The Indian Ocean has been the lifeline for civilizations abutting the Indian Ocean Region along the Nile, Tigris, Indus, and Mekong River basins for millennia, acting as a conduit for trade, culture, and geopolitics. Fast forward to the 21st century; recognizing the ocean’s centrality to the growth and prosperity of the region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined the Maritime Vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) in Mauritius in 2015. It was a vision aimed at fostering regional cooperation, securing sea lanes, and respecting adherence to international conventions and laws at sea.
Over the years, SAGAR has evolved from a guiding vision to a tangible outlook, shaping India’s engagements with the littorals of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). In 2025, a decade later, this vision has expanded into MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions), a deeper articulation of India’s commitment to regional cooperation, with a stronger focus on capacity building, economic interlinkages, and collaborative maritime governance.
The vision of SAGAR, and now MAHASAGAR, hinges around an important enabler: the safe use of seas for inclusive and wide-ranging development of the littorals. Against this backdrop, Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR emerges as a pioneering initiative, bringing together IOR littorals to sail towards a shared destiny of security and stability.
IOS SAGAR: A Multinational Endeavor for Maritime Stability
The IOS SAGAR initiative represents a new era of regional maritime cooperation, where India and its partners in the IOR work together as equals. Under the aegis of this initiative, INS Sunayna is being deployed to the Southwest Indian Ocean Region as Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR, operated by personnel from India and Navies/Maritime Agencies of nine Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs), including Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
For over a month, this mission will manifest collaborative intent into a practical sea-going capability, which includes joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Mauritius, Mozambique, and Seychelles; capability enhancement exercises, where FFC personnel will be trained at Indian Naval professional schools in Kochi; interoperability enhancement; and port visits at Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis, Port Victoria, and Malé.
Why IOS SAGAR Matters: A Strategic Necessity
The Indian Ocean is a lifeline for global commerce, with more than 80% of seaborne oil trade traversing through its waters. Ensuring safe and secure sea lanes is not just a security imperative; it is an economic necessity. While the primary mission of IOS Sagar revolves around maritime security, its strategic significance is multi-faceted. By jointly patrolling EEZs and curbing unlawful maritime activities, IOS SAGAR aims to assist in safeguarding the maritime economies of partner nations.
Furthermore, unlike traditional naval engagements, where major powers operate alone or in selective coalitions, IOS SAGAR fosters inclusive maritime security. Bringing together IOR littorals into a single operational framework empowers each stakeholder to contribute meaningfully to the larger aim of regional stability.
IOS SAGAR is a physical manifestation of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ approach policy. India engages with regional navies as an equal partner, offering training, technology, and operational support to enhance capability. This initiative enables mutual learning, strengthens mutual trust, and reinforces India’s role as a preferred security partner. IOS Sagar also serves as a counter to strategic encroachments.
The Indian Ocean is increasingly becoming a theater of strategic competition, with extra-regional forces seeking to establish military bases and military footholds. IOS SAGAR demonstrates that ‘regional problems require regional solutions,’ countering narratives that suggest smaller nations must depend on external forces for protection.
The Human Side of Maritime Security
Beyond strategy and security, IOS SAGAR is a story of people of ‘sailors’ from different IOR littorals sailing together across IOR, learning from each other, and forming lasting bridges of friendship. The deployment is not just about securing waters but also about building trust and forging friendships through a lifetime that transcends borders.
From the harbors of Seychelles to the naval bases of Madagascar, every interaction during this mission strengthens the cultural and historical ties that India shares with IOR littorals. Maritime diplomacy, after all, is not just about ships and strategies. It is about people and partnerships.
Complementing IONS: Strength in Shared Narratives
India conceived the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in 2008 and was the first Chair of this major maritime multilateral construct of the IOR from 2008 to 2010. India is again poised to assume the chair of this significant construct in late 2025. The idea behind conceiving the IONS was to establish a dialogue, doctrine, and consensus-building forum. By conceiving IOS SAGAR, India has complemented IONS and has taken a step further to demonstrate its commitment to the safety and security of the IOR. IOS SAGAR truly reflects IONS ideals of inclusivity, regional collaboration, and mutual capacity enhancement. It is a compelling example of what regional cooperation can achieve, not on paper but in practice.
As INS Sunayna prepares to set sail with its multinational crew, IOS SAGAR is exploring avenues of maritime cooperation. It is a novel step where security is shared, prosperity is protected, and nations rise together. For India, IOS SAGAR is about providing opportunities to create a maritime order where cooperation plays a pivotal role in ensuring the Indian Ocean remains a zone of peace and prosperity.
As the Indian Navy continues to evolve as the region’s preferred security partner, initiatives like IOS SAGAR are the foundation of a truly cooperative maritime future where regional actors lead, collaborate, and thrive together. In the maritime vision enunciated through the policies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the sea was not a barrier. It was a bridge of opportunity and strength. With IOS SAGAR, we are building that bridge wave by wave, watch by watch, nation by nation.
