Nellore:Andhra Pradesh has quietly emerged as the hub of two groundbreaking marine science facilities that place India at the forefront of ocean technology and deep-sea research. The national institute of ocean technology (NIOT), under the Union ministry earth sciences, has established the nation’s first deep sea microbial repository and Asia's first ballast water treatment technologies test facility (BWTT-TF) in Tirupati district. It also positions India among a select group of countries capable of independently validating ballast water treatment technologies for global shipping. Being developed under the Deep Ocean Mission, the state-of-the-art facility is envisioned as the country's premier centre for preserving and studying microorganisms collected from the deep ocean. Together, these two first-of-their-kind facilities underscore India's growing ambitions in ocean science and technology.