PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPACT AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DEEP OCEAN MISSION

Ministry of Earth Sciences

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPACT AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DEEP OCEAN MISSION प्रव तथ: 05 AUG 2026 1:56PM by PIB Delhi Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) is a flagship initiative launched by the Government of India in 2021, encompassing activities across six verticals. These verticals are (1) Development of Technologies for Deep-sea mining, Human Submersible 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) Energy and fresh water from the ocean, and (6) Establishment of Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology. The research and activities under the Mission aim to explore and harness ocean living and non-living resources (such as biodiversity, polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides, and ocean thermal energy) as part of the pilot project for developing India’s Blue Economy.

The notable achievements made under the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) are as follows:

DOM Vertical: Progress Thematic area Vertical 1: The design and system engineering for India’s flagship human submersible, Development of MATSYA-6000, are complete; subsystems have been realised; and crewed and technologies for uncrewed wet harbour trials at 8m depth were conducted from 22nd January 2025 to manned 14th February 2025 at Kattupalli, near Chennai. Scientists at the National Institute submersible, of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, entrusted with the development of deep-sea mining MATSYA-6000, have gained pilot experience with the French submersible and underwater NAUTILE in August 2025. The design of the self-propelled deep-sea nodule vehicles and collector/deep-sea mining machine is complete, and a successful demonstration of underwater the collection of over 100 kg of Cobalt-rich deep-sea polymetallic nodules from a robotics depth of 1173m was conducted in the Andaman Sea in 2024.Vertical 2: A suite of ocean models for downscaling sea level, wave, storm surge, and Development of biogeochemical projections of the Indian Ocean; prediction of 100-year extreme ocean climate sea level along the coasts of the Indian subcontinent and associated coastal change advisory vulnerability maps; Genesis Potential Index for cyclones in the Bay of Bengal; and services a wave model for Indian Ocean wave climate analysis have been completed. To strengthen ocean observation, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, has successfully completed 11 glider missions in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and deployed 60 directional Wave Spectra Barometric Drifters and 92 physical and biogeochemical Argo floats in the Indian Ocean.

Vertical 3: Detailed profiling and characterisation studies, including genomic analysis, Technological screening for industrially useful molecules, and the preservation of select deep-sea innovations for microbial samples, have been conducted. Nearly 2038 deep-sea microbes have been exploration and isolated from water and sediment samples in the Indian EEZ, and rare deep-sea conservation of microbes previously unreported from the Indian Ocean have been discovered. A deep-sea Marine Microbial Repository is being established at Chittedu, Andhra Pradesh.

biodiversity Nearly 31 seamounts (biodiversity hotspots) in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal have been surveyed by the Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi, which documented 201 deep-sea species, including 43 potentially new to science.

Vertical 4: Deep Deep-sea expeditions in the Central and Southwest Indian Ridges have been ocean survey conducted, leading to the discovery of four hydrothermal vent fields and two and exploration inactive vents (potential mineralised zones), including India’s first imaging of an (and research active vent. A contract has been awarded to GRSE, Kolkata (a PSU under the ship) Ministry of Defence), for the indigenous construction of a new multipurpose, all- weather ocean research vessel. The design of the new oceanographic research vessel, model tests, and keel laying have been completed.

Vertical 5: A detailed project report for a high-capacity offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Energy and Conversion (OTEC)-powered desalination plant has been prepared. freshwater from the ocean Vertical 6: Land for setting up the Advanced Marine Station in Nemmeli, Chennai, has been Advanced procured. 145 collaborative research projects with nearly 70 national institutions, Marine Station including universities, colleges, and laboratories, are ongoing across various areas for Ocean of ocean/marine sciences.

Biology For deep-sea resource exploration and utilisation, the draft Mining Code of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) incorporates stringent environmental safeguards, including the precautionary approach, environmental baseline studies, environmental impact assessments (EIAs), environmental management andmonitoring programmes, and adaptive management measures to protect the marine environment. India participates in the consultative approach implemented by the ISA to develop these safeguards. The Mining Code has yet to be ratified by the ISA.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Lok Sabha today. ***** NKR/JKP (रलीज़ आईडी: 2294734) आगंतुक पटल : 1026 इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही