In accordance with the applicable regulations , the Commission considered the applications in the order in which they had been received , as follows : ( a ) Government of the Republic of Korea ( submitted 21 May 2012 ) ; ( b ) Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer ( IFREMER ) ( submitted 23 May 2012 ) ; ( c ) UK Seabed Resources Ltd. ( submitted 23 May 2012 ) ;