ROV 2LST

Nayak said the data retrieved by the ROV, including
images and some microbes, was being analysed. "The basic idea
was to map the area to know what was there and what it takes
to work and mine."
Chavan said he looked forward to the presence of metals
like manganese, cobalt and nickel and also gas hydrates.
"India has mining rights to 75,000 sq km of sea, and as
terrestrial metal resources exhaust, this (deep sea-mining)
will start making sense and we have to make the beginning
somewhere," he said.
Chavan said research efforts focused on drugs from
deep-sea and explained that some animals and plants had
features of sustainability in adverse conditions which could
be studied.
NIOT's next challenge was to reach the 6000 metre mark,
Atmanand said. PTI