Why in the news?
On June 3rd, Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), a Government of India undertaking, signed an MoU with Norwegian firm Kongsberg to co-design and build India’s first-ever polar research vehicle (PRV) indigenously. GRSE, which has built warships, survey and research vessels, will build the PRV in its yard in Kolkata.
Key Takeaways:
1. The MoU was signed in Oslo in the presence of Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who termed it “a commitment to fostering scientific discovery, advancing India’s capabilities in polar and ocean research, and contributing to global efforts to address pressing challenges like climate change.”
2. A PRV is a ship that serves as a platform for research in the polar regions (areas surrounding the North and South Poles). It can also help scientists undertake research in the ocean realm. The PRV will be equipped with the latest scientific equipment, enabling researchers to explore the oceans’ depths and study marine ecosystems.
3. India currently operates three research base stations in the polar regions — Bharati and Maitri in Antarctica, and Himadri in the Arctic region — and had been planning to have its own PRV for a while now.
4. The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), operating under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is the nodal agency responsible for the planning and execution of research expeditions to the Arctic, the Antarctic and the Himalayas.
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5. The polar regions, the Arctic and Antarctica, offer pristine environments for scientists to study a range of natural phenomena for atmospheric, oceanic, biological, geological, glaciological and earth sciences research. In recent years, climate change research has been attracting scientists to the Arctic region.
6. Arctic sea ice has been shrinking for decades. In the last 40 years, the sea ice extent has been decreasing by 12.6% each decade, according to a 2023 report in the MIT Climate Portal. Expeditions have been sent to study lightning over the Arctic in winter, the role of precipitation in climate change, the characterisation of radio frequency environment, and the role of aerosols on climate change. In this regard, the decision to build the first-ever polar research vehicle is an important development.
| Arctic Council |
| The area above the Arctic Circle, north of latitude 66° 34’ N, is part of eight countries — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the US — who make up the Arctic Council, plus the Arctic Ocean. The scientific research in the Arctic region is governed by international legal instruments like the Svalbard Treaty of 1920 and the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, apart from the individual jurisdictions of the Arctic countries. |
Research base stations of India
1. India signed the Svalbard Treaty in Paris in 1920. According to the website of arcticportal, “The treaty establishes Norway’s full and undivided sovereignty over Svalbard. Svalbard is part of the Kingdom of Norway, and it is Norway that ratifies and enforces the legislation that is to apply to the archipelago.”
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2. It was not until 2007 that the first Indian expedition comprising five scientists visited the International Arctic Research Facilities at Ny-Ålesund with the purpose of initiating studies in Arctic microbiology, atmospheric sciences, and geology. India’s permanent research station, Himadri, began operations in July 2008.
3. Dakshin Gangotri in Antarctica was set up in 1983, two years after India’s first expedition there. Dakshin Gangotri is now submerged under ice, but India’s two other stations, Maitri and Bharti, are in use. It is governed by the Antarctic Treaty.
4. The Antarctic Treaty was originally signed by 12 countries — Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, Belgium, Japan, and South Africa — on December 1, 1959 to provide a framework for peaceful coexistence and scientific cooperation in the continent.
5. Currently, 56 countries are part of the treaty — 29 of which, including all 12 original signatories, are ‘Consultative Parties’, which are part of the decision-making process. India, which joined the treaty in 1983, is also a Consultative Party.
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BEYOND THE NUGGET: Maritime Development Fund
1. India is making bold moves in shipbuilding. The 2025 Union budget laid the foundation for a maritime resurgence, with mega clusters, a Rs 25,000-crore Maritime Development Fund (MDF), customs duty exemptions, and infrastructure status for large vessels.
2. The Rs 25,000 crore maritime development fund will be for distributed support and promoting competition. The government will contribute 49 per cent of the fund, with the remainder to be mobilised from ports and the private sector.
3. India is increasingly investing in shipbuilding clusters, as India’s outward remittance on transport services is increasing with rising exports. In 2022, traders remitted over $109 billion as transport service charges.
4. MDF will facilitate the financing for ship acquisition with the aim of boosting the Indian flagged ships’ share in the global cargo volume up to 20% by 2047. By 2030, MDF is aiming at generating upto ₹1.5 lakh crore investment in the shipping sector.
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5. The Budget also extended the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Policy (SBFAP) 2.0 with the total budget outlay of Rs 18,090 crore. It offers direct financial subsidies to Indian shipyards to enhance their competitiveness in the global market.
Post read question
(1) Consider the following statements:
1. India signed the Svalbard Treaty in 1983, leading to India’s first research station, Dakshin Gangotri.
2. Himadri is India’s permanent research station in Antarctica.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) None
(2) Consider the following countries: (UPSC CSE 2014)
1. Denmark
2. Japan
3. Russian Federation
4. United Kingdom
5. United States of America
Which of the above are the members of the ‘Arctic Council’?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1, 3 and 5 only
(Source: Garden Reach inks pact with Norway firm, India to build its first polar research vehicle)
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