Deep Ocean Mission(DOM)

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10-May-2023: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh chairs the first Steering Committee Meeting of Deep Ocean Mission

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said here today that in the years to come, "Blue Economy" will be major contributor to India's overall economy and the Deep Ocean Mission announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the core component of it.

The Minister was chairing the first-ever high-level Steering Committee Meeting of Deep Ocean Mission today at Prithvi Bhawan, New Delhi. The Committee consists of Union Ministers of State of Environment, External Affairs, Defence and Finance in addition to Vice Chairman NITI Aayog.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Deep Ocean Mission is part of Government of India’s Blue Economy initiative. The mission, said the Minister, heralds India’s ushering into an era of “Blue Economy” which is going to play a major part in building India’s overall economy during the years to come.

The Deep Ocean Mission is a high-level multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme for better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean and will aid in India’s efforts to attain the Blue Economy status.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State, Ministry of Defense, Suman K Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Dr M Ravichandran , Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences and other senior officers of various ministries attended the meeting.

The Mission Steering Committee (MSC) is the highest Policy making body constituted under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). The MSC will provide broad policy direction to the mission and exercise the main programme and governance for the deep ocean sector and advise the other committee in policy and implementation strategies. The MSC chaired by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today reviewed the progress of DOM of various components.

Dr Jitendra Singh further said that the technologies developed under the mission would help in exploration of the oceans and possible harnessing of non-living resources like energy, fresh water and strategic minerals. The design and development of subsystems of the manned submersible to carry three humans has been completed and integration is in progress.

The Minister further mentioned that the design of the mining machine is ready and a demonstration trial of mining crawler on sea bed has been completed in stage 1. It is planned to undertake pumping of nodules to the mother ship during 2026 for which testing of various components is in progress.

Talking about ocean resources, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the exploration of strategic minerals like cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese are expected to pave the way for future commercial exploitation of these resources. 11 Potential sites for hydrogen sulphides have been mapped and detailed surveys in this area are planned during end of 2024 using Remotely Operated Vehicle. A dedicated multi-purpose survey vessel is being acquired, he said.

In the meeting, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that the mission aims to boost the central government’s vision of ‘New India’ that highlights the blue economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.

Union Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan said that it is essential that the Mission involves all stakeholders and takes everyone into confidence especially the communities residing in the coastal regions of the country.

Union Minister of State, Ministry of Defense, Shri Ajay Bhatt appreciated the Ministry of Earth Sciences for progress it has achieved in making the Deep Ocean Mission a reality and ensured all the support from the Ministry of Defense and the Indian Coast Guard.

Shri Suman K Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog said that there is a lot of potential in the Deep Ocean Mission.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India complimented the team behind the mission for the progress achieved and said that in one year the project has really fructified.

Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr M Ravichandran thanked the various ministries for working together to realise the goals of Deep Ocean Mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission was sanctioned in September 2021. The estimated cost of the Mission is Rs. 4047 Cr for 5 years with two phases: Phase I – Rs. 2823.40 Cr. – three years, Phase-II – Rs. 1223.60 Cr. – after successful review of Phase -I. The Deep Ocean Mission consists of 6 themes: 1)Development of Technology for deep sea mining, manned submersible and underwater robotics, 2) Development of Ocean and climate change Advisory services, 3) Technology innovations for exploration and conservation of deep sea biodiversity, 4) Deep Ocean survey and exploration, 5) Energy and Freshwater from the Ocean, 6) Advanced marine station for Ocean Biology.

23-Mar-2023: Deep Ocean Mission is intended for the better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean thereby aiding efforts on Blue Economy

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Deep Ocean Mission is intended for the better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean thereby aiding efforts on Blue Economy.

The Deep Ocean Mission is a multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme with emphasis on development of deep-sea technology that includes development of Manned Submersible rated for 6000 metre water depth along with technologies for deep sea mining, exploration of deep-sea minerals resources and marine biodiversity, development of ocean climate change advisory services, deep sea surveys and exploration, and capacity building in Marine Biology.

