BENGALURU: India’s tryst with deep sea exploration will begin with the harbour trial at Kattupalli harbour in Tamil Nadu next month. The harbour trial for ‘Samudrayaan’ - a three-member deep sea exploration that is scheduled for 2025 and 2026, is likely to be held in December at Kattupalli harbour, north of Ennore Port, said National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Director Balaji Ramakrishnan.
“The harbour trial will be held at a depth of 10-12 metres inside the ocean in a controlled environment. We have been conducting laboratory tests, but next month, the assisted submergence will be held at a depth of 10-12 metres inside the ocean. The trial will check the integration of all the components of the submersible, functioning of the four propellers, buoyancy that will govern the vehicle’s stability inside water etc,” said the top ocean scientist.
He added that the harbour trial itself will be a big experiment for ocean researchers as the vehicle ‘Matsya 500’, weighing a little over 25 tonnes will be lowered into water and checked for stability under floating conditions. ‘Matsya 500’ is made of steel and has been developed at NIOT. “One of the critical components of ‘Matsya’ is the personal sphere that comprises steel sheet pieces welded to form petal and crown construction,” added Ramakrishnan.
The harbour trial will be followed by deep sea exploration at a depth of 500 metres in the Bay of Bengal in 2025. The final, three-member-manned mission ‘Samudrayaan’ will be conducted in 2026, when the submersible ‘Matsya 6000’ will go down 6,000 metres (six km) into the ocean.
‘Matsya 6000’ is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a unique, sphere-shaped submersible made of special-grade titanium alloy, which is light-weight and much stronger than steel. The submersible will be tested and certified by DNV (world-class Norwegian classification society and a recognised advisor for the maritime industry) to go down 6,000 metres inside the ocean.
Titanium is lighter, but stronger than steel, and enables the weight of deep-diving vehicles as low as possible. It requires minimum maintenance; has an extended life cycle, and has incomparable anti-corrosive properties.
‘Samudrayaan’ is a project of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and is being implemented as part of the Rs 4,800-crore ‘Deep Ocean Mission’. NIOT is an autonomous society under the MoES.
Earlier, Indian ocean scientists have conducted deep sea explorations in international vehicles, of the US and France. ‘Samudrayaan’ will be the first venture in a ‘Made in India’ submersible, making India the sixth country in the world after the US, Russia, France, Japan and China to deploy a three-member-manned submersible.