Pariksha SaathiMines Ministry Holds Outreach Programme for Auction of Two Offshore Mineral Blocks in the Andaman Sea
The Ministry of Mines held an outreach programme in New Delhi on 13 October 2026 for prospective bidders ahead of its first auction of offshore mineral blocks. A Notice Inviting Tender dated 1 October 2026 covers two blocks in the Andaman Sea - Sewell Rise-01 (632 sq km) and West Sewell Ridge-01 (1,000 sq km), together 1,632 sq km - both containing polymetallic nodules and crusts holding minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, and both offered under a Composite Licence. The auction is being run under the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002 (amended 2023) and the Offshore Areas Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2024. At the event, the Geological Survey of India presented the blocks' geology, transaction advisor SBI Capital Markets explained the bidding process, and auction platform operator MSTC demonstrated the e-auction portal; the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust described its scheme for partially reimbursing exploration costs to future Composite Licence holders. Under the published schedule, the pre-bid conference is on 4 November 2026 and bids close on 28 December 2026.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
Under Article 57 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982, a coastal state’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline used to measure its territorial sea. India’s offshore mineral blocks, including the two offered for this auction, lie within its EEZ in the Andaman Sea.
Reference: United Nations’ official text of UNCLOS, Part V (Exclusive Economic Zone)
Check yourself: is a coastal state’s EEZ the same as its territorial sea?
No — the territorial sea extends only 12 nautical miles from the baseline, over which a state has full sovereignty; the EEZ extends further, up to 200 nautical miles, and gives the state rights over resources (like seabed minerals and fish) rather than full sovereignty.
Revision task: from this release, note the combined area of the two blocks on offer (1,632 sq km) and the Act under which the auction is held (Offshore Areas Mineral Act, 2002), and keep both separate from the standing UNCLOS definition above.
Test yourself
The two offshore blocks in India's first offshore mineral auction, Sewell Rise-01 and West Sewell Ridge-01, contain which type of mineral deposits?
Show the answer
Answer: Polymetallic nodules and crusts
Both blocks (632 and 1,000 sq km, in the Andaman Sea) hold polymetallic nodules and crusts with nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, and are offered under a Composite Licence; bids close on 28 December 2026.
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