The design and development of sub-systems of Manned Submersible to carry 3 humans has been completed and integration is in progress. The design of mining machine is ready and demonstration trial is planned during 2024-26. The activities like exploration of Marine biodiversity, development of ocean climate change advisory services, and acquisition of multidisciplinary research vessel for deep sea surveys is in progress.

The technologies developed under the Mission would help in exploration of the oceans and possible harnessing of non-living resources like energy, fresh water, and strategic minerals. The advisories to be developed under Vertical 2 of the Mission about Sea level, intensity and frequency of the storms etc. would be useful for the societal and economic benefits of the Indian coastal regions. Exploration for the strategic minerals like Cobalt, Nickel, Copper and Manganese are expected to pave way for the future commercial exploitation of these resources. Studies on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion are intended for the offshore generation of energy and fresh water.

16-Mar-2023: Deep Ocean Mission and Over-Exploitation of Marine Resources

Deep Ocean Mission would not result in any over exploitation of the marine resources by the corporate houses and will not affect the life and livelihoods of fishers in the country. The Deep Ocean Mission aims to explore deep-oceanic resources and develop technologies for their sustainable use. The outcome of the program is intended to identify potential new resources and develop technology for harnessing them in future, which may generate additional opportunity for livelihoods. The Deep Ocean Mission was formulated after having detailed discussions with central and state government stakeholders.

Consultations were held with Experts in central and state government while formulating the Mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission is related to the Blue Economy. The activities of Deep Ocean Mission will help the components of blue economy such as fisheries, tourism and maritime transport, renewable energy, aquaculture, seabed extractive activities and marine biotechnology.

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10-May-2023: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh chairs the first Steering Committee Meeting of Deep Ocean Mission

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said here today that in the years to come, "Blue Economy" will be major contributor to India's overall economy and the Deep Ocean Mission announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the core component of it.

The Minister was chairing the first-ever high-level Steering Committee Meeting of Deep Ocean Mission today at Prithvi Bhawan, New Delhi. The Committee consists of Union Ministers of State of Environment, External Affairs, Defence and Finance in addition to Vice Chairman NITI Aayog.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Deep Ocean Mission is part of Government of India’s Blue Economy initiative. The mission, said the Minister, heralds India’s ushering into an era of “Blue Economy” which is going to play a major part in building India’s overall economy during the years to come.

The Deep Ocean Mission is a high-level multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme for better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean and will aid in India’s efforts to attain the Blue Economy status.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance, V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, Ajay Bhatt, Minister of State, Ministry of Defense, Suman K Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Dr M Ravichandran , Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences and other senior officers of various ministries attended the meeting.

The Mission Steering Committee (MSC) is the highest Policy making body constituted under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). The MSC will provide broad policy direction to the mission and exercise the main programme and governance for the deep ocean sector and advise the other committee in policy and implementation strategies. The MSC chaired by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today reviewed the progress of DOM of various components.

Dr Jitendra Singh further said that the technologies developed under the mission would help in exploration of the oceans and possible harnessing of non-living resources like energy, fresh water and strategic minerals. The design and development of subsystems of the manned submersible to carry three humans has been completed and integration is in progress.

The Minister further mentioned that the design of the mining machine is ready and a demonstration trial of mining crawler on sea bed has been completed in stage 1. It is planned to undertake pumping of nodules to the mother ship during 2026 for which testing of various components is in progress.

Talking about ocean resources, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the exploration of strategic minerals like cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese are expected to pave the way for future commercial exploitation of these resources. 11 Potential sites for hydrogen sulphides have been mapped and detailed surveys in this area are planned during end of 2024 using Remotely Operated Vehicle. A dedicated multi-purpose survey vessel is being acquired, he said.

In the meeting, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that the mission aims to boost the central government’s vision of ‘New India’ that highlights the blue economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.

Union Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan said that it is essential that the Mission involves all stakeholders and takes everyone into confidence especially the communities residing in the coastal regions of the country.

Union Minister of State, Ministry of Defense, Shri Ajay Bhatt appreciated the Ministry of Earth Sciences for progress it has achieved in making the Deep Ocean Mission a reality and ensured all the support from the Ministry of Defense and the Indian Coast Guard.

