Bhubaneswar:.The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), as member state and exploration contractor under the aegis of ISA, organized the inaugural celebration at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research -Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-MMT), here on Saturday. The event was supported by the Institute’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Critical Minerals under the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM).
Under the mentorship of Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, MoES the event was conducted in collaboration with the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Goa, the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, and the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa.
The event brought together scientists, students, government officials, and industry stakeholders from across India’s marine and metallurgical sectors, including participants from IIT Bhubaneswar, KIIT University, SOA University, and CSIR-1MMT.
The programme featured expert lectures on deep-sea exploration, seabed mining, extractive metallurgy, and marine biodiversity, alongside a documentary showcasing the ocean’s extreme and unexplored ecosystems.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Ramanuj Narayan, Director, CSIR-IMMT, followed by a keynote address by Dr. Sandip Kumar Mukhopadhyay, Scientist F and Program Director, MoES. The event was coordinated by Dr. Kali Sanjay, Chief Scientist & Head, Hydro-Bio-Electrometallurgy Department and Business Development, CSIR-IMMT.
Guided by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) under the principle of the “common heritage of humankind,” the deep seabed remains one of Earth’s least explored frontiers and was largely discussed at the event. The importance of the ISA in governing more than half of the world’s ocean floor was highlighted, as it hosts vast deposits of polymetallic nodules, sulphides, and cobalt-rich crusts that contain vital critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese, which are essential for clean energy technologies of the future.
Through the Deep Ocean Mission, India, one of the few nations with active exploration contracts under the ISA, advances integrated studies on ocean technology, biodiversity, and mineral resources, with CSIR-IMMT contributing its expertise in extractive metallurgy. The celebration reaffirmed India’s commitment to sustainable deep-sea exploration, responsible innovation, and global collaboration for the collective benefit of humankind.
