NEW DELHI: As part of Indiaโs growing commitment to maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), INS Sunayna, designated as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR, made its maiden port call at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania yesterday.
#INSSunayna sailing as Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR #IOS_SAGAR, made its first port call at Dar-es-Salaam, #Tanzania on #12Apr 25.
RAdm AR Hassan, Chief of Tanzania Navy, accompanied by RAdm Nirbhay Bapna, ACNS (FCI), #IndianNavy, embarked IOS SAGAR & interacted with multi-nationalโฆ https://t.co/tEtNrAFr5G pic.twitter.com/z0aEReMKwo
โ SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 13, 2025
The vessel, which departed from Karwar, Goa on April 5, is currently hosting 44 naval personnel from nine Friendly Foreign Nations (FFNs), namely Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.
These personnel have been embarked as part of the shipโs crew under the broader IOS SAGAR initiative, which seeks to deepen regional cooperation and promote collective maritime security.
INS Sunayna was given a ceremonial welcome at the Tanzanian port by Rear Admiral AR Hassan, Chief of the Tanzania Navy, Rear Admiral Nirbhay Bapna, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation and Intelligence), and Commodore Agyapal Singh, Indiaโs Defence Attachรฉ to Tanzania. Senior dignitaries from the Indian High Commission and the Tanzania Peopleโs Defence Force were also present to mark the occasion.
During the port call, the ship will take part in the harbour phase of Exercise AIKEYME, a multilateral naval drill aimed at improving operational coordination and interoperability among participating nations. The exercise will be formally inaugurated on April 13, 2025, by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth.
In addition to INS Sunayna, INS Chennai (Destroyer) and INS Kesari (Landing Ship Tank โ Large) will also participate in the exercise, showcasing the Indian Navyโs multilateral operational capabilities and its focus on cooperative maritime strategies.
The presence of naval officers from multiple IOR countries onboard INS Sunayna highlights Indiaโs effort to foster trust, collaboration, and mutual training among maritime nations. This initiative reinforces the Indian Navyโs mission to ensure the safety of sea lanes, regional stability, and freedom of navigation in one of the worldโs most critical maritime corridors.
Following its engagement in Tanzania, INS Sunayna is scheduled to depart Dar-es-Salaam on April 15, with Nacala, Mozambique, as its next port of call, continuing the IOS SAGAR missionโs journey across the Indian Ocean Region.
