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Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) launched the Ocean Research Vessel ORV Sagar Manthan (Yard 3041) on 9 September 2026 at its Rishi Bankim Shipyard in Kolkata.
The vessel is being built for the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, at a cost of about Rs 840 crore.
It is being constructed under Vertical-4 of the Deep Ocean Mission, titled Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh was the chief guest; the vessel was named by Smt Manju Singh.
ORV Sagar Manthan will gradually replace ORV Sagar Kanya, procured from Germany in 1983 and in service for 43 years.
| Parameter | ORV Sagar Kanya | ORV Sagar Manthan |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Procured from Germany, 1983 | Designed, engineered and built in India by GRSE, Kolkata |
| Service | 43 years as India's multidisciplinary oceanographic research vessel | Projected service life of 30 years from delivery |
| Timeline | In service since 1983 | Launched 9 September 2026; delivery scheduled 2028 |
| Role | Multidisciplinary oceanographic research | Deep-sea mineral exploration, subsea oil and gas seismic surveys, seabed sampling, AUV and ROV operations, including in the Southern Ocean |
Develop technologies for deep-sea exploration, deep-sea mining, ocean climate advisory services and marine biodiversity. Approved by the Cabinet in June 2021 with an outlay of about Rs 4,077 crore over five years, with the Ministry of Earth Sciences as nodal ministry; it runs across six verticals.
Key: ORV Sagar Manthan is being built under Vertical-4, Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration. The best-known vertical is Samudrayaan, which is developing the crewed submersible Matsya-6000 to carry three aquanauts to a depth of 6,000 metres.
Designed, engineered and constructed the vessel. Founded in 1884 on the eastern bank of the Hooghly and nationalised by the Government of India in 1960.
The vessel's owner; India's nodal institute for polar and Southern Ocean research. Established on 25 May 1998 as the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), with Dr Prem Chand Pandey as founding director.
Administers NCPOR and implements the Deep Ocean Mission.
The vessel was launched at GRSE's Rishi Bankim Shipyard on the Hooghly river in Kolkata. Its owner NCPOR is at Vasco-da-Gama in Goa, and the ship is built to operate in extreme environments including the Southern Ocean, the water body encircling Antarctica where NCPOR runs India's polar programme.
GS Paper 3 > Science & Technology > Indigenisation and developments in science
General Awareness > Science & Technology
A ship fitted out for marine scientific surveys, oceanographic observation and deep-sea operations rather than for cargo or combat.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, which runs a pre-programmed course on its own, and Remotely Operated Vehicle, which is tethered and steered from the ship.
A launch puts the hull in the water; superstructure erection, system integration and sea trials follow before delivery and commissioning, here scheduled for 2028.