Page 69 - MDSL Final

NEW DYNAMICS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION
Undersea Communication

Underwater (submarine) cables have been part of international
communications since mid 19th century. Strategic importance of the vital
infrastructure crossing IOR has never been more critical than it is today.
In the present marine environment there is extensive and growing trend
for network laying. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention and
provide security for undersea cables crucial to global communications
and commerce, and vital to our national interests.

Oceanic Resources
The IOR is rich in energy resources and minerals such as gold, tin,
uranium, cobalt, nickel, aluminium and cadmium. Nearly 55 percent
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of known oil reserves and 40 percent of gas reserves are in the IOR.
The required amount of energy to the demand heartland (China, India
and Japan) is huge. According to the current usage, the oil import
dependence of India is expected to reach 91.6 percent by 2020. China
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will be responsible for 76.9 percent, while for rest of South Asia it will
be 96.1 percent. Since hydrocarbon would continue to remain as a fuel
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up to 2040, it is vital to safeguard the SLOC, thus the energy security will
remain as the most focused and highly expensive event in the IOR.

The oceans are considered as an unfailing source of food, minerals, energy
and marine life. Yet, at present, human can reach only an extremely small
part of these resources as it does not have a complete knowledge of
the oceans. New technological inventions and global population growth
have increased the competition between the countries for marine
resources. Exploring and drawing upon the ocean’s resources require a
heavy investment initially. The exploitation of marine resources in the
form of fish, oil, minerals and other elements is already possible with the
available technology. Yet competition for the distribution of resources
is drastically varies due to the continual, rapid economic and industrial
growth and global developments.

To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea 51