Shri Suman K Bery, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog said that there is a lot of potential in the Deep Ocean Mission.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India complimented the team behind the mission for the progress achieved and said that in one year the project has really fructified.

Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr M Ravichandran thanked the various ministries for working together to realise the goals of Deep Ocean Mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission was sanctioned in September 2021. The estimated cost of the Mission is Rs. 4047 Cr for 5 years with two phases: Phase I – Rs. 2823.40 Cr. – three years, Phase-II – Rs. 1223.60 Cr. – after successful review of Phase -I. The Deep Ocean Mission consists of 6 themes: 1)Development of Technology for deep sea mining, manned submersible and underwater robotics, 2) Development of Ocean and climate change Advisory services, 3) Technology innovations for exploration and conservation of deep sea biodiversity, 4) Deep Ocean survey and exploration, 5) Energy and Freshwater from the Ocean, 6) Advanced marine station for Ocean Biology.

23-Mar-2023: Deep Ocean Mission is intended for the better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean thereby aiding efforts on Blue Economy

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Deep Ocean Mission is intended for the better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean thereby aiding efforts on Blue Economy.

The Deep Ocean Mission is a multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme with emphasis on development of deep-sea technology that includes development of Manned Submersible rated for 6000 metre water depth along with technologies for deep sea mining, exploration of deep-sea minerals resources and marine biodiversity, development of ocean climate change advisory services, deep sea surveys and exploration, and capacity building in Marine Biology.

The design and development of sub-systems of Manned Submersible to carry 3 humans has been completed and integration is in progress. The design of mining machine is ready and demonstration trial is planned during 2024-26. The activities like exploration of Marine biodiversity, development of ocean climate change advisory services, and acquisition of multidisciplinary research vessel for deep sea surveys is in progress.

The technologies developed under the Mission would help in exploration of the oceans and possible harnessing of non-living resources like energy, fresh water, and strategic minerals. The advisories to be developed under Vertical 2 of the Mission about Sea level, intensity and frequency of the storms etc. would be useful for the societal and economic benefits of the Indian coastal regions. Exploration for the strategic minerals like Cobalt, Nickel, Copper and Manganese are expected to pave way for the future commercial exploitation of these resources. Studies on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion are intended for the offshore generation of energy and fresh water.

16-Mar-2023: Deep Ocean Mission and Over-Exploitation of Marine Resources

Deep Ocean Mission would not result in any over exploitation of the marine resources by the corporate houses and will not affect the life and livelihoods of fishers in the country. The Deep Ocean Mission aims to explore deep-oceanic resources and develop technologies for their sustainable use. The outcome of the program is intended to identify potential new resources and develop technology for harnessing them in future, which may generate additional opportunity for livelihoods. The Deep Ocean Mission was formulated after having detailed discussions with central and state government stakeholders.

Consultations were held with Experts in central and state government while formulating the Mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission is related to the Blue Economy. The activities of Deep Ocean Mission will help the components of blue economy such as fisheries, tourism and maritime transport, renewable energy, aquaculture, seabed extractive activities and marine biotechnology.

2022

3-Aug-2022: Deep Sea Biodiversity

The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous Institute under Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is establishing an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion plant with a capacity of 65kW in Kavaratti Lakshadweep and work has just commenced. This plant will power the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) based desalination plant for conversion of Sea water into Potable water. The capacity of this LTTD plant is 1 lakh litre of potable water per day.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has launched the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). The details of deep sea mining, underwater robotics, development of ocean climate change advisory services and technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity under DOM in the next few years:

  • Design, and development of prototype manned Submersible rated for 6000 metre water depth, which includes technologies for underwater vehicle and underwater robotics
  • Design and Development of technologies for mining of deep sea resources like Polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean at a water depth of 5500 m.
  • Inventorization, archival of specimens and development of DNA bank of deep-sea fauna of Northern Indian Ocean through systematic sampling using Remotely Operated Vehicle.
  • Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services for climate risk assessment due to sea level rise, cyclone intensity and frequency, storm surges and wind waves, biogeochemistry, and changing harmful algal blooms in the coastal waters of India.

