Scientists embark on expedition onboard India’s research vessel Sagar Nidhi

Scientists embark on expedition onboard India’s research vessel Sagar Nidhi: Scientists from Bangladesh and Mauritius recently embarked onboard India’s research vessel Sagar Nidhi to participate in a joint ocean expedition. The event took place under the framework of Colombo Security Concave (CSC) between the nations of the Indian Ocean Region.

The first CSCO Oceanographers and Hydrographers conference, held in Goa and Hyderabad in November 2022, leads in a combined ocean expedition led by the Indian National Centres for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), which is part of the ministry of earth sciences. During the joint ocean expedition, scientists will undertake research on ocean data to predict and manage changes in marine environment and variation in ocean parameters.

Sagar Nidhi

• Sagar Nidhi is an ice-strengthened multidisciplinary vessel operated by the National Institute of Ocean Technology.
• Sagar Nidhi is constructed at Fincantieri, Italy.
• Sagar Nidhi is 104metres long vessel.
• It is India’s third research vessel after Sagar Purvi and Sagar Paschimi.

Features of Sagar Nidhi:

Sagar Nidhi is 104 m long and 18 m wide. It is powered with fully automatic diesel-electric propulsion. It is designed with blue water capabilities for the with ranges of up to 10, 00 nautical miles and for voyages lasting up to 45 days. It is able to deploy submersible capsules that will transport scientists to a depth of six kilometres below sea level.

Uses of Sagar Nidhi

• Geo-scientific, meteorological and oceanographic research can be carried out by Sagar Nidhi.
• This would be used by the government to launch tsunami monitoring systems.
• This would be used for the study of marine threats of operation including tropical and polar environment.

Colombo Security Conclave

• CSC was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
• CSC welcomed Mauritius as a fourth member at the first meeting of national security advisors.
• Bangladesh and Seychelles attended as observers and have been invited to join the group.

Goals:

The fifth meeting of national security advisors of CSC identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security in the following five pillars:

• Maritime Safety and Security.
• Terrorism and Radicalization are being combated.
• Combating Human Trafficking and International Organised Crime.
• Cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, and technology.
• Humanitarian aid and disaster relief.