This is the unique facility of the country equipped to undertake oceanography and fisheries (demersal) in the same platform.

The vessel is currently managed and operated by the Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE), Kochi, a research institute attached to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, and is operated from Kochi.

FORV Sagar Sampada is a platform for interdisciplinary expeditions in and around the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone, and in International waters with participation from various institutions, from India and abroad.

The scientific facilities onboard includes, SeaBird CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) Profiler, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (75kHz), Skalar Autoanalyser for nutrient analysis, AutoSal, Multiple Plankton Net (MPN), Grab, Dredge, Bongo Net for fish egg larvae and surface zooplankton collections, VELNet for Fish egg/larvae collection from the upper 10m, Multiple Frequency Echo Sounders (200 kHz, 120 kHz and 38 kHz), Side Scan Sonar, Integrated Trawl Instrumentation System, Integrated Fish Finding System, Automated Weather Stations, Facilities for fishing operations up to a depth of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft), facilities for sediment core sample collection etc.

Recently the research facilities are augmented with Continuous Under way Fish Egg Sampler (CUFES), with the technical support of NOAA, USA, 2 Big eye binoculars for the mammal watching and a Thermosalinograph.