Deep Sea Minerals gets NOAA compliance

Deep Sea Minerals’ (CSE: SEAS) application submitted under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) has been deemed compliant by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The determination, the Canadian deep-sea mining hopeful says, is a milestone in the US federal review process governing exploration and commercial recovery activities for polymetallic nodules in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The company, which submitted its licence application in March, is one of several that aim to explore the Pacific Ocean and extract critical minerals from polymetallic nodules found on the seafloor. These nodules are said to contain an abundance of critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, which are essential inputs for electrification, energy infrastructure, defense applications and advanced manufacturing technologies.

NOAA, which regulates mineral exploration and recovery by qualified US entities in international waters, recently pledged to speed up its review process, saying it would “provide the necessary resources for license and permit reviews to ensure that those reviews go forward without undue delays.”

The latest approval positions Deep Sea Minerals as one of only three publicly traded or public-market pathway companies to have received an NOAA “substantial compliance” determination under the DSHMRA framework. The company also recently applied to list on the Nasdaq exchange, a move that could diversify its investor base.

“This marks a significant step forward for Deep Sea Minerals and reinforces our commitment to advancing responsible, science-based development of critical mineral resources,” CEO James Deckelman said in a news release.

“We believe the United States is increasingly recognizing the strategic importance of secure and diversified critical mineral supply chains, and we are proud to be participating in that emerging framework,” he added.

NOAA’s determination of substantial compliance confirms that the company’s application contains the information required to advance through the federal review process, Deep Sea Minerals said.

Upon full application approval, the company’s seabed mineral concession spans approximately 150,000 km² within the Pacific across offshore exploration blocks defined by geographic coordinates under the DSHMRA.

The scale and strategic position of the concession area provide exposure to one of the larger US-aligned seabed mineral land positions within the emerging deep sea critical minerals sector, it added.