The Hindu Business Line : President reviews Naval fleet

Sailors saluting the President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, from aircraft carrier INS Virat during the President's Fleet Review in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. — C.V. Subrahmanyam

Visakhapatnam , Feb. 12

THE President, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, has exhorted the Navy to work for sustained economic development of the nation, with emphasis on exploitation of marine resources.

Addressing the officers and sailors of the Indian Navy after the ninth President's Fleet Review from onboard the President's yacht INS Sukanya off Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal on Sunday morning, he recalled that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1994 would result in the addition of two million sq km of sea area to Indian jurisdiction in the form of exclusive economic zone with full rights for economic exploitation. There was a need to frame rules for governance and regulations of the development activities within the maritime zone of India, he said.

"We have to map our maritime zones with its living and non-living resources as a first step towards sustained economic development of the marine areas. The Navy has to work with the Department of Ocean Development in evolving a national plan for implementing this economic development," he said.

Mr Kalam also noted that oceans were important for the social, political and economic development of a nation. Efforts were on to locate hydrocarbon resources in deep waters. One of the important sources on the east and west coasts was methane hydrate, the deposits of which were expected to be found 400 to 700 metres below the sea-bed. Seismic studies had shown high probability of existence of these deposits. Currently, there was a National Gas Hydrates Programme, which was working as an integrated mission to locate the methane hydrate deposits.

"It is a complex technological challenge as it involves high pressure technology transportation. In addition, nearly 40 per cent of the world population lives in our region. The economic growth of this region depends on the heavy transportation in the Indian Ocean, particularly the Malacca Strait. The Navy has an increasing role to provide necessary support for carrying out these operations," he said.

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