{"id":63691,"date":"2025-09-16T10:59:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T05:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=63691"},"modified":"2025-09-16T10:59:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T05:29:02","slug":"polymetallic-sulphides-explore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/polymetallic-sulphides-explore\/","title":{"rendered":"India Secures ISA Licence to Explore Polymetallic Sulphides"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Polymetallic Sulphides Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has secured a first-of-its-kind International Seabed Authority licence to explore polymetallic sulphides in the Carlsberg Ridge of the <\/span><b>Indian Ocean<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has taken a major step in its pursuit of critical minerals by securing a first-of-its-kind exploration licence from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-is-the-international-seabed-authority-isa\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>International Seabed Authority<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ISA).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The licence grants India rights to explore polymetallic sulphides in the <\/span><b>Carlsberg Ridge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a geologically significant zone in the northwest Indian Ocean.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With growing global competition for rare minerals needed for clean energy technologies, the development is a milestone in India\u2019s deep-sea mining ambitions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>India\u2019s New Exploration Rights<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The agreement, signed in September 2025 with the Jamaica-based ISA, permits India to explore polymetallic sulphur nodules spread across 3,00,000 sq. km in the Carlsberg Ridge.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These nodules are rich in manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper, minerals critical for batteries, renewable energy infrastructure, and high-tech manufacturing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This marks the <\/span><b>first licence globally<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for such exploration in the Carlsberg Ridge, making India a pioneer in accessing this untapped mineral wealth.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Previous Exploration Efforts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s engagement with seabed exploration is not new. It had earlier secured exploratory rights in the <\/span><b>Central Indian Ocean Basin (2002)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for polymetallic nodules and later in <\/span><b>2016<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for polymetallic sulphides along the Indian Ocean Ridge.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These contracts, valid until 2027 and 2031 respectively, laid the groundwork for India\u2019s technological and institutional capabilities in deep-sea mining.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over the years, multiple surveys have been commissioned, but large-scale exploitation remains constrained due to environmental concerns and the high cost of deep-sea operations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Strategic Importance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The significance of these exploration rights extends beyond mineral acquisition.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the increasing demand for critical minerals to support electric mobility, renewable energy storage, and advanced electronics, having secured rights ensures India\u2019s <\/span><b>strategic leverage in global supply chains<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Geopolitical competition adds urgency. Reports of Chinese vessels scouring the region partly prompted India\u2019s 2024 application to the ISA.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exploration rights are often as much about preventing rival claims as they are about extraction. In this sense, India\u2019s licence serves both economic and national security goals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Legal and Environmental Dimensions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/united-nations-convention-on-the-law-of-the-sea\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (UNCLOS), countries can claim continental shelf rights up to 350 nautical miles (and in some regions, like the Bay of Bengal, up to 500 nautical miles).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond this, resource-rich \u201chigh seas\u201d territories come under the ISA\u2019s jurisdiction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While India\u2019s exploration rights open vast opportunities, deep-sea mining remains controversial.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists caution that disturbing seabed ecosystems could trigger irreversible biodiversity loss.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internationally, debates continue on creating robust safeguards before commercial exploitation begins. India, while pursuing its strategic interests, will have to balance exploration with its environmental commitments.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Global Context and Future Outlook<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, <\/span><b>19 countries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hold some form of seabed exploration rights under ISA agreements.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, India\u2019s Carlsberg Ridge licence is unique due to its scale and strategic location, forming the boundary between the Indian and Arabian tectonic plates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking ahead, India is likely to invest in building indigenous capabilities in subsea technology, robotics, and environmental impact assessment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the global clean energy transition accelerates, securing reliable supplies of cobalt, nickel, and copper will be vital for India\u2019s manufacturing competitiveness and energy security.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/india-gets-licence-to-scour-new-part-of-indian-ocean-for-precious-metals\/article70053704.ece#:~:text=This%20is%20the%20first%20licence,%2C%202025)%2C%20he%20added.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TH<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India has received a licence from the International Seabed Authority to explore polymetallic sulphides in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":63699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,2716,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-63691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-polymetallic-sulphides","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}