There are large reserves of hydrocarbons being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India and Western Australia. About 40% of the world’s offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean.
The beach sands along the coastline of the Arabian Sea is very rich in valuable minerals like uranium, thorium, radium, etc. Beach sands, rich in heavy minerals and offshore deposits are activity exploited by bordering countries particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
The Abyssal plains of Indian ocean have deposits of polymetallic nodules. These nodules are the source of nickel, copper, manganese and cobalt.
