India’s ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ (DOM)

About DOM: 

• • Approved in 2021
  • Implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). 

• Six pillars of DOM: 

• Development of technologies for deep-sea mining and a manned submersible to carry three people to a depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean. 
• Development of ocean climate change advisory services.
• Technological innovations for the exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity.
• Deep-ocean survey and exploration aimed at identifying potential sites of multi-metal hydrothermal sulfides mineralisation along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridge. 
• Harnessing energy and freshwater from the ocean.
• Establishing an advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology, as a hub for nurturing talent and driving new opportunities in ocean biology and blue biotechnology.

• Samudrayaan:  India’s flagship deep ocean mission, initiated in 2021 by the Minister of Earth Sciences.

• With ‘Samudrayaan’, India is planning  to reach a depth of 6,000 m to the ocean bed in the central Indian Ocean.           

• Matsya 6000:   Deep-Ocean submersible designed for DOM. 

• National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)  has  conducted deep-sea locomotion trials on the seabed at a depth of 5,270 m using our underwater mining system, ‘Varaha’.

Why was the depth of 6000 m chosen?

• India has committed to the sustainable extraction of valuable resources, including polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulfides. 
• Polymetallic nodules, which contain precious metals like copper, manganese, nickel, iron, and cobalt, are found approximately 5,000 m deep.
• Polymetallic sulfides occur at around 3,000 m in the central Indian Ocean. 
• By equipping ourselves to operate at a depth of 6,000 m, we can effectively cater to both the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and the central Indian Ocean.

Challenges:

• Being one meter underwater puts as much pressure on an object of one square meter area as if it were carrying about of 10,000kg of weight.
• Under such pressure electronic equipment  and poorly designed objects can collapse or implode.
• Ocean bed is   soft and muddy which makes it  difficult for heavy vehicles to land or maneuver. 
• Extracting materials and pumping  to the surface requires  a large amount of power and energy.
• Visibility also poses a significant hurdle as natural light can penetrate only a few tens of meters beneath the surface.

Why in news?

With the Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) , India will, for the first time, embark on a journey to a depth of 6,000 meters in the ocean using an indigenously developed submersible with a three-member crew.