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TMC the metals Co Inc. (TMC) advances dual U.S. deep-sea mining bids with NOAA

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TMC the metals company Inc. (TMC) reported that the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published in the Federal Register a consolidated application by its subsidiary, The Metals Company USA LLC, for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit for polymetallic nodules in the TMC USA-A area under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA).

The USA-A application covers approximately 65,000 km2 in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone with an estimated 619 million tonnes of wet nodules and potential exploration upside of an additional 200 million tonnes. NOAA previously determined the application was in full compliance on April 28, 2026, and publication starts the public comment process before further regulatory steps.

TMC USA is also advancing a separate USA-B exploration license application covering about 122,000 km2 with an estimated 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules. NOAA has issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for USA-B, and both applications remain subject to ongoing environmental review and final NOAA determinations.

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Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure Disclosure
Material non-public information disclosed under Regulation Fair Disclosure, often investor presentations or guidance.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, or exhibit attachments filed with this report.
USA-A area 65,000 km2 Approximate exploration and commercial recovery area covered by the USA-A consolidated application
USA-A resource estimate 619 million tonnes Estimated wet polymetallic nodules in the USA-A area
USA-A exploration upside 200 million tonnes Potential additional wet nodules identified as exploration upside for USA-A
USA-B area 122,000 km2 Approximate seafloor area covered by the USA-B exploration license application
USA-B resource estimate 1.02 billion tonnes Estimated polymetallic nodules in the USA-B application area
NOAA full compliance date April 28, 2026 Date NOAA determined the consolidated USA-A application was in full compliance
USA-B certification date May 26, 2026 Date NOAA certified the USA-B exploration license application
Notice of Intent for USA-B August 17, 2026 Date NOAA published its Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for USA-B
Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act regulatory
"under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (“DSHMRA”) and its implementing regulations"
A "Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act" is a law that creates the rules and permits for finding, testing and mining metal-rich deposits on the ocean floor beyond coastal waters. It sets who can get rights, what environmental safeguards and fees apply, and how disputes or liabilities are resolved. Investors care because the law determines whether a project can proceed, how costly and risky it will be, and how returns and legal exposure are shared—much like a property title and zoning rules decide the value and cost of building on land.
Environmental Impact Statement regulatory
"providing a draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment"
An environmental impact statement is a formal report that evaluates the likely effects a proposed project or plan will have on air, water, land, wildlife and local communities; it lays out potential harms, proposed mitigation measures, and alternatives. Think of it as a project’s environmental report card and repair plan: regulators use it to decide permits, and investors use it to assess delays, extra costs, legal risks and reputation exposure tied to environmentally sensitive issues.
polymetallic nodules technical
"commercial recovery permit for polymetallic nodules in the TMC USA-A area"
Rock-like mineral concretions that form on the deep ocean floor and concentrate metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and copper—think of them as metal-packed potatoes scattered across the seabed. They matter to investors because they are a potential new source of critical metals used in batteries and industry; commercial recovery can shift metal supply, influence prices and company valuations, and carries significant technical, regulatory and environmental risk.
Clarion-Clipperton Zone technical
"in international waters of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (“CCZ”) in the Pacific Ocean"
A vast stretch of deep ocean floor in the central Pacific, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone contains large deposits of polymetallic nodules—pebbles rich in metals like manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper—scattered across the seabed. Investors care because these nodules could become an alternative source of critical battery and industrial metals, but any development carries technological, environmental and regulatory risks that can affect supply, costs and company valuations, much like opening a new mining district on land.
benthic plumes technical
"further research into benthic plumes through its Benthic Impact Experiments program"
A benthic plume is a cloud of sediment and particles stirred up near the seafloor when activities like dredging, seabed mining, pipeline laying, or natural disturbances disturb bottom material; think of it as the dust cloud that rises when you sweep a floor, but underwater and close to the bottom. For investors it matters because such plumes can trigger environmental damage, regulatory scrutiny, cleanup costs, project delays, and reputational risk that can affect a company’s permits, timelines and financial outlook.
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement regulatory
"publishing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement covering the CCZ in 1981"
A programmatic environmental impact statement is a broad, long-range environmental review that evaluates the likely effects of an overall policy, plan or set of projects instead of a single construction site or permit. Think of it as a master map that identifies cumulative risks, mitigation needs and regulatory steps across many related activities. For investors it matters because it clarifies potential costs, delays and legal or permitting risks across an entire program, improving predictability for financing and timelines.

FAQ

What did TMC (TMC) announce regarding NOAA and its USA-A application?
TMC announced that NOAA published in the Federal Register a consolidated application by its subsidiary TMC USA for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit for polymetallic nodules in the TMC USA-A area, triggering public notice and advancing the U.S. permitting process under DSHMRA.

How large is the TMC USA-A area and what resources does TMC (TMC) estimate?
The TMC USA-A application covers ~65,000 km2 with an estimated 619 million tonnes of wet polymetallic nodules and potential exploration upside of an additional 200 million tonnes, based on extensive environmental baseline studies and technical data assembled by TMC over more than a decade.

