Why is TMC Cosying Up to the U.S. Government?

The Metals Company (TMC) once marketed itself as a climate champion. A solution to the clean energy transition through deep-sea mining. But now, facing mounting financial pressure and stalled international negotiations, TMC has shifted its tune. Its new play? Cosying up to the U.S. government, reframing its business as a critical piece of American national security.

It’s a pivot that smacks of desperation, revealing a company that will adopt whatever narrative keeps it afloat.

Undermining Global Norms

TMC is now proposing bypassing the International Seabed Authority (ISA) altogether. In recent statements, the company has proposed applying to the U.S. as a regulator attempting to recklessly circumvent international customary law and sidestep global scrutiny.

The U.S. is not even a member of the ISA, having never ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the framework that governs international seabed mining.

Instead, it has issued its own conflicting deep sea mining licences, which so far have remained inactive.

 

Now that TMC have announced their intention to pursue mining through this route, it represents a direct challenge to international governance, potentially triggering diplomatic fallout. The message? If the rules don’t suit TMC, it’ll find someone else to make new ones.

A Chameleon Company

TMC’s history is a huge fan of strategic rebranding, shifting its justifications for mining in line with whatever sounds most convincing at the time:

• First it was all about cobalt for electric vehicle batteries.
• Then came nickel, after cobalt demand dropped.
• Suddenly it’s about supplying metals for steelmaking and U.S. military hardware.

TMC has also started promoting itself as a potential supplier of copper, a strange claim considering the low market value and the fact that copper isn’t even factored into their projected sales.

The company doesn’t seem to care whether the pitch makes sense, only that someone is buying it.

From Green Dreams to War Machines

In pivoting to the U.S. defence sector, TMC has fully abandoned the environmental messaging it once relied on. The company now talks about breaking China’s grip on critical minerals, fueling missile production, and building resilient American supply chains.

This isn’t just a change in branding – it’s a move that puts TMC squarely in the orbit of a fossil fuel-aligned, militarised agenda, distancing itself from the climate movement that once gave it cover.

At a time when deep-sea mining is already controversial, aligning with the U.S. defence establishment could provoke further public and investor backlash.

For a company that still hasn’t mined a single nodule, it’s a remarkable leap. One that speaks volumes about how shaky its prospects really are.

Desperation, Not Strategy

This latest narrative shift isn’t a bold strategy. It’s a company scrambling for lifelines. With regulations in limbo, a rising global movement for a moratorium, and serious financial instability (more on that in our next blog), TMC is pivoting wherever it sees even a glimmer of hope.

But staking the company’s future on geopolitical tension is a dangerous game. If TMC proceeds down this path, it risks isolating itself further, undermining any remaining credibility, and solidifying its role as a poster child for what’s wrong with deep-sea mining.

When the story changes this often, it’s worth asking: was there ever a higher purpose to begin with, or was it all just marketing?