According to The Times of India, India will soon be seeking the approval for deep-sea exploration of minerals and metals in central Indian Ocean region from International Seabed Authority (ISA). This move is done to anchor the country’s strategic significance in the Indian Ocean region and open up the possibility to extract valuable metals and minerals including copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese.

India is completely dependent on imports for cobalt. In addition, its nickel and copper resources are depleting fast, and is estimated to run out by 2015. “There are civil needs too as they find application in technological products. But extraction from depths of 6,000 meter would be an engineering challenge,” sources said.

With the help of the Department of Ocean Development, Antarctic Research Center, and National Institute of Oceanography, India will soon submit their application to the ISA.