What are the next regulatory steps for TMC (TMC) after NOAA’s publication of USA-A?
After publication, NOAA’s review continues with steps including certifying the application, conducting the required environmental review and issuing a draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment, followed by a final decision on whether to issue the exploration license and commercial recovery permit and related conditions.

What is TMC (TMC) pursuing with its separate USA-B application?
TMC USA is also pursuing an exploration license for the USA-B area, covering about 122,000 km2 and an estimated 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules. NOAA has certified this application and issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for USA-B.

When did NOAA determine TMC (TMC) USA-A’s application was in full compliance?
NOAA determined the consolidated USA-A application was in full compliance on April 28, 2026. The subsequent publication in the Federal Register on August 19, 2026, provides public notice and is viewed by NOAA as a prerequisite to certification under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act framework.

How does TMC (TMC) describe the significance of NOAA’s consolidated application process?
TMC notes that NOAA’s updated regulatory framework allows applicants with sufficient data to submit a single consolidated application covering both exploration and commercial recovery, which the company believes supports a more efficient permitting timeline compared with separate sequential applications under older procedures.

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT 

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of the 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 19, 2026

 

 

TMC THE METALS COMPANY INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

British Columbia, Canada 001-39281 Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation)		 (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer
Identification No.)

 

1111 West Hastings Street, 15th Floor
Vancouver, British Columbia
(Address of principal executive
offices)		   V6E 2J3
(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (888) 458-3420

 

Not applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)  

Name of each exchange on
which registered

TMC Common Shares without par value   TMC   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Redeemable warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one TMC Common Share, each at an exercise price of $11.50 per share   TMCWW   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

 

On August 19, 2026, TMC the metals company Inc. (the "Company") issued a press release announcing that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published in the Federal Register the consolidated application submitted by the Company's subsidiary, The Metals Company USA LLC, under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act and its implementing regulations, for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit for polymetallic nodules in the TMC USA-A area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, in international waters of the Pacific Ocean. The press release is furnished with this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated into this Item 7.01 by reference.

 

The information in this Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1) shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. Except for historical information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1), this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1) contains forward-looking statements which involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Please refer to the cautionary note in the press release furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K regarding these forward-looking statements.

 

  Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits.  

 

Exhibit No. Description
99.1 Press Release dated August 19, 2026
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  TMC THE METALS COMPANY INC.
     
Date: August 19, 2026 By: /s/ Craig Shesky
  Name: Craig Shesky
  Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

NOAA Publishes TMC USA’s Consolidated Application for an Exploration License and Commercial Recovery Permit for TMC USA-A in the Federal Register

 

·Publication provides public notice of TMC USA’s consolidated exploration and commercial recovery application for TMC USA-A
·Submitted earlier this year, the consolidated application covers areas previously applied for in April 2025 and increases the proposed commercial recovery area from ~25,000 to ~65,000 km2, with an estimated resource of 619 million tonnes (“Mt”) of wet nodules and potential exploration upside of an additional 200 Mt
·NOAA’s updated regulatory framework allows applicants with sufficient exploration data and expertise to submit a consolidated application for both an exploration license and commercial recovery permit, supporting a more efficient permitting timeline

 

NEW YORK, August 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC the metals company Inc. (Nasdaq: TMC) (“TMC”, “The Metals Company” or the “Company”), a leading developer of the world’s largest resource of critical metals essential to energy, defense, manufacturing and infrastructure, today announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) published in the Federal Register the consolidated application submitted by the Company’s subsidiary, The Metals Company USA LLC (“TMC USA”), for an exploration license and commercial recovery permit for TMC USA-A under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (“DSHMRA”) and its implementing regulations.

 

Publication of the consolidated application in the Federal Register follows the determination of full compliance by NOAA on April 28, 2026, and provides public notice of TMC USA’s submission. NOAA’s review will continue under DSHMRA and its implementing regulations and is now expected to proceed through remaining steps, including:

 

·Certifying the application
·Conducting the required environmental review and providing a draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment
·Making a final determination on whether to issue the exploration license and commercial recovery permit and associated Terms, Conditions, and Restrictions

 

Gerard Barron, Chairman and CEO of The Metals Company, said: “Publication of our consolidated application in the Federal Register is an important milestone on the permitting path under DSHMRA as it starts the clock on the public comment period that NOAA views as a prerequisite to certification. Every step toward a final regulatory decision brings us closer to potential commercial production and to a future in which the United States has greater mineral sovereignty in several critical minerals. Our confidence in the permitting process remains high and we continue to advance our first project toward commercial production in parallel with NOAA’s permitting process.”

