Maritime Research Center

Maritime Research Center The prime vision of the MRC is to be a nodal research center on maritime issues and contribute as a

Read our on ‘Autonomous Maritime Systems and Strategic Undersea Infrastructure: China’s Emerging Ocean Technologies,’ ...
02/09/2026

Read our on ‘Autonomous Maritime Systems and Strategic Undersea Infrastructure: China’s Emerging Ocean Technologies,’ which has been authored by Maritime Research Center Research Fellow Suchir Mamidala.

The study analyses China's integration of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), AI-enabled sensing networks, and strategic seabed infrastructure into a unified smart ocean ecosystem.

This research highlights the IOR as a critical strategic theatre where China’s expanding undersea capabilities and maritime infrastructure have significant implications for regional security and UDA. At the same time, the study acknowledges ongoing technical challenges, including acoustic communication, energy endurance, biofouling, and corrosion, which continue to shape the operational potential of these emerging technologies.

📖 Explore the full research note and share your thoughts in the comments below. https://t.ly/5-lvM

Important Note: Please log in to view the complete research note on the Knowledge Center.

Arnab Das, Indian Navy, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, ICWA New Delhi, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

29/08/2026

In his inaugural keynote address at the National Seminar on “Advancing Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework for India’s Vision and its Realization,” Vice Admiral Anil Jaggi, AVSM, Commandant, National Defence Academy (NDA), underscored the growing strategic importance of the underwater domain for India.

During his speech, Commandant NDA highlighted the critical role of in global trade, data connectivity, security, and economic prosperity, noting that over 80% of the world’s environment remains unexplored, unobserved, and unmapped.

Highlighting emerging challenges in the Indian Ocean Region ( ), Vice Admiral Jaggi emphasised the need for India to strengthen its capabilities through a “JAI” framework, which stands for Jointness, Atmanirbharta and Innovation.

▶️ Watch the full video to hear Commandant NDA’s perspectives on building a stronger and more capable Indian UDA ecosystem. https://t.ly/j1oHp

The event was organised by the Maritime Research Center, in collaboration with the ICWA New Delhi at Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture - MCCIA, Pune, Maharashtra, on 17-18 August 2026.

Arnab Das, Indian Navy, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Directorate General of Shipping, India, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, International Maritime Organization - IMO.

Read the UDA Journal Paper on ‘Reimagining River Security: Hydro-Hegemony, Indigenous Knowledge, and Governance of th...
28/08/2026



Read the UDA Journal Paper on ‘Reimagining River Security: Hydro-Hegemony, Indigenous Knowledge, and Governance of the Brahmaputra Basin,’ which has been authored by Tejaswini Kaktikar, Research Fellow at Maritime Research Center. This was published in the ‘International Journal for Underwater Domain Awareness’ (UDA Journal), Volume 01.2026.

The journal paper strongly emphasises that the is more than a river; it is a lifeline, a geopolitical space, and an facing growing and social pressures. It examines the through the interconnected lens of hydro-hegemony, ecological vulnerability, indigenous knowledge and governance.

The paper identifies five key areas of risk:

🔹 Strategic infrastructure and power asymmetries
🔹 Environmental stress and sediment instability
🔹 Climate vulnerability and displacement
🔹 Institutional fragmentation
🔹 The potential of the UDA Framework

Most importantly, the paper explores how can be adapted to a freshwater context, bringing together real-time environmental monitoring, transparent sharing and indigenous knowledge to support more inclusive and collaborative river governance. The central message is clear: “The future of Brahmaputra depends mot on unilateral control, but on cooperation, shared knowledge and collective resilience.”

📖 Read the full paper and explore how UDA can offer a new perspective on freshwater security and governance. https://t.ly/DwaFL

Important Note: Please log in with your credentials to view the full journal paper in our International Journal of Underwater Domain Awareness (a.k.a UDA Journal).

Arnab Das, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, RD & GR, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, Central Water Commission, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

MRC FEATURED IN TĀRIṆĪ – ISSUE 4 🌊We are pleased to share that Callistine J. Lewis, Research Fellow and Head of Publicat...
25/08/2026

MRC FEATURED IN TĀRIṆĪ – ISSUE 4 🌊

We are pleased to share that Callistine J. Lewis, Research Fellow and Head of Publications at Maritime Research Center, and Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das, Founder and Director of MRC, are featured in the fourth issue of Tāriṇī: Sailing Across the Bay of Bengal, titled “Samudra Mandala: Re-anchoring Maritime Security.” This magazine is published by the School of International Relations and Peace Studies, Nalanda University, Rajgir, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Government of India.

Their essay, “Securing the Jala-Durg: Underwater Domain Awareness ( ) and Maritime Security,” explores as a strategic pillar of modern maritime defence, highlighting the role of underwater conditions in shaping operational mobility, coastal security and subsea infrastructure resilience in the Bay of Bengal.

