**Executive Summary**
On April 2, 2026, Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth flagged off the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR (INS Sunayna) from Mumbai to reinforce regional maritime security and international cooperation. The mission, involving naval personnel from India and 16 Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs), includes a Sea Phase from April 2 to May 20, 2026, across the South-Eastern Indian Ocean. This initiative serves as an operational expression of India’s "Vision MAHASAGAR," aimed at building collective readiness against evolving maritime threats.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Mission Objectives and Vision**
* Operationalizes "Vision MAHASAGAR" (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) and the "Neighbourhood First" policy.
* Aims to foster "leadership through partnership, strength through unity, and progress through peace."
* Provides a shared platform for training, collaboration, and collective responsibility to ensure a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
**Deployment Timeline and Logistics**
* **Harbour Phase:** Completed from March 16–29, 2026, focusing on professional exchanges and coordination.
* **Sea Phase:** Scheduled from April 2 to May 20, 2026, involving operational deployment across the South-Eastern Indian Ocean Region.
* **Vessel:** The mission is conducted aboard INS Sunayna, an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy.
**Training and Operational Focus**
* Participating personnel will receive training in seamanship, navigation, and communication procedures.
* Operational drills include maritime safety, firefighting, damage control, VBSS (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure) operations, and advanced bridgemanship.
* The curriculum is designed to enhance decision-making capabilities in complex maritime environments.
**International Cooperation and Itinerary**
* Includes personnel from 16 maritime forces of Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs).
* **Port Calls:** Scheduled at Colombo (Sri Lanka), Phuket (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia), Singapore, Chittagong (Bangladesh), Yangon (Myanmar), and Male (Maldives).
* **Conclusion:** The deployment will officially conclude at Kochi, India.
**Security Context**
* The mission addresses an evolving maritime landscape marked by IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing, piracy, narco-trafficking, and competition over critical resources.
**Impact Analysis**
**Indian Navy and Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs)**
**Impact**
Participating forces benefit from enhanced interoperability, shared professional expertise, and improved operational readiness. The mission strengthens the collective ability to respond to maritime threats through unified training.
**Action Required**
Naval personnel must execute the prescribed Sea Phase training modules and conduct scheduled port calls between April 2 and May 20, 2026.
**Regional Partner Nations (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives)**
**Impact**
These nations experience strengthened diplomatic and security ties with India. The initiative promotes a collaborative approach to regional stability and resource protection.
**Action Required**
Partner nations are expected to facilitate port calls and engage in the collaborative framework established under IOS SAGAR 2026.
**Ministry of Defence (India)**
**Impact**
The Ministry successfully projects India’s role as a proactive regional leader in maritime security and validates its "Vision MAHASAGAR" through practical application.
**Action Required**
Maintain oversight of the mission's progress until its conclusion in Kochi and continue diplomatic engagement with the 16 participating FFCs.
Key Entities Referenced
IOS SAGAR: An operational initiative involving INS Sunayna and 16 maritime forces of Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) to reinforce regional maritime security and international cooperation.
Vision MAHASAGAR: India's policy framework for 'Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions,' focusing on collective maritime readiness and shared responsibility.
Indian Navy: The primary naval force executing the mission, responsible for the deployment of personnel and vessels for regional maritime security training.
Neighbourhood First: A referenced diplomatic policy that underpins India's approach to regional partnerships and inclusive maritime engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
South-Eastern Indian Ocean Region: The central geographic area for the mission's operational deployment, including port calls in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Maldives.
Ministry of Defence
Raksha Rajya Mantri Flags Off IOS SAGAR from
Mumbai
Posted On: 02 APR 2026 7:39PM by PIB Delhi
In a significant step to reinforcing India’s commitment to regional maritime security and international
cooperation, INS Sunayna, an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy, set sail from Mumbai as Indian
Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR, on April 2, 2026. The ship onboard naval personnel from India and sixteen
maritime forces of Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs) was flagged off by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri
Sanjay Seth in the presence of Naval Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
During his address, RRM underscored that IOS SAGAR initiative is a reflection of India’s collective
vision of ‘leadership through partnership, strength through unity, and progress through peace.’ He
highlighted the recent return of INSV Kaundinya from Oman, symbolising the growing maritime
cooperation between the two countries and emphasized that IOS SAGAR 2026 carries forward the same
spirit of engagement, expanding it into a broader and more inclusive framework of regional partnerships.
“A free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific is in the interest of all nations” quoting Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Shri Seth underscored India’s approach of Neighbourhood First and Vision MAHASAGAR -
Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. He highlighted that IOS
SAGAR is a practical and operational expression of vision MAHASAGAR, and it brings together partner
nations on a shared platform for training, collaboration, and collective readiness, demonstrating that
maritime security is most effective when it is built through cooperation and shared responsibility.
In his address, Naval Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi highlighted the evolving maritime landscape
marked by increasing contestation, IUU fishing, piracy, narco-trafficking and emerging competition over
critical resources, and underscored the need for collaborative approaches to ensure a free, open and secureIndian Ocean. ‘In a complex maritime environment, coming together of 16 like-minded maritime
countries for shared purpose and collective commitment through IOS SAGAR is rare and significant,’ said
Admiral Tripathi.
The mission completed its Harbour Phase from March 16-29, 2026, enabling professional exchanges,
training, and coordination among participating personnel, and will undergo the Sea Phase from April 2 to
May 20, 2026 through operational deployment across the South-Eastern Indian Ocean Region. During this
IOS SAGAR will undertake port calls at Colombo, Sri Lanka, Phuket, Thailand, Jakarta, Indonesia,
Singapore, Chittagong, Bangladesh, Yangon, Myanmar, Male, & Maldives and conclude the deployment
at Kochi, India. The crew will be trained in seamanship, navigation, communication procedures, maritime
safety, firefighting, damage control, VBSS operations, and advanced bridgemanship to enhance
operational readiness and decision-making capabilities in complex maritime environments.
During the flag-off ceremony of IOS SAGAR, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, and dignitaries from missions of the participating
countries were also present.
*****
SR/Ruchi
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