The Indian Navy is launching two landmark initiatives – IOS Sagar and AIKEYME – to reinforce its position as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ and ‘First Responder’ in the IOR. These initiatives are in line with the Indian Navy significantly deepening its partnerships with maritime agencies across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in alignment with the government of India’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

A statement from the Naval spokesperson stated that the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar initiative aims to enhance maritime cooperation with IOR nations. As part of this effort, the Indian Navy is deploying INS Sunayna to the Southwest IOR, manned by a combined crew from India and nine Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs), namely Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.

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During its month-long deployment in April 2025, INS Sunayna will make port calls at Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Nacala (Mozambique), Port Louis (Mauritius), Port Victoria (Seychelles), and Male (Maldives). The ship will also conduct joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

Recognizing the shared commitment of India and African nations to maritime security, the Indian Navy, in collaboration with the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Force (TPDF), is launching the first edition of ‘Africa India Key Maritime Engagement’ (AIKEYME), which translates to ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit. This large-scale multilateral maritime exercise aims to enhance interoperability among participating navies and maritime agencies in tackling challenges such as piracy, illicit trafficking, and unregulated fishing through improved information sharing and joint surveillance.

Scheduled to take place in mid-April 2025 at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, AIKEYME will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Shri Rajnath Singh. The six-day exercise will see participation from Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa, in addition to the co-hosts India and Tanzania.

The Harbour Phase of AIKEYME will include Tabletop and Command Post exercises focusing on piracy and information sharing. Additionally, participating forces will engage in seamanship training and Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations. The Sea Phase will involve a series of maritime exercises, including search and rescue operations, VBSS drills, small arms firing, seamanship evolutions, and helicopter operations.