SAMUDRAYAAN MISSION: SIGNIFICANCE, CHALLENGES, WAY FORWARD

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Context

Two Indian aquanauts recently conducted deep dives in the Atlantic Ocean aboard a French vessel, as part of preparatory training for India's upcoming Samudrayaan Mission. 

What is Samudrayaan Mission?

It aims to develop a self-propelled manned submersible to carry three human at the depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean. It operates under the larger Deep Ocean Mission.  

MATSYA 6000: India's first manned submersible developed as part of the Samudrayaan, it offers an operational period of 12 hours and can sustain up to 96 hours in emergency scenarios.

• Developed as collaborative effort between the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO.
• It is a titanium-alloy vessel, designed to withstand 600 bar pressure and temperatures as low as -3°C.

Significance of the Samudrayaan Mission for India

MATSYA-6000 will enable the exploration of polymetallic nodules (rich in manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper) and hydrothermal sulphides, making the way for future commercial exploitation of these valuable resources.

Development of manned submersibles and associated deep-sea technologies enhances India's scientific and strategic capabilities.

Mission will create job opportunities in industries, including MSMEs and start-ups, through the design, development, and fabrication of specialized equipment, vessels, and infrastructure.

What is Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)?

It was launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), to explore and sustainably harness ocean wealth and strengthen the Blue Economy.

Budget: Estimated cost of ₹4,077 crore over five years.

Components of the Deep Ocean Mission

Technologies for Deep Sea Mining and Manned Submersible: MATSYA 6000 develops as part of Integrated Mining System to extract Polymetallic Nodules from 6,000 meters depth in the Central Indian Ocean.

Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services: Develops observations and models for future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal timescales.

Technological Innovations for Deep-Sea Biodiversity: Focuses on bio-prospecting deep-sea flora, fauna, and microbes, and studies their sustainable utilization.

Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration: Explores and identifies potential sites for multi-metal hydrothermal sulphides mineralization along Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.

Energy and Freshwater from the Ocean: Studies and engineering designs for an offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant.

Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: Develops human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering, translating research into industrial applications and product development through on-site business incubators.

Significance of the Deep Ocean Mission For India

Economic Significance

Resource Harnessing: About 95% of the deep ocean remaining unexplored, holding vast potential for mineral wealth, biodiversity, renewable energy, and climate clues.

• India's unique maritime position, with a 7,517 km long coastline, makes ocean resources a major economic factor.

Blue Economy Growth: Supports Blue Economy vision, identified as one of ten core dimensions of growth by 2030, support marine-based industries like fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, trade, shipping, biotechnology, and manufacturing.

Mineral Resources: Polymetallic Nodules (PMN) containing minerals like manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper, essential for electronics, smartphones, batteries, and solar panels.

• In 1987, India was the first country to receive "Pioneer Investor" status from the UN, granting exclusive rights to explore an area in Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB); estimated 380 million tonnes of PMN, of value $110 billion dollars.
• After surrendering 50% of the initial exploration area in 2002, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) allocated India a 75,000 km² mining site in international waters.

 Energy and Freshwater: Develop technologies for generating renewable energy through OTEC and provide freshwater via desalination plants, especially for coastal populations like the Lakshadweep Islands.

Job Creation and Industrial Growth: Designing, developing, and fabricating specialized equipment, ships, and infrastructure stimulates growth in Indian industries, including MSMEs and start-ups.

Climate Change Solutions: Deep ocean exploration helps understand and provide future projections of climate variables, aiding coastal communities, enhancing tourism, and supporting climate resilience.

• Align with the United Nations’ Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), India’s Deep Ocean aim to balance exploration with sustainability.

Biodiversity Conservation: Study unique marine ecosystems, research microbes with potential applications in biotechnology.

• Sustainable use of these biological resources can expand marine fisheries and allied services.

Strategic Significance

Global Leadership: Join elite group of nations (United States, Russia, China, Japan, and France) with advanced deep-sea exploration capabilities and manned submersibles.

Technological Self-Reliance: Developing indigenous capabilities in deep-sea mining, renewable ocean energy, and biotechnology reduces dependency on imports of critical minerals and technologies.

• MATSYA 6000 submersible, for example, signifies India's growing technological self-reliance, align with Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Maritime Security: Mapping the deep sea and maintaining strong underwater domain awareness is critical for safeguarding maritime and security interests.

• Developing the capability to lay and maintain undersea cables, the backbone of modern communications, is vital for digital connectivity and economic sustenance.
• India could deploy underwater sensors and response mechanisms against potential disruptions from hostile actors, like China's deep-sea cable-cutting device.

What are the challenges in Deep Ocean Mission?

Technological Hurdles: Operating in the deep sea requires a advance technology and extremely specific capabilities that are challenging and expensive to develop.

Communication: Radio waves cannot penetrate deep water, demanding the use of acoustic telephones. Sound underwater is affected by hydrological conditions like temperature, pressure, and salinity.

• India developed its own acoustic telephone technology due to other countries' reluctance to share it.

Life Support Systems: Maintaining suitable oxygen levels and managing carbon dioxide through scrubbers will be crucial for aquanaut safety.

Material Dependency: India depends on imported high-quality materials, such as titanium alloys, for submersible construction, as these materials are not commonly found and many countries are not willing to share.

Human Capital Shortage: Shortage of trained personnel for deep-sea operations, including aquanauts, marine biologists, and engineers.  

International Regulations and Environmental Concerns: Commercial exploitation of polymetallic nodules awaits the ISA's finalization of commercial exploitation codes, regulatory uncertainty delays the start of mining operations.

• International laws, particularly the UN Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty, create uncertainty regarding future commercial seabed mining operations, could delays/restrict on India’s mining ambitions.

Way Forward

Capacity Building: Develop a dedicated national program to build capacity in deep-sea engineering, marine biology, and subsea robotics, developing a qualified domestic workforce.

• Establishing institutes of excellence in deep-sea research will nurture academic excellence and expertise.

Achieve Material Self-Reliance: Reduce dependency on imported high-quality materials, such as titanium alloys, by investing in domestic research and production capabilities for the specialized materials.

Funding and Governance: Incentivize every aspect of deep ocean science and engineering through generous funding and a strong, empowered body.

• Upgrading the Department of Ocean Development to a full-fledged ministry led by a cabinet-rank minister, making all relevant departments and agencies accountable.

Mission-Mode Execution: Execute well-funded, time-bound, and result-oriented projects in "mission-mode," ensuring quick approvals, ease of doing business, and high accountability of stakeholders.

Strategic Partnerships: Fast-track public-private partnerships to facilitate innovations in ocean energy and biotechnology.

• Engage in proactive diplomacy to shape international seabed governance standards while preserving Indian exploratory rights.
• Carefully balance economic aspirations with ecological conservation to ensure the mission's long-term sustainability.

Dual-Use Technology Consideration: Ensure that all deep-sea technologies are "dual use," serving both ocean research and exploitation as well as potential disruptive uses in conflict.

Source: INDIAN EXPRESS