- The District Court of Amsterdam has ordered Greenpeace International to immediately disembark from the research vessel commissioned by TMC subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) to conduct legally-mandated environmental impact assessments requested by the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority (ISA)
- Since November 23rd, Greenpeace’s unsafe and unlawful activities have hindered independent scientists in conducting environmental and scientific studies to assess ecosystem function and recovery one year on from NORI’s pilot nodule collection system test
- NORI commends Greenpeace’s prompt effort to comply with the court order and looks forward to collaborating to ensure the safety of all personnel at sea
NEW YORK - Nov. 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC The Metals Company Inc. (“TMC” or “The Metals Company”), an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, today announced that the District Court of Amsterdam in the Netherlands has issued a court order requiring Greenpeace International (“Greenpeace”) to disembark from the research vessel, MV Coco, with immediate effect. The vessel is currently undertaking environmental and scientific studies as part of its subsidiary Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI)’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment.
Since disruptions began on November 23, Greenpeace’s unsafe and unlawful activities have hindered independent scientists from leading marine research institutions around the world in conducting environmental and scientific studies to assess ecosystem function and recovery one year on from NORI’s integrated collector test. Upon notification of the court order, Greenpeace have promptly complied with the order and have disembarked the vessel.
TMC CEO & Chairman Gerard Barron commented: “We are pleased with today’s court opinion. We respect Greenpeace’s right to peaceful protest and expression of opinions. However, our foremost responsibility is to ensure the safe continuance of our legally-mandated operations, and the safety of all those involved. Greenpeace are free to protest from a safe distance and to assert their opinion, but theirs is not the only one that matters and we will continue to gather the important scientific data that all ISA members have requested for informed decision-making.”
The court-ordered penalties were issued to compel Greenpeace to comply with the order, and TMC and NORI retain their legal rights to pursue compensation for any financial losses incurred due to Greenpeace’s actions.
The exploration contract granted to The Metals Company’s (TMC) subsidiary NORI by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) legally requires NORI to conduct environmental and scientific research, studies which are contributing to society’s collective knowledge of the deep ocean. All of the ISA’s 168 Member States plus the European Union have stated that any decision must be based on evidence and data and they have called for more scientific research on the impacts of collecting polymetallic nodules from atop the seafloor.
TMC remains dedicated to collaboration and dialogue with all stakeholders, including environmental groups, as our CEO stated in a recent open letter to the ocean conservation community. NORI will continue its pioneering work to collect and openly share this important data with the world to enable informed decision-making.
About The Metals Company
The Metals Company is an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, on a dual mission: (1) supply metals for the global energy transition with the least possible negative impacts on planet and people and (2) trace, recover and recycle the metals we supply to help create a metals commons that can be used in perpetuity. The Company through its subsidiaries holds exploration and commercial rights to three polymetallic nodule contract areas in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean regulated by the International Seabed Authority and sponsored by the governments of Nauru, Kiribati and the Kingdom of Tonga.