• ORV Sagar Manthan is an all-weather, multidisciplinary deep-sea research vessel designed to operate in challenging marine environments, including the Southern Ocean. It has an expected service life of 30 years.
• Deep Ocean Mission: The vessel has been developed under Vertical-4 – Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration of the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM).
• Builder: It has been designed and constructed indigenously by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) at the Rishi Bankim Shipyard, Kolkata, for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).
• Objectives: It aims to strengthen India’s capabilities in deep-sea exploration, promote Atmanirbharta in ocean science, facilitate mineral exploration, and support research related to climate and tsunami forecasting.

Key Features

• Advanced Survey Systems: Equipped with dynamic positioning, multibeam bathymetry, multichannel seismic reflection systems, sub-bottom profilers and meteorological radar for detailed mapping and oceanographic research.
• Underwater Exploration: It has specialised equipment for the launch and recovery of ROVs, AUVs and deep-sea benthic corers, enabling exploration of the seabed and deep-ocean ecosystems.
• Mineral Exploration: Designed to investigate mid-ocean ridges in the Indian Ocean for resources such as polymetallic sulphides and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts.
• Ocean and Atmospheric Studies: Its laboratories support atmospheric observations, water-column sampling and CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) measurements.
• International Standards: The vessel has received dual-class certification from the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

Strategic Significance

• Indigenous Capability: Strengthens India’s ability to design and build sophisticated ocean research vessels domestically, reducing dependence on foreign platforms.
• Deep-Sea Research: Enhances exploration of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as well as international seabed areas.
• Climate and Disaster Research: Supports studies related to monsoon variability, climate change, ocean processes and tsunami forecasting.
• Resource Security: Improves India’s capability to assess and explore strategically important deep-sea mineral resources.
• Maritime Scientific Capacity: Strengthens India’s position in global ocean research and contributes to its broader maritime and scientific objectives.