The manganese nodules or Polymetallic Nodules as they have been termed of late, cover approximately 46 million sq.km area of the Ocean floor with estimated reserves of 1.7 to 3 trillion tones. Because of their attractive metal values, the large reserves, the entirely new technology and investment in the exploration of the nodules, many companies in the developed countries have pooled their expertise to form Consortia.

The first discovery of marine manganese nodules begins with voyage of J.M.S Challenger. J.Y.Buchanan, the expedition Chemist, was the first person to recognise the commercial possibilities of manganese nodules.

While for many years, manganese nodules have been the domain of marine geologists and chemists, interest is currently being shown by the lawyers, engineers, policymakers and investors.

Since these materials lie beyond the limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone and belong to no nation, these materials are particularly intriguing.

The plan of NIO as approved by CSIR, which was established in 1966 at delhi, is now located at Goa since 1969, has envisaged that one of the objective of the research programmes of NIO would be to explore the mineral resource of the Sea bordering India ( Continental shelp and adjacent deep sea)

Indiia's interest for nodule deposits in the India Ocean started during 1960's. In the planning stage, all the existing data, literature and samples of Indian Ocean were collected. Samples of nodules obtained from the Institute of Oceanology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the Scripps Instutute of Oceanography, the woods Hole Oceanography Institute were analysed and maps showing the distribution of nodule deposits were prepared.

In 1978 Dr. S.Z Qasim, the Director of NIO made detailed programme for exploration of deep sea nodules .

The late Dr.H.N. Siddiquie in 1978 was nominated as the Project Co-ordinator and subsequently in 1986 Dr.B.N.Desai, as Co-ordinator with Mr. R.R.Nair as the Project Leader. With the establishement of the Department of Ocean Development in 1981 the project was designated asn National Project and several agencies such as Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneshwar, National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and Central Mining Research Station, Dhanbad were identified as the other participation laboratories. It was visualised that the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research with its laborratories in the fields ranging from exploration to mining and metallurgy could offer the best possible expertise to take up a concerted programme of exploration and exploitation of nodules.

The NIO research vessel RV Gaveshani, the 1,900 tonne vessel, once a hopper barge and converted into a research ship in 1975, collected the first nodules on her 86th cruise on January 26, 1981 under the leadership of Dr. S.Z.Qasim. ( fig )

Setting sail from Goa on 17th January she reached Port Louis , Mauritius on 5th February. she retraced her route back on the 87th cruise in a meticulous search for nodules and returned to Goa on 5th March after 48 days at sea, covering more than 10,000 Km and collecting quite a few Kilograms of nodules.

I took more than four years of preparation, and an expenditure of about Rs. 1.4 million to obtains sophisticated equipment (including deep sea winch with 10 Km. os special wire rope) to make the cruise possible. Twelve systems were under continous operation as the 16 scientists and the crew of 47 plumbed the ocean's depths.

The most important objective of the cruise was to survey the nodule bearing area and not to concentrate on the quantity of nodules collected. Encouraged by the results, NIO extended the survey of nodules to other areas in the Indian Ocean especially in the Central Indian Ocean.

" Gaveshani's" trip and the haul of nodules were widely reported in the international press. What had caught the attention of the big powers was the seof reliance and the confidence that was implied in such a venture. ( fig 5)

The project, therefore , was redrawn while the basic objectives of a consortium or a group of laboratories tackling the problems from exploration to mining and metallurgy were retained. The project was extended to cover all the promising areas in the Indian Ocean. The proposal envisaged the exploration in three phases- regional exploration , detailed exploration and exploration for demarcation of a "candidate site". The priority for exploration was assigned to Central Indian Ocean where the available data indicated the highest possibility of locating the first generation mining sites. Collection of bulk samples for metallurgical tests, environmental( wind, waves, currents) and geotechnical data were proposed to arrive at the design parameters of the mining systems and later on for the environmental impact analyses. Since the project involved a number of laboratories in the CSIR, the coodination, monitoring and evaluation was carefully evolved to ensure successful completion of the project within the time targets.

In the meantime an Oceanography and Ocean Management Commission was announced by the Prime Minister to accelerate the progress of ocean exploration in India, which let to the establishment of the Department of Ocean Development in July 1981.

Dr. S.Z.Qasim took over as the first Secretary of this Department. Lately this department became the sole policy making and funding agency for the polymetallic nodule exploration programme. In February,1986 the Government of India constituted the Ocean Science and Technology Board( OSTB) to act as a focal point and to formulate and periodically review ocean related policies and programmes with Secretary, DOD, as the Chairman of the Board.

In addition to " RV Gaveshwani" and "ORV Sagar Kanya" three other vessels were chartered by the Department of Ocean Development to accelerate the surveys.The NIO deployed a team of 76 scientists and engineers for the survey which perhaps formed one of the largest such teams in the world. The surveys led to the demarcation of the prime area of 300,000 sq.km. with an estimated total tonnage of nodules of about 1335 million. The total expenditure incurred in achieveing these objectives was more than Rs. 50 Crores.The calender of important events is given at the end (Appendix III). An application for the Pioneer Area was filed by the Government of India with the United Nations in January 1984 and in July 1987 India became the first country in the world to have been allocated exclusive rights for further exploration work by Preparatory Commission for the International Sea Bed Authority. Pursuant to this decision, the Secretary General of the United Nations, handed over the Certificate of Registration to the Indian delegation in New York on 17th December 1987.( fig 6)