- Why in news
- On April 2, 2026, INS Sunayna sailed from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR, flagged off by Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth. It carries naval personnel from India and sixteen friendly foreign countries.
- What it is
- IOS SAGAR is an Indian Navy deployment in which an Indian ship carries personnel from friendly foreign navies on a joint training voyage with port calls in the Indian Ocean region. It is described as an operational expression of Vision MAHASAGAR, India's maritime cooperation approach. MAHASAGAR builds on the earlier SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) outlook.
- Ship
- INS Sunayna, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, sailed from Mumbai as IOS SAGAR on April 2, 2026.
- Participants
- Naval personnel from India and sixteen maritime forces of friendly foreign countries are on board.
- Phases
- The Harbour Phase ran from March 16-29, 2026. The Sea Phase runs from April 2 to May 20, 2026 across the South-Eastern Indian Ocean Region.
- Port calls
- Port calls are planned at Colombo, Phuket, Jakarta, Singapore, Chittagong, Yangon and Male. The deployment ends at Kochi.
- MAHASAGAR
- MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. IOS SAGAR is called its practical and operational expression.
- Training
- Crew training covers seamanship, navigation, firefighting, damage control, VBSS operations and bridgemanship.
- Edition and start
- The second edition of IOS SAGAR commenced on 16 March 2026.
- IONS chair
- The Indian Navy took over the chair of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in February 2026.
- Participation
- Naval personnel from 16 friendly foreign countries take part in this edition.
- MAHASAGAR expansion
- MAHASAGAR stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions, and builds on SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
- Training phase
- The programme begins with training at Indian Naval training establishments in Kochi, followed by sailing on an Indian Naval ship.
Don’t confuse with SAGAR vs MAHASAGAR: SAGAR is Security and Growth for All in the Region, the earlier Indian Ocean outlook. MAHASAGAR is Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, a broader vision.
Don’t confuse with IOS SAGAR vs INS Sagar: IOS SAGAR is a deployment name for a ship carrying multinational crew, not a separate ship class.
Don’t confuse with IOS SAGAR vs IONS: IOS SAGAR is an Indian Navy training deployment on a ship. IONS is a forum of Indian Ocean navies, now chaired by India.
Defence: Prelims tests exercises (with whom), equipment (who makes it) and firsts.
Why it matters
- Builds trust and interoperability with Indian Ocean navies through shared training.
- Supports India's role as a preferred security partner under Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR.
- Builds interoperability and trust with Indian Ocean navies.
- Supports India's role as a net security provider in the region.
Problems
- Competing naval presence and contestation in the Indian Ocean.
- Non-traditional threats such as IUU fishing, piracy and narco-trafficking need sustained joint effort.
- Competing influence of other major powers in the Indian Ocean.
Way forward
- Institutionalise regular joint deployments and information sharing with partner navies.
- Expand capacity-building and maritime domain awareness support to smaller littoral states.
- Continue regular editions and widen follow-up training and exercises with partner navies.
Put in your answer
Maritime threats: The Naval Chief listed contestation, IUU fishing, piracy, narco-trafficking and competition over critical resources as current maritime challenges.
- 2026Mains GS2 · Q9Critical assessment of IPMDA bridging SAGAR vision and Quad strategy.
- 2025Mains GS3 · Q20Maritime security's importance for sea trade; challenges, way forward.
- 2022Mains GS3 · Q10Maritime security challenges in India; organisational, technical, procedural initiatives.
- 2017Prelims Q68Correct statements on IONS: inaugural 2015 chair, voluntary navy cooperation.
- 2015Prelims Q67Whether IOR-ARC was recently set up for piracy and oil spills, and is maritime-security-only
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statements
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements:
- 1.The second edition of Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR began in March 2026.
- 2.In IOS SAGAR, foreign naval personnel train and sail together onboard an Indian Naval Ship.
- 3.The shore training phase of IOS SAGAR 2026 begins at Visakhapatnam.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
True or false?
1 of 5
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The second edition of IOS SAGAR commenced in March 2026.
True. It commenced on 16 March 2026.
2.India assumed the chair of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in February 2026.
True. The Indian Navy assumed the IONS chair in Feb 2026.
3.Naval personnel from 16 friendly foreign countries are participating in this edition of IOS SAGAR.
True. 16 friendly foreign countries are participating.
4.In IOS SAGAR, foreign naval personnel train and sail onboard an Indian Naval Ship.
True. It is an operational engagement programme where they train and sail together on an Indian ship.
5.In MAHASAGAR, the letters stand for Maritime Alliance for Hindustan and South Asian Growth Across Regions.
False. MAHASAGAR means Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.