Advanced Ocean Research Vessel ‘Sagar Manthan’ Launched

On 9th September 2026, India launched the advanced Ocean Research Vessel ‘Sagar Manthan’ in Kolkata to strengthen indigenous ocean research capabilities.

Key Points

Builder: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) designed and constructed the vessel for National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Deep Ocean Mission: The vessel is being developed under Vertical-4, Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration.
Project Cost: The vessel is being constructed at an estimated cost of around ₹840 crore.
Service Life: ‘Sagar Manthan’ is designed for an operational life of around 30 years.
Research Capability: It will support multidisciplinary oceanographic and geophysical research.
Advanced Systems: The vessel includes dynamic positioning, multibeam bathymetry and multichannel seismic systems.
Sub-Bottom Profiling: This technology helps study geological structures beneath the seafloor.
Underwater Vehicles: Facilities are available for deploying ROVs and AUVs.
Marine Mineral Exploration: It will survey mid-ocean ridges for multi-metal hydrothermal sulphide mineralisation.