7-Apr-2022: Exploration of deep sea to determine origin of life on Earth

Under the recently launched Deep Ocean Mission, one of the objectives is focussed on studies on deep sea vent conditions and formation of life-friendly molecules and organismal components, which will attempt to throw some light on how life originated on Earth.

Rs. 58.77 crore is allocated for a period of 5 years for Deep sea biofouling and origin of life studies.

The Deep Ocean Mission has been approved initially for 5 years. MoES will coordinate this study in collaboration with relevant national and international organisations.

16-Mar-2022: Tide Gauge Network

Recently the Cabinet has approved a mission mode programme “Deep Ocean Mission” to be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India. One of the objectives of this Mission, among other things, is to provide projections of sea level rise along the coast of India under the various climate change scenarios. As an outcome of this project, a suite of interactive GIS maps identifying vulnerable areas and possible inundation scenarios will be prepared.

INCOIS, an autonomous institute of MoES has acquired the baseline Airborne Lidar Terrain Mapping (ALTM) elevation data from National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), under ISRO for the Tsunami Inundation modelling and vulnerability mapping. This data is available for the main land Indian coast up to two kilometres from the coast and would be used for predicting the sea-level rise.

As part of Indian Tsunami Early Warning System, INCOIS has established a real-time network of 36 tide gauges at different locations along the Indian coast to monitor the tsunami waves and provide timely advisories. It has established 4 tide gauges in Andhra Pradesh at below locations. 

S.No.

Station Name

Latitude (°N)

Longitude (°E)

1

Visakhapatnam

17.683

83.283

2

Kakinada

16.933

82.25

3

Machilipatnam

16.145

81.178

4

Krishnapatnam

14.25

80.133

16-Mar-2022: Launching of Deep Ocean Mission

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has launched the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM). Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is one of the collaborators of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for implementation of Deep Ocean Mission.

National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is developing a manned submersible with a capacity to carry three human beings to 6000 m ocean depth. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO is involved in developing a titanium alloy human sphere of 2.1 m diameter for the manned submersible.

The overall estimated cost of the Deep Ocean Mission is Rs. 4077 crores for a period of five years (2021 to 2026).

10-Feb-2022: Deep Ocean Mission

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is one of the collaborators of the Ministry of Earth Sciences for implementation of Deep Ocean Mission (DOM).

National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is developing a manned submersible with a capacity to carry three human beings to 6000 m ocean depth. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO is involved in developing a titanium alloy human sphere of 2.1 m diameter for the manned submersible.

The overall estimated cost of the Deep Ocean Mission is Rs.4077 crores for a period of five years (2021 to 2026). Rs. 150 crores and Rs. 650 crores are allocated during 2021-22 and 2022-23. This being purely research and technology development activities, direct revenue generation is not relevant for this mission.

The objectives of the mission are as follows:

  • To develop technologies for mining of deep sea resources like Polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean at a water depth of 5500 m.
  • Design, and develop one working prototype and one final manned Submersible rated for 6000metre water depth along with technologies for underwater vehicle and underwater robotics
  • To provide the future projections or predictions on the trends in sea level along the Indian coast, cyclone intensity and frequency, storm surges, wind waves, biogeochemistry and ecosystem that affect the fishery, at seasonal to decadal time scales for the north Indian Ocean under the climate change scenario. To install deep ocean observations (below 2 km depth) over the Indian Ocean.
  • Inventorization, archival of specimens and development of DNA bank of deep-sea fauna of Northern Indian Ocean through systematic sampling using Remotely Operated Vehicle.
  • Development of technology for isolation of deep-sea piezo tolerant and piezophilic microbes, symbionts and screening for novel biomolecules using culture-based and meta genomic approaches.
  • Exploration of formation of life friendly molecules and organismal components in deep sea.
  • To explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.
  • To acquire new all-weather multidisciplinary research vessel for Indian Ocean operations.
  • Detailed engineering design document for high capacity offshore OTEC powered desalination plant
  • Performance assessment of critical components such as deep-sea cold-water conduit and mooring system by demonstration of scaled down components in deep sea.
  • Integrating the ongoing advanced basic and applied research in marine biology, marine ecology and related marine engineering through the establishment of an advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology.
  • Translate research in marine biology and engineering into industrial application and product development through establishment of on-site business incubator facilities.
  • Capacity building with French Institutes. Excellent Indian candidates, stringently selected at a national level, will be deputed to the French institutes to be trained in all areas of marine biosciences.
  • National and International collaboration in education, research and excellence in the field of marine science and ocean science and Ocean Technology.

