India last week signed a contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for exclusive rights to explore Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) in the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian Ocean.

With this, India has become the first country in the world to have two contracts with the ISA for PMS exploration. It now commands the largest area allocated in the international seabed for PMS exploration — a scientific achievement with strategic importance.

Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) will carry out the PMS exploration in 2026, starting with geophysical and hydrographic surveys in the licensed area.

India had submitted an application to the ISA in 2024. Following the evaluation process, the ISA last week allotted India a 10,000 square km area in the Carlsberg Ridge.

T

See Full Page