India has launched its first manned ocean mission, ‘Samudrayan’, becoming the sixth nation to have such underwater vehicles for subsea activities. While launching the mission last week from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Union minister Jitendra Singh said with Samudrayan India joins elite club of select nations USA, Russia, Japan,France & China to “explore ocean resources for drinking water, clean energy and blue economy.”

The National Institute of Ocean Technology’s (NIOT) Samudrayan project will be a part of a Rs 6,000 crore Deep Ocean Mission and will be implemented by the Union ministry of earth sciences at a total budget of ₹4,077 crore for 5 years.

The Matsya 6000 under Samudrayan initiative is capable of carrying three human beings in titanium alloy personnel sphere of 2.1 metre diameter enclosed space with an endurance of 12 hours and an additional 96 hours in case of emergency, according to an official release.

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The niche technology facilitates carrying out deep ocean exploration of non-living resources such as polymetallic manganese nodules, gas hydrates, hydro-thermal sulphides and cobalt crusts, the NIOT said.

Matsya 6000, the deep sea vehicle, will be ready for qualification trials by December 2024.

By the end of 2022 or 2023, the shallow water (500 metres) phase is expected to happen which would be followed by more deeper initiatives.

“Indigenous efforts are underway at NIOT towards design of the vehicle and some of the subsystems are realized from Indian as well as from global market towards its special usage in high pressure deep sea environment,” the release said.

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The NIOT had developed a ‘personnel sphere’ made of mild steel with local industry for an operational capability of 500 metres and tested for its usage as per the International Classification and Certification Agency for man rated operation during this month sea trial using Ocean Research Vessel Sagar Nidhi in Bay of Bengal.

The deep sea vehicle shall be maneuvered at deep sea floor with six degree freedom using battery powered propulsion system for 4 hours at 6000 metre depth, according to the release.