9-Feb-2022: Deep Ocean Mission

Deep Ocean Mission would not result in any over exploitation of the marine resources by the corporate houses and will not affect the life and livelihoods of fishers in the country. The Deep Ocean Mission aims to explore deep-oceanic resources and develop technologies for their sustainable use. The outcome of the program is intended to identify potential new resources and develop technology for harnessing them in future, which may generate additional opportunity for livelihoods.

The Deep Ocean Mission is related to the Blue Economy. The activities of Deep Ocean Mission will help the components of blue economy such as fisheries, tourism and maritime transport, renewable energy, aquaculture, seabed extractive activities and marine biotechnology.

21-Jan-2022: Ministry of Earth Sciences and Indian Navy will soon sign a MoU for knowledge sharing in the areas of design and development of underwater vehicle: Dr Jitendra Singh

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R. Hari Kumar called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and discussed the modalities to deepen cooperation in "Deep Ocean Mission" which is to be the torchbearer of India's "Blue Economy".

The Minister said, "Deep Ocean Mission" is designed to explore India’s deep ocean for resources and develop deep-sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources. It will have an important bearing on India's future economy, he added.

Pertinent to mention that the Indian Navy is a member of Deep Ocean Council and it will be involved in launching and recovery of Man submersible in deep water, which will be developed under the Deep Ocean Mission. The Ministry of Earth Sciences and Indian Navy are to soon sign a MoU for knowledge sharing in the areas of design and development of underwater vehicles.

Dr Jitendra Singh recalled that during his Independence Day address from Red Fort last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that "Deep Ocean" Mission will take India's development to new heights in the 21st century. The Deep Ocean Mission is a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy initiatives of the Government of India.

Dr Jitendra Singh informed that the preliminary design of the manned submersible MATSYA 6000 is completed and realisation of vehicle is started with various organization including ISRO, IITM and DRDO roped-in to support the development. He said, it is designed to carry 3 people to a depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with suit of scientific sensors and tools.

Dr Jitendra Singh launched India’s First Manned Ocean Mission Samudrayaan at Chennai in October, last year and thus joined the elite club of nations such as USA, Russia, Japan, France and China to have such underwater vehicles for carrying out subsea activities. The Minister informed that this niche technology shall facilitate Ministry of Earth Sciences, MoES in carrying out deep ocean exploration of the non-living resources such as polymetallic manganese nodules, gas hydrates, hydro-thermal Sulphides and cobalt crusts, located at a depth between 1000 and 5500 metres.

The Modi Government had approved the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) in June, 2021 to be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total budget of Rs. 4077 Crore for 5 years. DOM is a multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme with emphasis on development of deep-sea technology that includes development of manned Submersible rated for 6000 metre water depth along with technologies for deep sea mining, exploration of deep-sea mineral resources and marine biodiversity, acquisition of a research vessel for ocean exploration, deep sea observations, and capacity building in Marine Biology.

2021

10-Aug-2021: Deep Ocean Mission to be implemented by Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total budget of Rs. 4077 Cr for 5 years

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that Government has approved Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) to be implemented by Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total budget of Rs. 4077 Cr for 5 years during the period 2021-2026. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, he said, even private institutions will be included for development of technologies for this mission to explore the possibilities of mining, bio-diversity, energy, fresh water etc. in deep ocean and to support the 'blue economy'.

Ministry of Earth Sciences through contractual agreements with the International Seabed Authority (ISA), is carrying out exploration activities for Poly-metallic Nodules (PMN) in the Central Indian Ocean Basin and for Poly-metallic Sulphides (PMS) in parts of Central and South-West Indian ridges.

Preliminary estimates indicate 380 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT) of Polymetallic Nodules comprising Copper, Nickel, Cobalt and Manganese are available within an allocated area of 75000 sq. km for exploration of PMN in Central Indian Ocean Basin. The estimated value of these metals is about 110 billion US$. The polymetallic sulphides are expected to contain rare earth minerals including gold and silver.

