India Set to Enter Deep-Sea Mining Arena

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--India is all set to make its first ever move for exploration of poly-metallic sulphides from the deepest sea-bed in the Indian Ocean. Country's National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) (Chennai) has recently placed a proposal before the International Seabed Authority (ISA) (Kingston, Jamaica) seeking its nod to explore and extract the undersea mineral resources.

NIOT has already carried out a survey using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) in the deep-sea region near Mauritius. The institute has also prepared a report on the basis of its experience in the seabed mining for some selected regions in the Indian Ocean. NIOT expects to receive clearance from ISA soon, as India has both demand as well as mining and exploration capabilities which are considered as the primary requirements for granting license to an applicant country.

The sulphides found in the seabed contain various minerals including the rare earth metals. As per ISA's assessment, there are more than 100 potentially rich sites for sulphide exploration in the high seas and 25% of them are high-temperature black-smoker venting.

Poly-metallic sulphides are a great source of precious metals like Gold, Zinc, Silver as well as the rare earth metals, which are commonly used in the manufacturing of modern gadgets and electronic devices. The ever increasing demand of such products has fueled interest in Sea Mining. Many countries are now upgrading their Deep Sea Mining capabilities to meet the demand of these metals.

India's state-run exploration agency Geological Survey of India (GSI) (New Delhi) has recently acquired a deep-sea exploration ship 'Samudra Ratnakar' from South Korea. Designed with deep-sea survey instruments and a modern on board laboratory the vessel is expected to facilitate geo-scientific oceanographic research in the country. India has also recently commissioned a rare-earth mineral processing plant in the state of Odisha along with a project to upgrade its older exploration ships.

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