India’s Science, Technology and Earth Sciences Minister S. Jaipal Reddy announced that the country has identified the First Generation Mine Site in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), Mining Weekly informs.
The CIOB area contains 380-million tons of polymetallic nodule resource potential, including nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese.
India conducted environmental studies for mining of the deep-sea polymetallic nodules using remotely operated submersibles.
The China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association (COMRA) also carried out exploration activities for polymetallic nodules.
India expressed concerns over China extending strategic and commercial interests in the Indian Ocean through deep-sea mining on several occasions, and the latest response of establishing a first generation mining site in CIOB was aimed at countering these concerns, Mining Weekly adds.
[mappress] Subsea World News Staff, December 13, 2012