The United States of America, France, Japan, Russia and China are the major countries to have similar technologies.

3-Aug-2021: Deep Ocean Mission will be implemented by Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total budget of Rs. 4077 Crore for 5 years

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that the Government has approved Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) to be implemented by Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total budget of Rs. 4077 Cr for 5 years.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today, The Minister said, the  Deep Ocean Mission is a multi-ministerial, multi-disciplinary programme with emphasis on development of deep-sea technology that includes development of manned Submersible rated for 6000 metre water depth along with technologies for deep sea mining, exploration of deep-sea mineral resources and marine biodiversity, acquisition of a research vessel for ocean exploration, deep sea observations, and capacity building in Marine Biology.

It is planned to develop a manned submersible to carry 3 people to a depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with suit of scientific sensors and tools. All the components of the mission will commence in 2021.

16-Jun-2021: Cabinet approves Deep Ocean Mission

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on "Deep Ocean Mission", with a view to explore deep ocean for resources and develop deep sea technologies for sustainable use of ocean resources.

The estimated cost of the Mission will be Rs. 4077 crore for a period of 5 years to be implemented in a phase-wise manner. The estimated cost for the first phase for the 3 years (2021-2024) would be Rs.2823.4 crore. Deep Ocean Mission with be a mission mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India. Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional ambitious mission.

The Deep Ocean Mission consists of the following six major components:

  1. Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible: A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people to a depth of 6000 metres in the ocean with suite of scientific sensors and tools. Only a very few countries have acquired this capability. An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean. The exploration studies of minerals will pave way for the commercial exploitation in the near future, as and when commercial exploitation code is evolved by the International Seabed Authority, an UN organization. This component will help the Blue Economy priority area of exploring and harnessing of deep sea minerals and energy.
  2. Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of coastal tourism.
  3. Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: Bio-prospecting of deep sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilization of deep sea bio-resources will be the main focus. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Fisheries and allied services.
  4. Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration: The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralization along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges. This component will additionally support the Blue Economy priority area of deep sea exploration of ocean resources.
  5. Energy and freshwater from the Ocean: Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant are envisaged in this proof of concept proposal. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of off-shore energy development.
  6. Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology. This component is aimed as development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering. This component will translate research into industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of Marine Biology, Blue trade and Blue manufacturing.

The technologies required for deep sea mining have strategic implications and are not commercially available. Hence, attempts will be made to indigenise technologies by collaborating with leading institutes and private industries. A research vessel for deep ocean exploration would be built in an Indian shipyard which would create employment opportunities. This mission is also directed towards capacity development in Marine Biology, which will provide job opportunities in Indian industries. In addition, design, development and fabrication of specialised equipment, ships and setting up of required infrastructure are expected to spur the growth of the Indian industry, especially the MSME and Start-ups.

Oceans, which cover 70 per cent of the globe, remain a key part of our life. About 95 percent of Deep Ocean remains unexplored. For India, with its three sides surrounded by the oceans and around 30 per cent of the country's population living in coastal areas, ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade. Oceans are also storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines, modulator of weather and climate and underpin life on Earth. Considering importance of the oceans on sustainability, the United Nations (UN) has declared the decade, 2021-2030 as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. India has a unique maritime position. Its 7517 km long coastline is home to nine coastal states and 1382 islands. The Government of India's Vision of New India by 2030 enunciated in February 2019 highlighted the Blue Economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.

15-Mar-2021: Deep Ocean Mission

The Deep Ocean Mission is proposed as multi-ministerial multi-disciplinary programme with emphasis on development of deep sea technology, exploration of deep sea mineral resources and biodiversity, acquisition of a research vessel for exploration, deep sea observations, and capacity building. Ministry of Earth Sciences is the nodal agency for implementing the programme. The major objectives proposed under Deep Ocean Mission are as follows:

  1. Development of technologies for deep sea mining, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics;
  2. Development of ocean climate change advisory services;
  3. Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity;
  4. Deep ocean survey and exploration;
  5. Proof of concept studies on energy and freshwater from the ocean; and
  6. Establishing advanced marine station for ocean biology.

