One may argue that China and India are engaged in a war for the natural riches found in the deep marine ocean. India has requested permission from the International Seabed Authority (ISA) of the United Nations to search for minerals like cobalt and manganese in the Afanasy-Nikitin Seamount (ANS) and Carlsberg Ridge, two areas at opposite ends of the Indian Ocean. This information was reported in the Times of India. These minerals are used to make solar panels and batteries for electric cars.

According to reports, China has also expressed interest in exploring mineral resources in the Indian Ocean. M. Ravichandran, the Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, stated that they are aware that China and other countries are also eyeing these regions. He said that for India, it is not only about the mineral resources but also about the strategic importance of these areas.

At the moment, India has permits to investigate two areas of the Indian Ocean. The first license, which was signed in 2002 and runs out on March 24, 2027, permits the mining of polymetallic nodules at a depth of 6 km in the central Indian Ocean, some 6,000 km off the Indian coast. The Rodriguez Triple Junction in the southern Indian Ocean, where three tectonic plates converge close to Mauritius, is the site of the second license, which was signed on September 26, 2016, and expires on September 25, 2031. It allows for the investigation of polymetallic sulphides there.

According to Sunil Kumar Singh, the Director of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), out of the 71 million square km of the Indian Ocean region, 300,000 square km have been mapped since the 1980s. These surveys, which have been submitted to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), include a 150,000 square km area with polymetallic nodules?potato-shaped minerals lying on the seabed that contain manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper, and iron hydroxide.

He further stated that in the 1980s, they recruited scientists to study these polymetallic nodules in the Indian Ocean, with the hope that one day there would be the necessary technology to explore these regions.

According to Thamba Meloth, the director of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, The exploration process begins with ship-based studies, followed by preliminary sampling, autonomous underwater vehicle studies, and remotely operated vehicle studies. Additionally, a parallel study is being conducted to assess the biological life in the ocean and the potential environmental impact of mining activity.

Within the two locations under investigation, a portion of the 75,000 square kilometres allocated for Indian study of polymetallic nodules, or 18,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean, have seen the start of test mining by Indian researchers. This entails creating and evaluating machinery for mineral harvesting and extraction that doesn't harm the environment. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), situated in Chennai, is creating an integrated mining system that consists of a crawler, crusher, and pumping system that are all five metres long.