India commissioned its first indigenously designed and built ocean research vessel, ORV Sagar Manthan, during an official naval launching ceremony held at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers shipyard in Kolkata on Friday.
The ninety-eight-meter scientific vessel, constructed under the aegis of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is outfitted with cutting-edge multibeam bathymetric sonars, deep-sea sampling corers, specialized acoustic transponders, and automated underwater exploration submersibles capable of operating at depths exceeding six thousand meters. The scientific platform will provide Indian oceanographers with unhindered capabilities to map seabed minerals, polymetallic nodules, and benthic biodiversity across the central Indian Ocean basin.
Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju dedicated the ship to the nation, underscoring that sovereign scientific vessels are vital for advancing the Deep Ocean Mission and understanding marine carbon sequestration dynamics. Sagar Manthan will undertake its maiden oceanographic expedition toward the Andaman Sea next month to study oceanic current transformations and seismic fault lines.
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Sources:
https://school.edusaint.in/news/school-assembly-news-headlines-11-september-2026