 

 

 

 

Earlier this year, TMC USA submitted a consolidated application for an exploration license and a commercial recovery permit for polymetallic nodules in the TMC USA-A area in international waters of the Clarion Clipperton Zone (“CCZ”) in the Pacific Ocean. The application was filed under NOAA’s new consolidated application and review process and represents the first submission of its kind. It covers a ~65,000 km2 exploration and commercial recovery area, with an estimated resource of 619 Mt of wet nodules and potential exploration upside of an additional 200 Mt.

 

TMC USA’s application draws on one of the most comprehensive datasets ever assembled on polymetallic nodules and their surrounding ecosystems, informed by more than a decade of environmental baseline studies, scientific research and offshore engineering.

 

In addition to the USA-A consolidated application, TMC USA is also advancing an application for an exploration license over the USA-B area. On August 17, NOAA published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the USA-B application in the Federal Register, following its earlier certification of the application on May 26, 2026. The USA-B application area covers ~122,000 km2 of seafloor containing an estimated 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules with high grades of nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, and several rare earth elements.

 

NOAA has played a central role in advancing scientific understanding of deep seabed mining impacts since the 1970s, including conducting environmental research cruises in the CCZ, monitoring early nodule collection trials, and publishing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement covering the CCZ in 1981. In the 1980s and 1990s, NOAA conducted further research into benthic plumes through its Benthic Impact Experiments program where the agency used a custom-built machine to simulate and study seafloor disturbance. The agency issued comprehensive DSHMRA implementing regulations in 1981 (for exploration licenses) and 1989 (for commercial recovery permits) and has maintained an active licensing program since that time, with multiple exploration licenses renewed on a five-year basis.

 

About The Metals Company
The Metals Company is a developer of lower-impact critical metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, on a dual mission: (1) supply metals for energy, defense, manufacturing and infrastructure with net positive impacts compared to conventional production routes and (2) trace, recover and recycle the metals we supply to help create a metal commons that can be used in perpetuity. The Company has conducted more than a decade of research into the environmental and social impacts of offshore nodule collection and onshore processing. More information is available at www.metals.co.

 

 

 

 

Contacts
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 anticipates, believes, could, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, possible, potential, should, will, would 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, statements with respect to: the Company's strategy to pursue exploration and commercial recovery of seafloor polymetallic nodules under the U.S. regulatory regime; the remaining steps in NOAA's review of the consolidated TMC USA-A application, including certification, the required environmental review and a draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment, and a final determination on whether to issue the exploration license and commercial recovery permit and associated Terms, Conditions and Restrictions; the anticipated environmental review and draft Environmental Impact Statement for the USA-B exploration license application and NOAA's determination on whether to issue that license; the anticipated timing and sequencing of the public comment period, including the expectation that it is a prerequisite to certification; the expectation that NOAA's consolidated process supports a more efficient permitting timeline; the estimated resource potential of TMC USA-A, including 619 million tonnes of wet nodules and potential exploration upside of an additional 200 million tonnes; and of USA-B, including 1.02 billion tonnes of polymetallic nodules, nodule grades and the presence of rare earth elements; the increase in the proposed commercial recovery area to approximately 65,000 square kilometers; the Company's confidence in the permitting process and its expectation of moving closer to potential commercial production; the advancement of its first project in parallel with NOAA's permitting process; and expectations regarding greater U.S. mineral sovereignty. The Company may not achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on them. Actual results or events could differ materially as a result of various factors, including, among other things, NOAA's determinations during its review of the USA-A and USA-B applications, including the scope of any exploration license or commercial recovery permit ultimately granted; the outcome and timing of NOAA's review under DSHMRA, including whether and when certification occurs; the untested nature of NOAA's consolidated process, under which this is the first application, and the risk that it does not prove more efficient than anticipated; the scope, timing and outcome of the environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, including the nature and volume of public comments and any resulting changes to the proposed action; the absence of any mandatory statutory deadline under DSHMRA for completion of NOAA's review; the risk that the Terms, Conditions and Restrictions imposed are more restrictive than anticipated or render the proposed activities commercially unviable; legal challenges in U.S. courts by third parties aggrieved by NOAA's actions, and the risk that TMC USA's priority rights are terminated or successfully challenged; continued policy support from the U.S. executive branch, NOAA and the Department of Commerce, and shifts in U.S. political priorities, legal interpretations or agency leadership; opposition to deep-seabed mining from governments, non-governmental organizations and other third parties; the ability to obtain permits from the U.S. government; changes in environmental, mining and other applicable laws and regulations; the accuracy of resource estimates, including that the 200 million tonnes of exploration upside is not supported by resource definition work; the Company's ability to advance its first project on the anticipated timeline, including developing, commissioning and operating offshore collection and onshore processing capability; risks related to strategic partnerships and technology sharing; the Company's need for additional capital and the availability of such capital on acceptable terms; the outcome of any pending or future litigation; and other risks and uncertainties described in greater detail in the section entitled Risk Factors in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2026, in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2026 and June 30, 2026, filed on May 14, 2026 and August 13, 2026, respectively, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether because of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

 

 

 

Source: View Original Filing on SEC EDGAR

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