India is on course to have its first polar research vessel in the next five years. India’s Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju made this revelation last week while responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s parliament, reports maritime executive.
Three research stations in Antarctica
India currently runs three research stations in Antarctica, and a polar research vessel would be used for logistics and resupply missions. Minister Kiren revealed that vessel will also be used as a platform for research, specifically in the Southern Ocean.
Cost of vessel
According to the Minister, the proposal regarding the ship order is expected to go for cabinet approval during this current financial year. The estimated cost of the vessel is $310 million.
“While the government is in talks with other countries which have expertise in making such ships, we would like to build the vessel in India,” added Rijiju.
Last year, India’s lower house (Lok Sabha) passed the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022, partly aimed at regulating the country’s research activities in the South Pole. The legislation came 41 years after India’s first expedition to the Antarctic in 1981.
Samudrayan project
Meanwhile, Rijiju also apprised legislators on the progress of India’s ambitious Samudrayan project. Scheduled for 2026, the project is aimed at exploring the deep ocean and its resources. It is being designed and implemented by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) in Chennai.
MATSYA 6000
The minister said three personnel will be sent to a depth of 6000 metres in a submersible named MATSYA 6000. It has endurance of 12 hours under normal operation and 96 hours in case of an emergency.
With the Samudrayan Project, a first of its kind in India’s ocean exploration history, the country hopes to join the elite group of countries with specialised capacity to conduct deep ocean research.
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Source : maritime-executive
