India Got A Big Success In Searching , Hidden In The Sea
India will search for hidden treasures in the ocean. For the first time in the world, a country has been given a license to search for Polymetallic Sulphur Nodules in the Carlsberg Ridge of the ocean. India has got this license. This area is spread over about 3 lakh square kilometers in the ocean. India will search for minerals like manganese, cobalt here.
India is progressing in every field with time. The sea also has its own world. India is progressing in this world too. Now India has got a big opportunity to discover precious metals in the sea. India has got a special contract from the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Under this, India has been given permission to discover precious metals present in the depths of the sea in the North-West Indian Ocean.
Along with this, the big thing is that the Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, M. Ravichandran, said that for the first time in the world, a license has been given to a country to search for Polymetallic Sulphur Nodules in Carlsberg Ridge. India has got this. This agreement was signed with the ISA organization based in Jamaica on 15 September 2025 in Delhi.
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What are these nodules?
These are stone-like clusters found in the depths of the sea. Many types of precious minerals are found in these clusters such as:
- Manganese
- Cobalt
- Out
- Copper
These minerals are very useful in electronic devices, batteries and many industries. Now India will explore it and this can directly benefit the country’s industry sector.
What is Carlsberg Ridge?
This area is spread over about 3,00,000 square kilometers in the sea. It is located in the Arabian Sea and the North-West Indian Ocean. It forms the boundary of the Indian and Arabian tectonic plates. This area extends from near Rodrigues Island to the Owen Fracture Zone.
How did India apply?
Those parts of the sea that do not fall within the boundaries of any country are called high seas. Countries have to take permission from ISA to work in such areas. So far, 19 countries have got the right to explore in such areas. India had applied to explore two areas in January 2024:
Carlsberg Ridge and Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount (Afanasy-Nikitin Sea ANS). However, now permission has been granted to search in the Carlsberg Ridge. However, permission has not been granted to search in the Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount yet.
What is the Afanasy-Nikitin seamount?
Sri Lanka has also claimed permission to search in this area. According to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea), a country can claim continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles from its coast. But in the Bay of Bengal this limit can be considered up to 500 nautical miles.
India had earlier also got the right to explore the sea. India got its first contract in March 2002, which will remain valid till March 2027. The second contract was received in September 2016, which will remain valid till September 2031. Through these contracts, India is exploring minerals in the sea.
Why is this discovery important?
India has conducted several surveys to explore minerals in these areas. But, extracting minerals from the deep parts of the sea is quite challenging from the environmental point of view. Many difficulties have to be faced in this. Till now scientists do not have complete information about the sea floor. Therefore, it is difficult to decide whether extracting minerals will harm the environment or not.
Despite this, the interest of the countries involved in this discovery is increasing because these minerals are very expensive. Their demand is increasing in batteries and electronic devices. This is strategically important for many countries. Some countries take the right to discovery only so that no other country can claim them.
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