The Deep Ocean Mission is proposed to be a Central Sector Scheme and no separate allocation for States is envisaged. The funds are expected to be allocated based on the above estimates.

It is proposed to collaborate with non-governmental organizations for research collaboration for various components of Deep Ocean Mission.

Under Deep Ocean Mission, it is proposed to develop, test and demonstrate the mining technology for harvesting of polymetallic nodules from the Test Mine Site (TMS) in the allocated area of 75000 sq. km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB). A manned submersible for 6000 m depth is also proposed to be developed as an ocean exploratory tool.

2019

28-Jul-2019: India set to launch a Deep Ocean Mission for sustainable use of ocean resources   

The Central Government has given its nod for a Rs.8,000 crore mission to explore the deepest regions of the oceans surrounding the country as part of an exercise to promote sustainable use of the vast living and non-living ocean resources that remain untapped.

The Government has given in principle approval for the mission and now the Ministry will draw up the expenditure plan and circulate it to relevant organisations for implementation. It is an integrated programme in which several scientific departments such as Department of Science and Technology, Indian Space Research Organisation, Department of Biotechnology, Defence Research and Development Organisation, and Indian Council of Agricultural Research would work together.

A major thrust of the Mission will be to look for metals and minerals. The United Nation’s International seabed Authority has allotted to India a site of 75,000 sq. km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin for exploitation of Polymetallic Nodules which are scattered on the seabed. The rock like material contained several valuable metals and minerals such as Manganese, Nickel and Cobalt.

2018

29-Jul-2018: Govt. plans Deep ocean mission

Looking to emulate the success of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in designing and launching satellites, the Centre has drawn up a five-year, ₹8,000 crore plan to explore the deep recesses of the ocean.

The Union Earth Sciences Ministry — tasked with coordinating the exercise — has unveiled a blueprint of the ‘Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)’.

Among the key deliverables to achieve these goals are an offshore desalination plant that will work with tidal energy, and developing a submersible vehicle that can go to a depth of at least 6,000 metres with three people on board.

The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by ISRO about 35 years ago.

India has been allotted a site of 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules (PMN). These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt. “It is envisaged that 10% of recovery of that large reserve can meet the energy requirement of India for the next 100 years. It has been estimated that 380 million metric tonnes of polymetallic nodules are available at the bottom of the seas in the Central Indian Ocean. India’s Exclusive Economic Zone spreads over 2.2 million square kilometres and in the deep sea, lies “unexplored and unutilized.”

The focus will be on technologies for deep-sea mining, underwater vehicles, underwater robotics and ocean climate change advisory services, among other aspects.

2017

30-May-2017: Ministry of Earth Sciences to launch ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ by January 2018

Ministry of Earth Sciences is all set to launch ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ by January 2018. This will improve India’s position in ocean research field.

The program on Poly metallic nodules was initiated at CSIR-NIO with the collection of the first nodule sample from Arabian Sea on board the first Research Vessel Gaveshani on 26 January 1981. India was the first country in the world to have been given the Pioneer Area for exploration of deep-sea mineral viz. Polymetallic nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin in 1987. This was based on the extensive surveys carried out by the scientists of CSIR-NIO, on several research ships leading to the allocation of an area of 150,000 sq. km to the country with exclusive rights under the UN Law of the sea.

Subsequently, Environment Impact Assessment studies for nodule mining by CSIR-NIO, development of metal extraction process by CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur and CSIR- Institute for Minerals and Metals Technology, Bhubaneswar and development of mining technology by National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai, have been taken up under the national program on Polymetallic nodules funded by Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Based on the resource evaluation, India has now retained an area of 75,000 sq. km with an estimated resource of about 100 million tons of strategic metals such Copper, Nickel, Cobalt besides Manganese and Iron. A First Generation Mine-site (FGM) with an area of 18,000 sq. km has been identified. Latest technologies for extraction of metals from the minerals have also been developed under the programme. Detailed environmental data has been collected for compliance with International Seabed Authorities requirements. Besides identifying the mineral resource and developing technologies for mining and extraction, the programme has also resulted in high impact research as well as manpower development.