News: INS Sagardhwani was flagged off from Kochi on 17 January 2026 for the fifth edition of the Sagar Maitri initiative.
About INS Sagardhwani
- INS Sagardhwani is India’s oceanographic research vessel.
- Designed by: The vessel was designed by the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL).
- Built by: The vessel was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
- Commissioned in: INS Sagardhwani was commissioned in July 1994.
- Role: The vessel serves as a specialized platform for ocean observations, marine research, and collection of oceanographic and acoustic data.
- Key features
- It is a specialized marine acoustic research vessel.
- It supports scientific objectives relevant to Underwater Domain Awareness for the Indian Navy.
- INS Sagardhwani will retrace the historic routes of INS Kistna, which participated in the International Indian Ocean Expedition during 1962–65.
About Sagar Maitri-5 Initiative
- MAITRI stands for Marine & Allied Interdisciplinary Training and Research Initiative.
- SM-5 is the fifth edition of the ongoing oceanographic cooperation programme.
- Initiative of: It is a flagship collaborative initiative of the Indian Navy and DRDO.
- Aligned with: It is aligned with India’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR).
- Key objectives:
- Socio-economic cooperation: To promote closer cooperation in socio-economic aspects among Indian Ocean Rim countries.
- Scientific interaction: To enhance scientific interaction, especially in ocean research.
- IOR collaboration: To build sustained scientific collaboration with eight IOR countries, namely Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
- Maldives partnership: To initiate collaborative oceanographic studies with Maldives, enabling joint research and professional exchange among scientists of IOR nations.
