Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth will inaugurate the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2026) on October 7 and witness a search and rescue demonstration off the Paradip coast on October 8, as the Indian Coast Guard conducts the exercise to strengthen national and international maritime rescue preparedness.
A key feature of SAREX-2026 will be the participation of 32 observers from 30 countries, highlighting the importance of cooperative protocols, strategic importance, and global interoperability of the drill, the Ministry of Defence said.
The exercise is set to be among the largest and most complex maritime search and rescue drills conducted in the region, involving 15 Indian Coast Guard ships, two Dornier aircraft, three Advanced Light Helicopters, one Chetak helicopter, IAF C-130J and Mi-17 aircraft, two Indian Navy ships, civil and State assets, and shore-based support units.
SAREX-2026 will simulate a Mass Rescue Operation involving simultaneous aeronautical and maritime distress scenarios. The exercise will include a simulated passenger aircraft ditching at sea with 228 persons onboard, followed by a collision with the container vessel MV Zumba.
The exercise will test the coordinated response of multiple agencies in a complex mass-rescue scenario, with emphasis on rapid mobilisation, effective distress response and seamless coordination among maritime, aviation, defence and civil authorities.
The Indian Coast Guard will also convene the 24th National Maritime Search and Rescue (NMSAR) Board Meeting in Bhubaneswar under the chairmanship of Paramesh Sivamani, Director General, Indian Coast Guard.
The meeting will deliberate on measures to strengthen national search and rescue preparedness, improve distress-alert management and enable faster mobilisation of rescue assets through technology integration and seamless inter-agency coordination.
Together, the 24th NMSAR Board Meeting and SAREX-2026 will reinforce India’s efforts to build a faster, technology-enabled and internationally connected maritime search and rescue framework, in line with the vision of SAGAR and the spirit of MAHASAGAR.
-PIB Inputs
