India Hosts Maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise at Andaman and Nicobar Command, Concluding on 3 November 2026

Key facts

• The maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise culminated at Sri Vijaya Puram on 03 November 2026, with engagements conducted from 30 October to 03 November 2026 under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's only Operational Quad Service Command headed by VAdm Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief.
• Participating naval ships included Indian Naval Ships INS Taragiri, INS Karmuk and INS Saryu, Myanmar Navy Ship UMS King Aung Zeya, and Sri Lanka Navy Ship SLNS Gajabahu.
• Dignitaries at the exercise included HE Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC, VAdm Biswajit Dasgupta (Retd), National Maritime Security Coordinator, RAdm Kyaw Kyaw Htoo of the Myanmar Navy, Air Vice Marshal MDR Prasad (Retd.) of Sri Lanka, and Capt Mohammad Monzurul Islam, Commanding Officer of BNS Prottoy, Bangladesh.
• The exercise was conducted in the spirit of the Delhi Declaration and in furtherance of the outcomes of the 4th BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation held in November 2025.
• The harbour phase at Sri Vijaya Puram featured high-level engagements, professional interactions and cultural exchanges, followed by a sea phase off Sri Vijaya Puram from 02 to 03 November 2026 involving coordinated maritime deployments.
• The successful culmination marks an important step towards institutionalising greater maritime engagement among BIMSTEC member states in the Bay of Bengal region.