IOS Sagar Visit in Sri Lanka: IOS Sagar arrived at Colombo Harbour as part of its Indian Ocean Region mission. The Indian Navy said the ship is crewed by personnel from 16 Friendly Foreign Countries, and the Sri Lanka Navy gave it a sea welcome on arrival. The Indian side linked the visit to regional peace, stability, and maritime security, while Sri Lanka’s defence ministry said the ship came in under the idea of “Bridges of Friendship.”
The Indian mission also said the visit fits the wider MAHASAGAR idea, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. In the same message, the Indian Navy described IOS Sagar as a practical sign of “leadership through partnership, strength through unity and progress through peace.”
The Indian Navy’s Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar departed Colombo, Sri Lanka on 18 May 2026 following a successful three-day port call, further reinforcing the enduring maritime partnership between India and Sri Lanka and advancing India’s vision of MAHASAGAR – Mutual and Holistic… pic.twitter.com/QIq2mK4TNJ
— PIB India (@PIB_India) May 18, 2026
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Before the ship reached Colombo, the High Commission of India in Colombo said the port call would be the seventh stop in the second edition of this deployment. It also said the ship had sailed from Mumbai on 2 April 2026 after combined harbour training for the multinational crew. That training covered seamanship, navigation, communication, safety at sea, firefighting, damage control, Visit Board Search and Seizure work, and advanced bridgemanship.
The crew on board includes sailors and officers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Singapore, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and the United Arab Emirates. During the Colombo stop, the crew is set to meet Sri Lanka Navy leaders, join media interactions, play friendly sports, and visit places like Colombo Port, Galle, Kandy, and Pinnawala. The ship is also open to visitors, including Sri Lanka Navy personnel, school children, and members of the Indian diaspora in Colombo.
From Chattogram to Colombo
Before Sri Lanka, IOS Sagar finished a port call in Chattogram, Bangladesh. The ship arrived there on 8 May 2026 and departed on 10 May 2026 after a busy visit filled with professional meetings, cultural exchange, and sports. On leaving Chattogram, it carried out a Passage Exercise, or PASSEX, with BNS Protoy and Bangladesh Navy air assets. The drill used coordinated maritime moves and surface manoeuvres to improve teamwork at sea.
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The Indian Navy said the Colombo visit is part of its wider push under the MAHASAGAR vision and the government’s Neighbourhood First policy. The ship is scheduled to leave Colombo on 18 May 2026 and then carry out another PASSEX with the Sri Lanka Navy. Earlier parts of the same deployment also included Malé, Phuket, Jakarta, and Singapore, with Yangon listed in the broader mission route.
