SINAGAPORE, Apr 28: The coming together of 16 like-minded maritime countries for a “shared purpose” through Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR sends a strong message of “collective commitment” from our partners, the Indian envoy to Singapore said.
The Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR, a unique operational initiative by the Indian Navy under the theme of ‘One Ocean, One Mission’ with 38 international crew members from 16 friendly countries, is visiting South East Asia for collaborative maritime security for peace and stability in coastal regions and the high seas.
“The 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,” the High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Dr Ambule Shilpak, has said in welcoming the ship and guests at a special reception held on board the vessel on Monday evening.
“Despite the prevalent complex maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region, the coming together of 16 like-minded maritime countries for a shared purpose and collective commitment through IOS SAGAR sends a strong message of shared purpose and collective commitment from our partners in this initiative towards ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” he saidÂ
India’s maritime outlook has been shaped by the Neighbourhood First approach and Vision MAHASAGAR – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, he added.
Shilpak highlighted the evolving maritime landscape, which is marked by increasing contestation.Â
“In such a scenario, addressing maritime challenges like Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing, piracy and armed robbery at sea, narco and human trafficking, and emerging competition over critical resources requires collaborative approaches to ensure a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region,” said Shilpak.
The IOS SAGAR initiative reflects India’s collective vision of ‘leadership through partnership, strength through unity, and progress through peace,’ he underlined.
This is the maiden deployment of an Indian Naval ship under the IOS SAGAR initiative to South East Asia.Â
“The deployment of IOS SAGAR to South East Asia this year (in 2026) assumes further significance as we observe 2026 as the India – ASEAN year of maritime cooperation,” he said.
The mission completed its Singapore Harbour Phase from March 16-29, 2026, enabling professional exchanges, training, and coordination among participating personnel before sailing out for the ongoing deployment.
The ongoing deployment across South-East Asia as part of the sea deployment phase of the IOS SAGAR included port calls at Male (Maldives), Phuket (Thailand) and Jakarta (Indonesia) before arriving in Singapore.Â
The ship is also scheduled to make port calls at Yangon (Myanmar), Chittagong (Bangladesh) and Colombo (Sri Lanka) before concluding the deployment at Kochi by mid-May.
The initiative of Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR in general, and this edition of deployment to South East Asia in particular, will go a long way to help strengthen cooperation in the Maritime Commons, “helping us all to collaborate effectively to address and overcome the existing and emerging challenges together,” Shilpak said. (PTI)
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