- OceanX and Indonesia’s BRIN have launched a major deep-ocean expedition to study the largely unexplored Sulawesi seamount chain beneath the Pacific Ring of Fire.
- The mission combines advanced technologies, two scientific legs, and a stronger research team, building on the 2024 discovery of five new seamounts.
- Indonesia positions the expedition as vital for marine science sovereignty, strengthening blue-economy strategies, capacity building, and evidence-based ocean governance.
OceanX, along with Indonesia's BRIN, has undertaken an ambitious deep-ocean expedition to the Sulawesi seamount chain, one of the Indo-Pacific's most poorly understood regions. The mission, running from December into January, will determine how geological forces, biodiversity, and ecological processes interact beneath the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Following outreach programmes and public education activities in Bitung, this expedition uses as a starting point the discoveries made during the 2024 OceanX–BRIN collaboration that documented five previously unknown seamounts north of Sulawesi. This year's mission expands significantly, bringing a larger scientific team, a deeper research agenda, and more advanced technologies to develop Indonesia's most comprehensive deep-sea dataset to date.
OceanX Co-CEO and Chief Scientist Vincent Pieribone underscored the scientific value of venturing into an area that is still almost completely unexplored. He pointed out that seamounts affect ocean currents, host unique species, and act as biological stepping-stones across the deep sea, though few of the hundreds within Indonesia's waters have been investigated thus far. Working with BRIN to survey those systems, researchers hope to get an unparalleled insight into how Indonesia's deep ocean underpins its wider marine environment.
Following its departure from Bitung, the research vessel began the first of two major scientific legs. The first phase aims at documenting the geological and hydrothermal features of the seamount chain using high-resolution seabed mapping, sub-bottom profiling, and visual surveys. These will aid scientists in interpreting the volcanic and tectonic processes defining the deep-ocean landscape. The second phase turns to biological exploration, with the deployment of remotely operated vehicles, submersibles, environmental DNA sampling, and oceanographic instruments to study species distribution, habitat connectivity, and overall ecosystem structure. OceanX's SeaSwipe AI system will enable near-real-time analysis, helping the researchers rapidly annotate imagery and track key species and habitats.
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BRIN Chairman Arif Satria said the mission means much for the nation, as it is vital to enhance Indonesia's marine science sovereignty. Indonesia is a global centre of marine biodiversity and an archipelagic country. It should be at the forefront of deep-sea knowledge. This expedition is in line with Indonesia's long-term strategy for the blue economy, he said, providing the scientific basis for managing and protecting marine resources autonomously.
Capacity building is a core element of the mission. Early career researchers and technicians from BRIN and partner universities will directly participate in mapping, sampling, genomic and data processing activities, receiving hands-on training that will support Indonesia's National Roadmap for Research. The initiative is closely tied to Project Krisna, a large-scale undertaking to enhance Indonesia's marine science capabilities through new research vessels funded by AFD France.
Bappenas has also supported the mission, underlining that marine research, together with people, skills and institutions, will be pivotal to delivering Indonesia's blue economy and are critical to underpin evidence-based policy and governance. Insights and datasets from the expedition are expected to contribute to Indonesia's marine spatial planning, hazard assessment, and biodiversity baselines, particularly for northern Sulawesi. These will also provide key evidence needed at the national scale for longer-term ocean management strategies. This mission of OceanX–BRIN marks a major milestone in the marine science of Indonesia with its combination of exploration, capacity building, and large-scale data integration, increasing the nation's understanding of ocean systems and supporting stronger, future-focused marine governance.
