Srikanth Godavarthi Hyderabad

AsIndia and Norway move to deepen cooperation in maritime industries, ocean technologies and the ‘blue economy’ during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to Oslo, Indian underwater robotics startup EyeROV has emerged as a key representative of the country’s growing deep tech capabilities, pitching an India-Norway Marine Tech Innovation Corridor at the high-level CEOs Roundtable.

Modi’s visit, the first standalone bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Norway in more than four decades, comes at a time when maritime cooperation has become a central pillar of India-Norway economic engagement. Norway is globally recognised for its strengths in subsea engineering, offshore energy, green shipping, aquaculture and ocean technologies, sectors that are increasingly aligning with India’s ambitions in port modernisation, maritime security, sustainable shipping and blue economy development. The maritime sector already forms the backbone of India-Norway commercial engagement, with nearly 70 per cent of the 162 Norwegian companies operating in India linked to shipping, offshore services and allied marine industries. The Oslo summit, therefore, assumed significance not only as a diplomatic engagement but also as a platform to expand technology partnerships in next-generation maritime solutions.

Against this backdrop, India used the summit to showcase its emerging deep-tech ecosystem and position domestic technology firms as global innovation partners. Representing EyeROV at the India-Norway CEOs Roundtable and High-Level Business and Research Summit held on May 18, Co-Founder and CTO Kannappa Palaniappan P outlined opportunities for collaboration in underwater robotics, predictive maintenance systems, smart port infrastructure and next-generation ocean technologies.

EyeROV’s participation gains added significance as the company recently secured a ₹47 crore order from the Indian Navy, a milestone seen as validation of India’s growing indigenous capability in defence-grade underwater robotics and critical maritime technologies.

During the summit, the company proposed five key areas for Indo-Norwegian collaboration: co-development of advanced remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, AI-driven predictive maintenance solutions for shipping fleets, smart underwater inspection systems for ports, robotics-enabled aquaculture technologies and the establishment of a structured India-Norway Marine Tech Innovation Corridor to facilitate joint R&D, certification and market access.

“Norway’s leadership in subsea engineering, offshore technology, green shipping and aquaculture makes it a natural partner for EyeROV,” Palaniappan said, adding that the company sees strong opportunities for collaboration in building smarter, greener and safer maritime operations. The Oslo engagement reflects India’s broader strategy of projecting its deep-tech startups beyond domestic markets and integrating them into global strategic partnerships in emerging sectors such as ocean technology, maritime security and sustainable infrastructure.