon Royalties’ limited operating history and other risks and uncertainties, including those under 1A “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 27, 2023, as updated and/or supplemented by the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on August 14, 2023, the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on November 9, 2023, this press release and in the Company’s other future filings with the SEC. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based except as required by law.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9bb43a47-8259-4360-aba7-1755738726c1https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b5fea0d7-efcc-44e2-9b43-6a6a164d6d48

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did TMC’s NORI find about the plume from its 2022 nodule-collection test?

NORI’s preliminary data and modeling indicate that the seafloor sediment plume forms a gravity-driven flow that follows the contours of the seafloor rather than rising into the water column. The collector operated at a depth of approximately 4 kilometers.

What did NORI observe one year after its pilot nodule-collection test?

Qualitative observations from a remotely operated vehicle found sessile organisms still present in parts of the NORI-D area influenced by the seafloor plume twelve months after the test. The organisms had been identified during NORI’s earlier environmental baseline studies.