India building its largest research vessel to explore deep oceans

“This will be the largest indigenously-built ocean research vessel. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, geophysical and geological instruments, and have onboard scientific laboratories onboard. It will be a national facility used for deep sea scientific surveys and exploration required for the Deep Ocean Mission,” Thamban Meloth, Director, NCPOR, told The Indian Express.

In 2021, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) launched the Rs. 4,077 crore Deep Ocean Mission and several initiatives since then have been taken to boost India’s deep ocean research.

The new all-weather oceanographic and multidisciplinary vessel will be equipped with a multi-beam bathymetry system, multi-channel seismic required for mapping the ocean floor, a range of ocean profilers, seabed samplers, and onboard analytics.

It will permit conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) profiling, and water sampling operations such as biological sampling using vertical and horizontal methods through various nets. The new ORV will help carry out surface and deep-sea mooring and data buoy operations, seabed sampling using corers and grabs, as well as rock dredging with chain bag dredges. Atmospheric observations, surface meteorological, and current measurements and collection of upper air data will be performed. The vessel will help deploy and retrieve heavy test or protocol-type equipment and submersibles.

The need for such a research vessel has been felt for a long time, as many of the country’s existing research vessels have either aged, pose limitations in equipping the latest scientific facilities and equipment or have been decommissioned. In addition, it was not possible to perform certain mineral explorations using existing vessels and Indian researchers would often have to hire international vessels.

Even though NCPOR, along with other research institutions like the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), and Geological Survey of India (GSI), own research vessels, most of them are ill-fitted for deep sea ocean exploration.

“There are many small research vessels available in the country but are proving insufficient. Besides, deep sea exploration requires many new and specialised facilities. At present, only GSI has such a research vessel suitable for deep-sea missions. So, the MoES decided to build a vessel under the ambitious Deep Ocean Mission. India will need several such research vessels to meet the demands of the Mission,” explained Meloth.

Some of India’s oldest ocean research vessels are MoES-owned Sagar Kanya managed by NCPOR and Sagar Sampada, a fisheries vessel, managed by Cochin-based Central for Marine Living Resources and Ecology. Both these German-made vessels have been in service since 1983. As these vessels are very old now and not in good shape, scientists have sought a replacement for these 40-year-old vessels.

Research vessels deployed in tropical oceans are different from vessels deployed in oceans near the poles. A proposal for a polar research vessel is under the union government’s consideration.

The new ship will have a gross tonnage of 5,900 tons and the ability to sail at a speed of 14 knots at a 90 per cent maximum continuous rating. It is expected to have a life of 30 years from the commencement of its full-scale sailing operations. The vessel will be able to operate at a maximum depth of 6,000 metre and will have a 45-day endurance. At any given time, the vessel could carry 34 members onboard.

The new ORV will be fitted with a dynamic positioning system, which will enable the manoeuvring of the vessel and have it docked over a desired location for the required periods to carry out high-precision scientific operations. It will be Silent-A compliant, which means that the vessel will produce minimal underwater radiated noise.

Most importantly, the new vessel will be built under dual classification, that is, the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) along with complying with the marine pollution standards set by the International Maritime Organisation.

Once built and ready it will undergo year-long sea trials. The new ORV is likely to get operational within the next three to four years.