INS Sagardhwani, India’s oceanographic research vessel operated under the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was flagged off for the fifth edition of the Sagar Maitri initiative on Saturday, from the Southern Naval Command in Kochi.
The vessel was flagged off by Radha Mohan Singh, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in the presence of members of the Committee. Senior officials present at the ceremony included DRDO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, Dr Samir V. Kamat; Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Upal Kundu; Director General (Naval Systems & Materials), Dr R. V. Hara Prasad; and NPOL Director, Dr Duvvuri Seshagiri, along with senior officers from the Indian Navy and DRDO.
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 programme seeks to strengthen cooperation among Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) countries, with a particular focus on socio-economic engagement and scientific collaboration in the field of ocean research.
NPOL, Kochi, has been conducting oceanographic missions under the Sagar Maitri framework to enhance scientific cooperation and capacity building among IOR nations. As part of this effort, DRDO has launched a dedicated scientific component titled MAITRI (Marine & Allied Interdisciplinary Training and Research Initiative) to establish long-term partnerships in ocean research and development with countries across the region.
Under the ongoing mission, INS Sagardhwani will retrace the historic routes of INS Kistna, which participated in the International Indian Ocean Expedition between 1962 and 1965. The initiative aims to build sustained scientific collaboration with eight IOR countries – Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Myanmar. The current voyage marks the beginning of collaborative oceanographic studies with the Maldives, enabling joint research and professional exchange among scientists from participating nations.
According to the Defence Ministry, the Sagar Maitri initiative is a key component of DRDO’s efforts to enhance Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) for the Indian Navy. During the mission, INS Sagardhwani will collect critical oceanographic and acoustic data along designated observational tracks, in line with scientific objectives relevant to maritime security and situational awareness.
Commissioned in July 1994, INS Sagardhwani is a specialised marine acoustic research vessel designed by NPOL and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE). Over the past three decades, the ship has served as a vital platform for ocean observation and marine research, making significant contributions to India’s maritime science and defence capabilities.
