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Into the Deep: Singapore and Regional Scientists Explore Hidden Biodiversity of the Indian Ocean

PHOTO: OCEANX

Source: Audrey Tan, 7 October 2025, The Straits Times

Researchers from Singapore, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the United States set sail on 7 October from Keppel Bay Marina to study a largely unexplored area of the eastern Indian Ocean. This 24-day mission is led by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and OceanX, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that operates the research vessel OceanXplorer.

This marks Singapore’s first major deep-sea scientific expedition since the adoption of the United Nations’ BBNJ Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction), which aims to protect marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions and establish future marine protected areas.

Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, welcomed the initiative, emphasizing that a new development model is emerging—one based not on exploitation, but on protection and the sharing of knowledge and natural resources. He stressed that scientific research is essential to understanding and preserving marine biodiversity.

The BBNJ Treaty, ratified by 60 countries in September 2025, will enter into force on 17 January 2026. Singapore has committed to ensuring its inclusive implementation by mobilizing expertise from ASEAN and from Small Island Developing States.

On board the OceanXplorer, 21 researchers from the region—including scientists from NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and institutions in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Fiji—will explore a chain of underwater seamounts reaching depths of up to 4,000 metres, true oases of biodiversity. The team will use new technologies, such as benthic platforms, to map and document more than 17,000 square kilometres of seabed.

This expedition is expected to strengthen regional scientific cooperation and provide deeper insight into the deep-sea ecosystems of the Indian Ocean.