but this still seems unlikely to me.

It is already underway and going live soon:

Below, our current progress report:

COMPLETED: Sponsorship Agreement COMPLETED: Exploration Contract COMPLETED: SK1300 NORI Technical Resource Statement; SK-1300 NORI-D Project Initial Assessment (PEA)(Excel tables) SUBMITTED: Collector Test Environmental and Social Impact Assessment APPROVED: Pilot Nodule Collector System Test COMPLETED: Pilot Nodule Collector System Test COMPLETED: Collector Test and Monitoring June 27, 2025: Exploitation contract application submission expected

https://metals.co/nori/