The essay also examines how can integrate data systems to strengthen anti-submarine warfare, fisheries management, deep-sea resource mapping, climate monitoring and regional cooperation through BIMSTEC.

📖 Read the full article on Pages 12–15 of the latest issue of Tāriṇī. https://t.ly/b72pR

Indian Navy, BIMSTEC.

24/08/2026

As part of the 2026 UDA Summer Internship Programme, Dev Raj Karan Singh, an Aerospace Engineering student at IIT Madras, presented a flood module designed to analyse and predict flood patterns across five major tropical deltas, including Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, and Ganga-Brahmaputra.

The study combines FABDEM topography, GRWL river-width data and 20 years of historical discharge data to model Q10, Q50 and Q100 flood scenarios using a physics-based approach.

The work highlights how data-driven flood modelling can support disaster management, urban planning, agriculture and climate change adaptation.

🎥 Watch the full video to learn more about the approach, methodology and key insights from the project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U46yuZK_t4

Arnab Das, incoismoes, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, RD & GR.

22/08/2026

In this insightful byte, Admiral Karambir Singh PVSM, AVSM, IN (Retd.), Former Chief of Naval Staff (Indian Navy), shares his perspective on the complexity and opacity of the underwater domain and the urgent need for India to strengthen its UDA capabilities.

Reflecting on the National Seminar, he highlights how software, doctrine, technology and other building blocks can come together to create a contemporary UDA ecosystem. He acknowledged that the UDA system should support India’s national security as well as its growth and development.

🎥 Watch the full byte to hear Admiral Karambir Singh’s perspective on building a stronger UDA ecosystem for India.

The byte is from the National Seminar on “Advancing Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework for India’s MAHASAGAR Vision and its Realization,” organised by Maritime Research Center and ICWA New Delhi on 17–18 August 2026 in Pune.

Arnab Das, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Directorate General of Shipping, India, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, International Maritime Organization - IMO.

21/08/2026

In collaboration with the Indian Council of World Affairs, a two-day National Seminar on “Advancing Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework for India's MAHASAGAR Vision and its Realization” was organized by the Maritime Research Center at the MCCIA Trade Tower, Pune on 17-18 August 2026.

ICWA Representative Araudra Singh, in his address at the Inaugural Session, observed India’s increased stakes around UDA- with China and Pakistan Navy's augmented regional submarine presence, heightened threats and vulnerabilities to marine environment, and undersea cables, besides imperatives for commercial exploitation. He provided a comprehensive review of India's approach towards UDA in terms of doctrinal thinking, institutional framework, and policy landscape, while examining industrial capabilities. Given that the stakes are likely to further in future, he suggested measures at the policy, institutional, and technology level that could be considered for expediting indigenisation of dual-use UDA capabilities.

The two-day seminar featured an inaugural session, keynote speech, special address, and technical sessions interaction on various facets of UDA.

On the International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage, the Maritime Research Center recognises the importance of pro...
21/08/2026

On the International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage, the Maritime Research Center recognises the importance of protecting the cultural legacy preserved beneath our oceans, seas, rivers and lakes.

From ancient sites and shipwrecks to artefacts and traces of human history, underwater cultural heritage is an important part of our shared maritime identity. Through the lens of Underwater Domain Awareness ( ), technologies and interdisciplinary knowledge can help us ‘To See, To Understand and To Share’ what lies beneath. This can support better documentation, research, conservation and sustainable management of our underwater heritage.

Explore the conversation further through our research article on ‘Maritime History and Traditional Knowledge,’ which was authored by Dr Radhika Seshan, a Maritime Historian. https://t.ly/uL4Da

Because protecting what lies beneath is also about protecting the stories that connect us to our seas.

Arnab Das, UNESCO, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, UNESCO New Delhi Office, United Nations, Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology.

What does it really take to build resilient coastal communities? The answer begins not just with policies or technol...
20/08/2026



What does it really take to build resilient coastal communities? The answer begins not just with policies or technologies, but with people.

Our latest article on the “100 Coastal Warriors” initiative, authored by Nishtha Vishwakarma, Head of Communications and Outreach at the Maritime Research Center, explores how grassroots leaders can serve as catalysts for sustainable coastal development. The initiative aims to bridge the gap among community knowledge, science, technology, and policy to address the challenges facing India’s coastline.

Aligned with the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework, the initiative focuses on three pathways: Policy Intervention, Technology Intervention, and Capacity & Capability Building, turning knowledge into action and communities into partners in coastal resilience.

Read the full article now through the following link: https://t.ly/OLWxe

Important: Please register your credentials to be redirected to the complete article.

📸 Field visit highlights from Ratnagiri & Guhagar, Maharashtra, and Veraval, Gujarat (in 2023-2024), connecting with coastal realities, communities and the people who know the sea best.

Arnab Das, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, UNESCO

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