Government clears purchase of Polar Research Vessel

NEW DELHI: The government today cleared the acquisition of an over Rs 1000-crore worth Polar Research Vessel (PRV) which will help India sustain its bases in Antartica and widen its thrust in Arctic study.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved acquisition of PRV icebreaker and research-cum-supply vessel by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total cost of Rs 1051.13 crore within a period of 34 months, an official statement said.

Indian Antarctic expeditions have been undertaken every year onboard ice-class vessels or ice-breakers chartered from the international market.

"The Earth Sciences ministry felt necessary to have the country's own PRV considering the need to sustain two Indian research bases in Antarctica (Maitri and Bharti)...," the statement said.

It will help in dovetailing research initiatives in the Southern Ocean domain with those in the proximal regions of the Antarctic continent, widen the thrust on Arctic research disciplines undertaken through Indian Station Himadri and to provide a suitable research platform for other tropical sea programmes, it said.

With India's entry into the Arctic Council as an Observer along with China, Singapore, Japan and South Korea, it has become strategically important to have increased visibility in the Arctic too. This will facilitate India to assume a lead role among Asian nations active in the polar regions, it said.

Such a vessel cannot only perform research and logistics in the polar region but can also serve as a research platform for scientists to undertake scientific research in the ocean realm, including the Southern Ocean.