India's latest research ship inaugurated

A new jewel of the ocean, glistening in the Bay of Bengal, is India's latest research ship the Sagar Nidhi.

Inaugurated by Science Minister Kapil Sibal and Shipping Minister T R Baalu in Chennai on Monday, the ship sailed off to try out the new equipment.

A rupees 232 crore floating laboratory, the ship will help map India's marine resources. It will aid in exploring undersea deposits of methane, the future's energy reserve.

''The Sagar Nidhi is a world class vessel, few of its kind exist in the world. It can be deployed to protect the common man in the event of a tsunami, to investigate the wealth of the bottom of the ocean and our national wealth.

''It will be used to solve the energy problems of India, because of a large amount of methane is entrapped in gas hydrates deep in the ocean,'' said Kapil Sibal, Minister, Science and Technology.

Custom built in Italy, the ship is equipped not just for difficult deep-sea missions along India's 7500-km coastline, but can also sail to Antarctica in summers by effectively cutting through ice.

The seventh in India's fleet of research vessels, 30 scientists live on it for 45 days at a time using the ship's artificial eyes and ears to explore the deepest part of the ocean.

An underwater robot, which can travel down to a depth of six km can study marine life.

The remotely operated vehicle on board is equipped to take underwater photos and to survey and monitor the sea bed.