India to procure ship that can break through 1.5 metres of ice

[Hindustani78]

India to procure ship that can break through 1.5 metres of ice - The Times of India

U Tejonmayam,TNN | Mar 24, 2015, 06.46 AM IST

India's scientific expeditions in the polar region will get a boost with the ministry of earth sciences deciding to procure a polar research vessel (PRV) from Spain that can navigate through 18,000 nautical miles of frozen waters and break ice as thick as 1.5 metres.

In addition to the PRV, four other vessels, including two that would help in coastal research, will be replaced in the next three years. At present, India has a fleet of six such vessels.

Loaded with advanced features, the new PRV — which has been commissioned by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa — will be the most hi-tech research vessel India will have. It will facilitate research expeditions in the polar region where many teams from the country, including those from Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), have carried out studies.

The new vessel is expected to sustain two research stations -Maitri and Bharti -in Antarctica and the one in Norway, called Himadri.

Now, India has ocean research vessel Sagar Nidhi that can break ice up to 40cm thick and navigate a maximum distance of 10,000 nautical miles. A scientist who has been on polar expeditions said Sagar Nidhi has field limitations when compared to the PRV, which is technically much more advanced.

Ministry of earth sciences secretary, Shailesh Nayak said the PRV is being procured at a cost of more than `1,000 crore and that the government has identified a shipyard in Spain where the vessel will be constructed.

(Illustration: Shinod Akkaraparambhil)

Sources involved in the process said the PRV will be about 130m long with a powerful 6MW propulsion system that will help the vessel to traverse frozen seas.

The PRV will have an automatic weather station, besides advanced instruments to collect sediment from the ocean floor (the process is called coring), facilitate ocean current profiling, seabed mapping and measure atmospheric pressure.

India's Antarctic expeditions depend mostly on ice-class vessels chartered from the international market. These vessels -largely cargo ships that transport men and material -are expensive to hire and do not serve as research platforms.

"Usually, an ice-breaker vessel cuts across frozen seas to make way for another one (meant for research purposes) to follow. The PRV will do both. It will be the top notch research vessel in our country. Very few countries have such steps. In Asia, Japan and China have such vessels," a seasoned polar scientist said.

While the procurement of the PRV is expected to be completed in 34 months, tenders have also been floated for two coastal research vessels (CRVs) for shallow water scientific research in the exclusive economic zones -zones where India has special rights to explore and use marine resources.

The two CRVs will come handy in seabed surveys, water sampling, seabed mapping and sub-bottom profiling. They will be 40m-45m long with reduced noise and vibration levels.

 

[topgun047]

India gets observer status in Arctic Council - The Hindu

India’s bid for observer status in the Arctic Council was successful on Wednesday along with that of five other countries — China, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Singapore — at a meeting in Kiruna, Sweden.



Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, welcomed India’s admission. An MEA spokesperson said India would contribute its scientific expertise, particularly its polar research capabilities, to the work of the Arctic Council to support its objectives.



However, at the level of realpolitik, India will be looking at the opportunities for hydrocarbon exploration offered in the Arctic circle by joining hands with one of the five countries gearing up for the purpose — the U.S., Canada, Norway, Russia and Denmark.



From the point of view of geographical distance, Russia will be the most attractive partner.



But for that to happen, India will have to take a firm political stand on the Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge which Russia claims are an extension of its continental shelf.



By supporting Moscow’s position, India could get access to the rich deposits and also utilise the North Sea Route.



Officially, India maintained that its approach will be solely scientific. “Unlike China and South Korea which are going for commercial benefit, our interest is purely scientific.



Look at the number of scientists we have sent and the number of articles they have published and you will get an idea about our main interest area,” said a government source.



The rapid melting of Arctic sea ice that reached new lows last September has caused nations to show intense interest in the region in terms of navigation and exploration of its rich natural resources. At the first Arctic Summit in Oslo in March organised by The Economist, though India was not represented, scientists, indigenous communities and environmentalists sounded a note of caution on exploring the region’s undiscovered natural resources. Though India has had a research station there since 2008, China has forged much ahead in navigating the area with a three-month sea voyage in an ice breaker, the first Asian ship to undertake that journey.



China is now eyeing new and shorter sea routes, its Polar Research Institute having already made projections on container traffic and trade.



There were concerns that the Arctic Council not being united in its views on exploring natural resources, it may not be able to manage the environment.



For the roughly 4.5 million inhabitants of the region, climate change is a reality and the thinning ice is making transportation and hunting difficult. The 60,000 Inuits, represented by Aqqaluk Lynge, chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council had appealed to countries like India to be more circumspect in their desire to drill for oil or minerals and demanded that the fate of the indigenous people not be jeopardised. Already Greenland had given out over 100 mining leases which was a cause of concern for local people.

 

[The_magnificent]

why ? Indian navy doesn't operate in any cold water sea. we only operate in Indian ocean and south china sea