According to Damien Symon, the Chinese research ship Shi Yan 6 completed a new survey in the Indian Ocean Region in March 2025, traveling close to the Ninety East Ridge before reaching Malé, Maldives.
Because of the vessel’s sophisticated seabed mapping capabilities and possible dual-use implications, its activities—which are presented as scientific—have generated strategic worries.
In March 2025, China’s first geophysical ocean research ship, the Shi Yan 6, sailed into the Indian Ocean. Although its official purpose was to carry out geophysical and maritime geological studies, Indian observers pointed out that its activities had obvious military significance.
Before arriving in Male, Maldives, the ship was seen working close to the Ninety East Ridge, a notable undersea structure in the eastern Indian Ocean. India has been keeping a careful eye on a larger pattern of Chinese scientific activity in the area, which included this deployment. India’s geopolitical strategy
Shi Yan 6 can provide detailed seabed profiles thanks to its sophisticated sub-bottom profilers, magnetometers, and multibeam echo sounders. Such information is essential for charting underwater resources, submarine navigation, and scientific investigation.
As a result, the survey work done by the vessel may benefit both military operations and civilian research. Seabed mapping of this type could help detect undersea features crucial for cable-laying infrastructure or submarine passageways, according to Indian defense specialists.
China’s expanding maritime footprint in the Indian Ocean region was highlighted by the arrival of Shi Yan 6 in Male. Beijing’s larger maritime domain awareness plan was called into question by the timing and location of its actions, despite the fact that it was promoted as a research trip.
The ship’s activities were reportedly being monitored by the Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) and India’s Ministry of Defence, indicating increased watchfulness over foreign research vessels operating close to India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and maritime border.
Other Chinese research ships, such as Shen Hai Yi Hao and Lan Hai, were in the Indian Ocean at the same time as Shi Yan 6 was deployed. These vessels worked together to conduct surveys throughout the region, from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. Policy for Defense Acquisition
Their coordinated efforts, according to analysts, could be directed toward methodically charting important underwater features along vital marine channels.
Regional events, such as the suspension of a planned BrahMos missile launch in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, further highlighted the strategic importance of these studies.
In light of this, the deployment of Chinese research vessels was perceived as a component of a larger initiative to increase Beijing’s operational expertise and influence in the Indian Ocean, a crucial area for India’s economic and strategic security.
