Maritime Research Center

On 1st June 2026, the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping), Government of India, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maritime Research Center (MRC), represented by Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das, Founder & Director.

The MoU focuses on fostering an institutional partnership aimed at advancing technology-driven, policy-aligned, and capacity-oriented solutions for critical challenges in the maritime domain. At its core, the collaboration is anchored in the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework pioneered by MRC, which emphasizes a holistic integration of science, technology, and governance to enable comprehensive and data-driven management of underwater, coastal, and maritime ecosystems.

It encompasses four priority domains, Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), Sediment Management and Biofouling Management. The collaboration adopts a structured “Outreach–Engage–Sustain” framework to ensure long-term impact. The initiative is expected to enhance situational awareness, strengthen policy frameworks, promote sustainable maritime practices, and build institutional capacity, thereby contributing to safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible maritime operations.

The Maritime Research Center, in collaboration with NirDhwani Technology Pvt Ltd., is pleased to announce its upcoming webinar on the occasion of ‘World Oceans Day 2026.’ This webinar, themed ‘Reimagine Beyond the World We Know: A New Perspective based on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA),’ will be hosted on 08 June 2026 from 4:00 PM IST onwards.

📅 Date: 08 June, 2026
🕒 Time: 4:00 PM IST
💻 Place: Online (Webex and YouTube Livestream)
🔗 Registration link: https://t.ly/gFAAk
📋 More Details: https://t.ly/vbr6V

During the webinar, our incoming interns from prestigious institutions such as IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur will present their projects across diverse UDA domains, including Sediment Management, Fisheries, Aquaculture, Marine Spatial Planning, and Biofouling Management.

We will be joined by distinguished experts, including Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd), Former Vice Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy and Former National Maritime Security Coordinator; Professor Tomonari Akamatsu, Senior Researcher (Professor) at Waseda University, Japan and Former Director, OPRI, 笹川平和財団　The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan.

The webinar will also feature eminent industry and academic leaders, including Mr Rakesh Kumar, General Manager, Bharat Electronics Limited, a PSU under Min of Defence, GoI; Ms Swati Meherishi, Editorial Director, Asia Pacific Engineering and Applied Sciences Books Program at Springer Nature; and Shri Killi Mohana Rao, Chief Surveyor-cum-Additional Directorate General of Shipping, India, Government of India.

As the global community seeks to “Reimagine” its relationship with the oceans, our webinar aims to serve as a meaningful platform for dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.

We look forward to your participation. Register now!

Arnab Das

We are delighted to welcome the talented students from BITS Pilani to the Maritime Research Center for the Summer Internship Programme 2026 at our UDA Center in Pune, Maharashtra. 🌊

During their time at the center, the interns will gain exposure to research and applications related to underwater acoustics, ocean data analytics, biofouling management, AI-enabled underwater solutions, and technology-driven approaches for sustainable ocean governance.

Through hands-on learning, collaborative discussions, and ongoing research, the students will contribute to initiatives that strengthen holistic Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) and deepen their understanding of the interconnected aspects of maritime security, the blue economy, disaster management, and marine ecosystem conservation.

We look forward to an exciting journey of learning, innovation, and meaningful contributions from the interns at our Centre. Wishing them a productive and inspiring internship experience ahead!

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

We are delighted to welcome aboard the brilliant summer interns from IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to the Maritime Research Center for the UDA Summer Internship Programme 2026!

This internship brings together some of the brightest young minds to work on interdisciplinary challenges in underwater acoustics, maritime sustainability, ocean observation, biofouling management, sediment dynamics, coastal management, and marine spatial planning under the UDA framework.

At the Maritime Research Center, we strongly believe that nurturing young researchers is essential for building a sustainable and secure underwater and maritime future. We look forward to an exciting summer of learning, research, discussions, and impactful contributions from this talented cohort.

Wishing all the interns a rewarding and inspiring journey ahead! ✨

Arnab Das, incoismoes, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, National Institute of Ocean Technology

We are pleased to share that our Founder and Director, Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das, conducted an Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework session at the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi.

During the session, Dr Das highlighted how underwater acoustics serve as a common thread connecting maritime security, blue economy, marine biodiversity, disaster management, and scientific research. The same acoustic systems used for submarine detection can also monitor snapping shrimp colonies, track fish populations, and study marine ecosystems.

Dr Das also spoke about Maritime Research Center’s work on the freshwater dolphin monitoring across the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Chilika Lake, where underwater acoustic tools are being used to study dolphin populations, habitat degradation, feeding cycles, and ecosystem health.

Equally compelling was the discussion on the “Anthropause” during COVID, when reduced human activity created some of the clearest underwater acoustic baselines recorded in decades. The session reinforced the importance of indigenous acoustic capacity building, research, innovation, and skilling for India’s maritime future.

📸 Sharing a few glimpses from the session below.

Indian Navy, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, incoismoes, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.

Our Six-Month Training Course on “AI & Data Analytics for Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA)” is live now!

This is a structured, research-oriented, and industry-aligned program designed to build strong foundations in data analytics, machine learning, and AI for the maritime domain. The course covers key areas, including Machine Learning for UDA, Basics of UDA, Sediment Management, Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) Management, and Digital Transformation for Coastal Communities.

With a strong focus on applied learning, participants will work with real-world datasets and operational challenges, gaining skills to:

● Handle noisy, sparse datasets
● Apply ML to time-series and geospatial data
● Interpret underwater acoustic signals
● Build data-driven decision workflows
● Connect analytics with governance and policy

🔗 Learn more: https://t.ly/IU3mj
📝 Register now: https://t.ly/DFLOv

Note: This is a paid training course.

Maritime Research Center, Arnab Das, Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University, University of Mumbai , VIIT Pune_Official, Vishwakarma Institute Of Technology, COEP Technological University, Symbiosis International Deemed University, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography Goa, MMCOE PUNE, Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS), Pune.

Commemorating the International Day for Biological Diversity 2026🌊

On the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, we reiterate our commitment to protecting marine ecosystems and strengthening sustainable ocean governance.

Marine biodiversity is critical for ecological balance, climate resilience, food security, and the Blue Economy. Through our work on Biofouling Management, we want to highlight the growing need to address the spread of invasive aquatic species and the ecological impacts caused by biofouling on maritime infrastructure and operations.

Under the broader Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework, we continue to work towards sustainable, technology-driven and policy-oriented solutions for healthier oceans and resilient marine ecosystems.

🌍 Protecting Biodiversity Below the Surface for a Sustainable Future. Explore our article on Biofouling Management in our UDA Digest e-magazine for more details: https://t.ly/fkOZN

Arnab Das, Maritime Research Center, UN Environment Programme, International Maritime Organization - IMO, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, Ministry of Earth Sciences Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, incoismoes, UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization.