India is stepping up its push to unlock the strategic and commercial potential of deep-sea mining.
This, with the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), in association with Knowledge Partner EY and NITI Aayog, convening a high-level industry outreach workshop in New Delhi.
Held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, the workshop brought together global and domestic policymakers, regulators, technology developers, research institutions and financial leaders, with a focus on positioning deep-sea mining as a key pillar of India’s emerging Blue Economy.
The push comes as demand for critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese accelerates, driven by clean-energy technologies, electric mobility, advanced manufacturing and high-computing systems.
For India, developing alternative sources of these minerals is increasingly viewed as critical to strengthening long-term economic and geopolitical security.
India already has a significant foothold in the deep-sea resource race. It holds an exclusive International Seabed Authority (ISA) exploration contract covering 75,000 sq. km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), an area estimated to contain around 366 to 380 million tonnes of polymetallic nodules.
India is also the first nation to hold two exploration contracts for polymetallic sulphides, including a recent agreement covering the Carlsberg Ridge.
Technology development is emerging as another key component of India’s strategy.
Under the Rs 4,077 crore Deep Ocean Mission, NIOT has successfully demonstrated indigenous deep-sea mining crawler systems at depths exceeding 5,000 metres in the Indian Ocean. The achievement underscores India’s growing capabilities in subsea engineering and deep-ocean technology.
The next challenge is to translate these scientific and technological gains into an industrial ecosystem.
A transition from exploration to commercial capability could create a "mine-to-metal" value chain, opening opportunities across offshore engineering, marine robotics, shipbuilding, metallurgy and downstream battery manufacturing.
The workshop was positioned as a strategic investment platform aimed at connecting India’s scientific and technological capabilities with private-sector participation.
The discussions are expected to help shape future policy frameworks, develop bankable project roadmaps and support an upcoming White Paper on Deep Sea Mining, which is intended to guide India’s industrial integration in the sector.
However, a key regulatory hurdle remains.
Commercial mining of polymetallic nodules in international waters can commence only after the International Seabed Authority brings out the Exploitation Code.
With critical-mineral security becoming increasingly important to the global energy and technology transition, India’s deep-sea mining programme is now moving beyond scientific exploration towards a broader industrial and strategic agenda.
_256_275.JPG)
.JPG)
