By Prabindra Shakya (Newa) and Johnson Jament (Mukkuvar)
The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian firm at the forefront of deep-sea mining, has rapidly expanded its operations across the Pacific, targeting areas vital to Indigenous and other coastal communities in Asia and the Pacific. Although the TMC is not yet commercially mining the seabed, they are pushing to begin mining aggressively – applying for U.S. permits in 2025 and conducting pilot collections (such as 2,000 tons for Nauru).