ORV Sagar Manthan

Context

• Recently, India launched ORV Sagar Manthan, an advanced indigenous Ocean Research Vessel, built by GRSE for NCPOR under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, to strengthen deep-ocean exploration, marine scientific research, climate studies and India’s maritime capabilities.

Some Key Facts

1. Nodal Ministry & Agencies

• Designed, engineered and constructed by: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), a defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
• For: National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

2. Mission Purpose and Strategic Succession

• Mission Alignment: Direct operational asset under Vertical-4 (Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration) of India’s flagship Deep Ocean Mission (DOM).
• Replacement: It will gradually replace ORV Sagar Kanya, a 43-year-old vessel procured from Germany in 1983

3. Technical Specifications & Features

Feature	Technical Detail / Significance
Dimensions & Tonnage	89.5-m long and 18.8-m wide
Operational Capabilities	Max speed of 14 knots; capable of surveys up to depths of 6,000 metres (6 km).
Station Keeping	Dynamic Positioning System: Holds coordinates precisely without anchor deployment.
Sensor Deployment	Drop Keels: Lowers acoustic instruments below the hull to avoid vessel noise and bubble interference.
Subsea Vehicles	Functions as a mothership to launch ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) and AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles).
Certification	Dual-class certified by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

4. Operational & Research Verticals

• Deep-Sea Mineral Exploration: Surveying mid-oceanic ridges to map hydrothermal sulphide deposits, polymetallic crusts, and critical raw materials.
• Geophysical & Seabed Mapping: Executes 3D multibeam bathymetric mapping, sub-bottom sedimentary profiling, and multichannel seismic subsurface analysis.
• Ocean-Climate Interactions: Upper-air observations, Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) profiling, and water column sampling to study climate dynamics and Southern Ocean conditions.

GRSE’s Growing Capabilities

• GRSE has nearly four decades of experience in building survey vessels for the Indian Navy.
• GRSE has delivered four large survey vessels to the Navy; the latest, INS Sanshodhak, was delivered in March 2026.
• Currently, GRSE is building nine warships, including:
• 1 Project 17A guided-missile frigate
• 4 ASW-SWC corvettes
• 4 Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NGOPVs)

Project 17A (Nilgiri Class)

1. Project 17A is a programme to build 7 advanced stealth guided-missile frigates for the Indian Navy.
2. Builder: GRSE – 3 ships; Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) – 4 ships.
3. It is an improved successor to the Project 17 (Shivalik-class) frigates.
4. Key features include enhanced stealth, advanced sensors, improved automation and indigenous systems.
5. GRSE-built ships: INS Himgiri, INS Dunagiri and INS Vindhyagiri.
6. MDL –built ships: INS Nilgiri, INS Udaygiri, INS Taragiri and INS Mahendragiri.

Important CTC From this article–   ORV Sagar Manthan

Q. Consider the following statements regarding ORV Sagar Manthan:
1. It is an indigenously built Ocean Research Vessel constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
2. It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.
3. It is designed to conduct deep-sea surveys at depths up to 6,000 metres under the Deep Ocean Mission.
Which of the statements given above are correct? 
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
• Explanation: Statement 2 is incorrect. The vessel operates under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) via the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).