NORI | The Metals Company (TMC)

Backed by the Pacific island of Nauru, TMC runs three licence blocks in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone. In 2022 it became the first group in fifty years to lift a full haul of nodules — about 4,500 tons — using the refitted drill-ship Hidden Gem. If the UN regulator finishes its rulebook, TMC hopes to file the world’s first commercial mining plan.

Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR)

A Belgian offshoot of the marine-engineering giant DEME, GSR pilots the “Patania” crawler series. After an umbilical-cable failure in 2021, engineers upgraded to a Kevlar core and plan a new test run in 2026. GSR’s block lies right next to TMC’s, making this a front-row rivalry.

COMRA (China Ocean Mineral Resources)

China’s state program holds three nodule areas plus a sulphide licence, giving it the largest footprint under the International Seabed Authority. With government funding and in-house shipyards, COMRA is scaling a 7,500-ton pilot to show it can build the entire mining chain domestically.

Loke Marine Minerals

Norway’s newcomer bought two UK-sponsored blocks from Lockheed Martin in 2023. Leveraging Norway’s North-Sea oil know-how, Loke sketches a zero-emission support vessel that runs on green methanol. Field investment decisions are pencilled in for 2027.

TOML (Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd.)

A sister company to TMC, TOML holds a 75,000 km² licence west of NORI’s ground. By sharing the Hidden Gem hardware, Tonga hopes to slash costs and follow a step behind NORI once commercial rules land.

Together these five teams control the most advanced exploration blocks, the only full-depth prototype crawlers and the political backing needed to file the first mining applications — setting the pace for everyone else watching the deep-ocean frontier.