Overview
- Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi hosted and closed the 5th Goa Maritime Conclave, where chiefs and senior maritime leaders from Indian Ocean nations reaffirmed plans to strengthen cooperative mechanisms.
- Tripathi said any joint maritime mechanism would be created by consensus among participating countries, with India pledging tailored capacity‑building support.
- After a positive multinational deployment last year, the Navy confirmed plans for IOS SAGAR 2.0 this year to deepen interoperability by sailing mixed crews together.
- Participants highlighted persistent gaps in surveillance across the vast Indian Ocean and prioritized real‑time information exchange, with India citing IFC‑IOR and a newly approved National Maritime Domain Awareness Project to counter issues such as dark shipping.
- Linked institutional steps included India taking the IONS chair, launching an upgraded IONS website, adding the Philippines as an Observer and Oman to the HADR working group, while proposals such as an IUU fishing task force were floated to target transnational crimes.