India has secured a landmark exploration licence from the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA) to search for polymetallic sulphide deposits in the Carlsberg Ridge, a 3,00,000-sq km stretch in the north-west Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

This marks the first-ever global licence for such exploration, according to M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi on September 15, 2025. Polymetallic sulphides, concentrated in deep-sea nodules, are a strategic source of manganese, cobalt, copper, and nickel, all critical for battery and high-technology industries.

The Carlsberg Ridge forms the tectonic boundary between the Indian and Arabian plates, running from Rodrigues Island to the Owen fracture zone, making it a geologically promising region.

India had applied in January 2024 for exploration rights in two areas—the Carlsberg Ridge and the Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount (ANS).

While Carlsberg has now been approved, the ANS claim remains pending due to competing claims, notably from Sri Lanka, under the provisions of the UNCLOS framework, which permits extended continental shelf claims up to 350–500 nautical miles.

India already holds two prior ISA contracts: one in the Central Indian Ocean Basin for nodules (2002, valid up to March 2027 after extensions) and another for polymetallic sulphides in the Indian Ocean Ridge (2016, valid till 2031).

Though commercial deep-sea mining remains prohibitively expensive and environmentally controversial, acquiring exploratory rights is seen as a strategic hedge against rising global demand and Chinese activity in the region.

Delhi has conducted multiple seabed surveys but views these contracts primarily as a measure to secure future resource access and deny rival states potential dominance in a mineral-rich zone of high geopolitical sensitivity.

Detailed timeline of India’s seabed exploration contracts and milestones related to the Indian Ocean polymetallic resource sector:

India’s Seabed Exploration Timeline

March 2002: India signed its first exploration contract with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for mineral nodules in the Central Indian Ocean Basin. This contract marked the country’s entry into deep-sea mineral rights exploration.
Contract valid initially for 15 years, extended twice. Set to expire on March 24, 2027.

September 26, 2016: Signed a second contract with ISA for exploration of polymetallic sulphides in the Indian Ocean Ridge.
Valid till September 2031.

January 2024: India applied to ISA for additional exploration rights in two new regions:
Carlsberg Ridge (north-west Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea)
Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount (ANS) in the Central Indian Ocean.
ANS exploration rights remain pending due to conflicting claims by Sri Lanka.

September 15, 2025: India signed a historic and first-ever global licence with ISA for the exploration of polymetallic sulphides in the Carlsberg Ridge area.
Authorised to explore a 3,00,000 sq. km stretch bordering the Indian and Arabian tectonic plates.
The licence provides strategic access to vital metals like manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper.

Ongoing And Future: India continues commissioning seabed surveys under its ISA contracts to build geological and environmental datasets to support potential sustainable mining operations.
Commercial extraction not imminent due to environmental concerns and high cost.
Strategic emphasis on preserving future rights and pre-empting rival claims, particularly in response to Chinese exploration activities.

This timeline maps India’s progressive steps in securing deep-ocean mineral rights through the ISA under the UNCLOS legal framework, highlighting key contracts and exploration milestones up to 2025.

Based On The Hindu Report