NUS-OceanX expedition off to study unexplored part of Indian Ocean

Researchers from Singapore, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and the United States set off on Oct 7 from the Marina at Keppel Bay to study a largely unexplored part of the eastern Indian Ocean, as part of the Republic's commitment to understand and protect marine biodiversity.

- Audrey Tan Assistant News Editor

Using submersibles, remotely operated vehicles and environmental DNA sampling, the mission aims to provide the first comprehensive baseline of biodiversity in the Monsoon Rise - the seamount province in the international waters off Christmas Island. Findings from the expedition will be shared through peer-reviewed publications, said NUS and OceanX.

(PHOTO: LIANHE ZAQBAO)

The 24-day expedition is an initiative of the National University of Singapore (NUS) and OceanX, a US-based nonprofit group that operates the OceanXplorer scientific vessel.

It marks Singapore's first major deep-sea scientific expedition since the adoption of the United Nations Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, said NUS and OceanX in a statement.

The BBNJ Agreement is a treaty that governs the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity outside national jurisdictions.

It will pave the way for, among other things, the establishment of marine protected areas in the high seas.

Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of the Oct 4 ceremonial sendoff for the OceanXplorer, noted that there is now a new paradigm to development.

He said: "In the old, extractive paradigm, you take, you use and you exploit... And I believe in a future where real value is created by protecting and sharing ideas, discoveries, applications... So beyond just mapping the seabed, marine life, genetic biodiversity, I think there are rich, rich opportunities to be shared by everyone."