2025 AusIMM Deep-Sea Mining Industry Forum

Advancing Mining Technology and Risk Management Perspectives

In May 2025, VI Group participated in a deep-sea mining industry thematic forum hosted by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM). The event brought together experts and scholars from Australia and the international mining community, representatives of mining companies, and technical service providers. Discussions focused on key topics including technological pathways for deep-sea mineral resource development, economic feasibility, environmental impacts, and risk management frameworks.One of the international case studies presented during the forum was The Metals Company Inc. (TMC), a deep-sea mining company listed on the NASDAQ in the United States. TMC specializes in the exploration and development of polymetallic nodules on the seabed, with a strategic focus on the extraction of nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese—critical metals that play an essential role in electric vehicles, battery technologies, and clean energy systems.

Over the past year, TMC’s market performance has attracted significant attention. In 2025, the company’s share price recorded a strong upward trend, with a cumulative increase exceeding 450%, reaching a 52-week high of approximately USD 8.16 at its peak. This performance reflects heightened capital market interest in the deep-sea mining theme, while also underscoring the inherent volatility and risk characteristics of this emerging sector.

The share price trajectory illustrates growing investor recognition of the potential value of deep-sea mineral resources, while simultaneously highlighting the complex challenges associated with technological readiness, regulatory and policy environments, and comprehensive risk management. Through its participation in the AusIMM deep-sea mining forum, VI Group gained in-depth insights into global industry developments and market expectations, enabling the firm to provide clients with more accurate, forward-looking support in resource investment and asset management strategies.

As an emerging and highly complex segment of the mining industry, deep-sea mining faces challenges that extend beyond engineering considerations, such as mining equipment, operational efficiency, and technological maturity. It also involves marine ecosystem protection, international regulatory and policy frameworks, project financing structures, and long-term investment risk assessment. VI Group believes that only through systematic evaluation of technical feasibility, environmental impact, and risk controllability can deep-sea mineral resource development progress in a compliant and responsible manner, ultimately contributing sustainable growth potential to the global mining industry.