Deep-Sea Mining Robot Swarms Achieve Commercial Scale: Pacific Manganese Nodule Harvesting Begins

On December 14, Canadian deep-sea mining company The Metals Company (TMC) announced that its robot swarm completed its first commercial-scale manganese nodule collection in the Pacific Ocean's Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Thirty autonomous underwater mining robots operated cooperatively on the seafloor at 5,000 meters depth, extracting 3,000 tons of polymetallic nodules daily.

Each robot weighs approximately 12 tons and resembles a large remotely operated vehicle, equipped with flexible collection arms and vacuum suction devices at the bottom. The swarm uses a "hive" scheduling algorithm — a central AI on a mother ship coordinates path planning and task allocation, preventing duplicate collection and seabed disturbance.

"The seafloor polymetallic nodules contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, and other critical minerals for EV batteries. Compared to land-based mining, deep-sea mining involves no deforestation or population displacement," said TMC Chairman Gerard Barron.

Each ton of polymetallic nodules contains approximately: 29% manganese, 1.3% nickel, 1.1% cobalt, and 0.2% copper. At current prices, a single ton of ore is valued at approximately $400. TMC plans to increase daily output to 10,000 tons by 2028.

However, the environmental controversy surrounding deep-sea mining is unprecedented. Over 800 marine scientists signed an open letter warning that large-scale seafloor operations could destroy deep-sea ecosystems with recovery cycles measured in centuries. Greenpeace has deployed monitoring vessels in TMC's operating area.

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has not yet issued final mining regulations; TMC currently holds a trial mining permit. Environmental organizations are pressuring the ISA to delay the issuance of commercial mining permits.