India flags off INS Sagardhwani for Sagar Maitri V oceanographic mission

Key facts

• INS Sagardhwani, India's oceanographic research vessel under the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO, was flagged off for the fifth edition of the Sagar Maitri (SM-5) initiative from Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
• Sagar Maitri is a flagship collaborative initiative of the Indian Navy and DRDO, aligned with the Government of India's vision of 'Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR)'.
• The initiative seeks to build sustained scientific collaboration with eight Indian Ocean Rim countries: Oman, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
• Under the Sagar Maitri programme, INS Sagardhwani will retrace the historic routes of INS Kistna, which participated in the International Indian Ocean Expedition during 1962-65.
• The ongoing mission marks the launch of collaborative oceanographic studies with the Maldives, enabling joint research and professional exchanges among scientists from IOR nations.