Sentinel of sea 'IOS SAGAR' to be on month-long deployment in Indian Ocean Region

Karwar: Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR that set sail from the shores of the key naval base in Karnataka's Karwar on Saturday carrying crew members from India and nine other countries will be on a nearly month-long deployment in the south-west Indian Ocean Region.

The ship was flagged off by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in presence of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and a large number of naval officers and other personnel.

INS Sunayna, the Indian Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel, has assumed the mantle of IOS SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) under this mission that seeks to reaffirms Indian's commitment to "building stronger ties with its maritime neighbours and working towards a safer, more inclusive and secure maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)".

After sailing out from Karwar, the 105-m-long ship will visit Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis and Port Victoria, Indian Navy officials said.

"During the course of the deployment, the ship will also participate in Africa India Key Maritime Exercise (AIKEYME) which will take place in Tanzania, besides carrying out joint surveillance activities with some of the IOR nations, and be back after a month of deployment," Indian Navy spokesperson Capt Vivek Madhwal told PTI here shortly before it was flagged off.

AIKEYME phonetically translates to a word that means unity in Sanskrit, and this mission also is about bringing navies together, officials said.

The exercise will be held from April 12-17, with both harbour and sea phase.

Multiple officials emphasised on the nature of the IOS SAGAR mission, describing it as "novel" and "first of its kind", involving participation of naval personnel from multiple countries on an Indian platform.

The total crew size is nearly 120, and the training held before the mission deployment has already fostered bonds of friendship and camaraderie among the personnel from different countries.

Capt Madhwal said the ship is carrying 44 naval personnel from nine friendly foreign nations -- Sri Lanka, Kenya, Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and Tanzania.

The flag off of IOS SAGAR took place on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a visit to Sri Lanka to shore up bilateral cooperation with the island nation.

Singh interacted the crew members onboard the ship before the flag-off and also obliged with a group photograph with them.

In his address later at a gathering hosted on a jetty, the defence minister congratulated the Indian Navy for this "unique concept" of IOS SAGAR.

The tagline of IOS SAGAR is 'One Ocean One Mission'.

As the ship bearing the name Sunayna on its hull sailed into the deep blue waters ahead, faces of Indian Navy personnel were flushed with pride.

IOS SAGAR will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the Indian Ocean Region, the Indian Navy said.

"This mission will mark a significant step in reinforcing India's commitment to regional maritime security and international cooperation. IOS Sagar is a pioneering effort aimed at bringing together the navies and maritime agencies of the southwest Indian Ocean Region (IOR) on an Indian naval platform," a senior official of the Navy said earlier in the day.

The mission will serve as an opportunity to provide comprehensive training to sea-riders from the these friendly foreign countries, and marks an "unprecedented collaboration in maritime security", he said.

The international crew aboard will undertake training exercises and apply knowledge gained from various professional training schools at Kochi where they trained recently.

"The exercises and training planned include firefighting, damage control, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), bridge operations, seamanship, engine room management, switchboard operations and boat handling -- all of which will improve interoperability between the Indian Navy and its international partners," a senior official said.

IOS SAGAR is an initiative towards continued cooperation with IOR nations in pursuance of India's vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions (MAHASAGAR).

The ship 'INS Sunayana' was commissioned in October 2013 and has a displacement tonnage of nearly 2,500 tonne, another senior official told PTI here.

IOS SAGAR also emphasises India's role as a "preferred security partner" and the "first responder" in the Indian Ocean Region.