BIMSTEC Maritime Exercise concludes at Andaman and Nicobar Islands with India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka
Synopsis
India has held the first-ever BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise — a milestone announced by PM Modi at the Bangkok summit last year — bringing together naval ships from India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The five-day drill signals a push to institutionalise Bay of Bengal maritime cooperation under the Andaman and Nicobar Command, India's sole Quad Service Command.
Key Takeaways
The maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise concluded at Sri Vijaya Puram , Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on 3 November 2026 .
Naval ships from India ( INS Taragiri , INS Karmuk , INS Saryu ), Myanmar ( UMS King Aung Zeya ), and Sri Lanka ( SLNS Gajabahu ) participated.
The exercise was conducted under the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) , led by Vice-Admiral Vineet McCarty .
It was one of the key initiatives announced by PM Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand.
BIMSTEC comprises seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The Ministry of Defence described the exercise as a step towards institutionalising Bay of Bengal maritime cooperation among BIMSTEC members.
The maiden Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Maritime Security Exercise concluded successfully at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 3 November 2026, following a series of harbour and sea-phase operations conducted from 30 October to 3 November. Naval vessels from India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka participated in the landmark exercise, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Friday.
How the Exercise Unfolded
The exercise was conducted under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) — India's only Operational Quad Service Command — led by Vice-Admiral Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. The five-day programme was divided into a harbour phase and a sea phase, covering professional interactions, coordinated maritime deployments, and cultural exchanges between participating delegations.
The harbour phase at Sri Vijaya Puram hosted high-level engagements designed to deepen institutional ties and strengthen inter-navy bonds. The subsequent sea phase, conducted from 2 to 3 November off Sri Vijaya Puram, involved coordinated maritime deployments and collaborative operational activities.
Ships and Senior Officials Involved
Three Indian Naval Ships participated: INS Taragiri, INS Karmuk, and INS Saryu. Myanmar was represented by UMS King Aung Zeya, while Sri Lanka deployed SLNS Gajabahu. Senior dignitaries in attendance included Indra Mani Pandey, BIMSTEC Secretary General; Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (Retd), National Maritime Security Coordinator; Rear Admiral Kyaw Kyaw Htoo, Commander of Myanmar Navy's Central Naval Command; Air Vice Marshal MDR Prasad (Retd.), Director (Monitoring and Evaluation) of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation; and Captain Mohammad Monzurul Islam, Commanding Officer of Bangladesh's BNS Prottoy.
Strategic Significance of the Exercise
The exercise is among the key maritime initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit held in Thailand last year. Its successful conduct marks a concrete step towards institutionalising greater maritime cooperation among BIMSTEC's seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. This comes amid heightened strategic attention to the Bay of Bengal as a critical maritime corridor, with India increasingly positioning the Andaman and Nicobar Command as a hub for regional security architecture.
What Comes Next
The Ministry of Defence described the conclusion as 'an important step towards institutionalising greater maritime engagement among BIMSTEC member states,' signalling that this exercise is intended as a recurring multilateral mechanism rather than a one-off event. Future editions are expected to involve a broader set of BIMSTEC navies, potentially expanding the scope of collaborative drills and diplomatic engagement across the Bay of Bengal littoral.
Point of View
And a recurring exercise format with BIMSTEC navies is a low-friction way to do that. What bears watching is whether Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Thailand — absent from the sea phase — are brought into future iterations, since a truly inclusive BIMSTEC maritime mechanism looks different from a bilateral India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka drill with BIMSTEC branding. The speed and scope of institutionalisation will determine whether this becomes a genuine regional security pillar or remains a periodic show of flags.
NationPress
6 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise?
It was the first-ever multilateral naval exercise under the BIMSTEC framework, held from 30 October to 3 November 2026 at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The exercise involved harbour-phase diplomatic engagements and a sea phase of coordinated maritime operations, with naval ships from India, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka participating.
Which countries and ships participated in the BIMSTEC maritime exercise?
India deployed INS Taragiri, INS Karmuk, and INS Saryu; Myanmar sent UMS King Aung Zeya; and Sri Lanka participated with SLNS Gajabahu. Senior representatives from Bangladesh were also present, though Bangladesh did not deploy a ship for the sea phase.
Who led the exercise on the Indian side?
The exercise was conducted under the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's only Operational Quad Service Command, led by Vice-Admiral Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
Why was this exercise significant for India's foreign and defence policy?
The exercise was one of the key maritime initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand, making it a direct follow-through on a heads-of-state commitment. It marks an effort to institutionalise Bay of Bengal maritime security cooperation and positions India's Andaman and Nicobar Command as the operational hub for regional naval engagement.
What is BIMSTEC and which countries are members?
BIMSTEC — the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation — is a regional organisation comprising seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. It focuses on economic and technical cooperation across the Bay of Bengal region.
