Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
You should carefully review and consider the information regarding certain factors that could materially affect our business, consolidated financial condition or results of operations set forth under Item 1A. Risk Factors in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. Other than noted below, there have been no material changes from or additions to the risk factors disclosed in those reports. We may disclose changes to risk factors or additional factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.
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We are reliant on third parties to conduct independent analyses with respect to our business, and any inaccuracies in such analyses could have a material adverse effect on our offshore collection and onshore processing and refining objectives.
We rely upon third-party consultants, engineers, analysts, scientists, and others to provide analyses, reviews, reports, advice, and opinions regarding our potential projects. For example, the NORI Area D Pre-Feasibility Study (“PFS”) and the Initial Assessment of the Remaining NORI and TOML Resource contain mineral resource and, in the case of the PFS, mineral reserve estimates and other technical and economic information with respect to our contract areas. While these studies have been prepared by qualified persons, they are inherently based on assumptions and interpretations that may change over time or prove inaccurate. There is a risk that such analyses, reviews, reports, advice, opinions, and projects are incorrect or become outdated over time or as our plans change, in particular with respect to resource and reserve estimation, process development, recommendations for products to be produced, capital and operating cost estimates, and forecasted revenue streams. Both the PFS and the Initial Assessment are subject to the risks and uncertainties that apply to early-stage technical studies, including that results may not be realized as currently presented. Uncertainties are also inherent in such estimations.
Mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates from the contract areas of NORI and TOML are only estimates.
Estimates of mineral resources and mineral reserves from the contract areas of NORI and TOML described in our SEC filings and reported in technical reports prepared by AMC depend on geological interpretation and statistical inferences or assumptions drawn from survey data and recovery and sampling analysis, which might prove to be materially inaccurate. While these reports have been provided by experts, there is a degree of uncertainty attributable to the estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves. Except for the Probable Mineral Reserves declared in the PFS for the Initial Mining Area of NORI Area D, mineral reserves have not been defined for our other contract areas and will require completion of further studies. The PFS is not a feasibility study and does not support a development decision, and the Initial Assessment is preliminary in nature, contains no reserves, and is not sufficient to determine the economic viability of a mining project. Until mineral resources and mineral reserves are actually collected and processed on a commercial scale, the quantity of metal and nodule abundance must be considered as estimates only, and no assurance can be given that the indicated levels of metals will be produced. The estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources is an iterative process and is, at times, partially dependent upon the judgment of the persons preparing the estimates. The process relies on the quantity and quality of available data and is based on knowledge, experience, statistical analysis of data and industry practices. Valid estimates made at a given time may significantly change when new information becomes available. Estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources may have to be recalculated based on changes in metal prices, further exploration or development activity, actual production experience, or changes in operating or regulatory conditions. This could materially and adversely affect estimates of the volume or grade of mineralization, estimated recovery rates, or other important factors that influence mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates. The extent to which mineral resources may ultimately be reclassified as mineral reserves is dependent upon the demonstration of their profitable recovery. Any material changes in volume and grades of mineralization will affect the economic viability of placing a property into production and a property’s return on capital. We cannot provide assurance that polymetallic nodules can be collected or processed profitably. The mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates in our SEC filings have been determined and valued based on assumed future metal prices, cut-off grades, production rates, and operating costs that may prove to be inaccurate. Extended declines in the market price for nickel, manganese, copper, and cobalt may render portions of our mineralization uneconomic and result in reduced reported volume and grades, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position, and results of operations. In addition, inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and their economic and legal feasibility. You should not assume that any part of an inferred mineral resource will be upgraded to a higher category or that any of the mineral resources will be reclassified as mineral reserves. As of the PFS, approximately 51 million tonnes of the measured and indicated mineral resource in the NORI Area D have been classified as Probable Mineral Reserves, with the balance of the resource remaining in the measured and indicated categories.
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ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
We did not repurchase any of our equity securities during the three months ended June 30, 2025.
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES.
Not applicable.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.
Not applicable.