Daily News Analysis » India’s ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ (DOM)

India’s ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ (DOM)

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.

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.

About Matsya 6000:

  • It is India’s flagship deep-ocean human submersible that aims to reach the ocean bed at a depth of 6,000 m. 
  • It is accompanied by three crew members, called “aquanauts”.
  • It  carries  scientific tools and equipment for research purposes.
  • U.S.A., Russia, China, France, and Japan have already achieved successful deep-ocean crewed missions.
  • It is made of   titanium alloy and can  withstand pressures of up to 6,000 bar.  
  • With Matsya, India will be the only country to have an entire ecosystem of underwater vehicles encompassing deep-water remotely operated vehicle (ROVs), polar ROVs,  Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUVs), deep-water coring systems, and more.

 

About  Varaha: 

  • Indigenous  deep-ocean mining vehicle. 
  • It  is a self-propelled track-based seabed mining system.
  • Uses a high-power pressure pump system to facilitate the extraction of precious polymetallic nodules. 
  • These nodules are pumped from the ocean bed to the surface ship.

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.