Lok Sabha Question No. 4469 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-20
Subject: Deep-Sea Exploration
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Shri Anil Yeshwant Desai

## MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4469 TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, 20 TH AUGUST, 2025

## DEEP-SEA EXPLORATION

## 4469.  SHRI ANIL YESHWANT DESAI:

Will the Minister of Earth Sciences be pleased to state:

- (a) the details on the progress of the country's first manned submersible project for deepsea exploration;
- (b) the  details  of  contribution  and  achievement  of  the  aforementioned  Mission  in harnessing untapped marine resources for sustainable development;
- (c) the details of the technological innovations being developed under the aforementioned Mission;
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to ensure that Indian Scientists receive training for deep-sea exploration; and
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  develop  indigenous  deep-sea  exploration equipment?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) The design and integration of the human submersible (MATSYA-6000) to carry three persons  to  a  depth  of  6000  meters,  completed  by  the  National  Institute  of  Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, under the Ministry  of Earth  Sciences, as  part  of the Deep Ocean  Mission.  The  wet  harbour  trials  of  MATSYA-6000  were  successfully conducted in January-February 2025 at L&T Shipbuilding Facility in Katupalli, near Tamil Nadu.
- (b) MATSYA-6000  is  designed  to  include  scientific  pay  loads  to  align  with  India's scientific  exploration  and  observation  activities  for  deep-sea  living  and  non-living resources, including biodiversity and deep-sea minerals.
- (c) The technological innovations developed for MATSYA-6000 include a bio-vest for real-time crew  health monitoring, a cognitive digital twin to support during emergency  scenarios,  an  underwater  acoustic  telephone,  human-rated  emergency ballast  management system capable of operating from the submersible as well as a ship,  a  welded titanium alloy exo-structure, an 80 mm thick electron beam welded titanium  alloy  personnel  sphere  with  multi-ring  configuration  and  hydrostatically stable  and hydrodynamically  efficient subsystems  with  high density  LithiumPolymer-based main power system for propulsion.
- (d) As part  of  the  Indo-French  partnership,  NIOT  scientists  participated  in  deep-ocean human scientific expeditions onboard  the  submersible NAUTILE developed by  the French marine institute IFREMER in August 2025 and gained operational experience at  the  deep  sea  up  to  5000  meters  depth  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  functional operations.
- (e) The  design  and  development  of  MATSYA-6000  has  been  completed  by  NIOT, Chennai,  under  the  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences.  The  realisation  of  the  titanium personnel sphere of MATSYA-6000 has been initiated as an indigenous effort with ISRO. Sub-components such as the base frame and pressure cases are developed with Indian industry partners. The inertial navigation systems and integration with Global Positioning Systems, Doppler  Velocity Logs,  Depth  and  Acoustic Positioning Systems and an underwater acoustic telephone are undertaken with DRDO.

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