Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth inaugurated the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX 2026) on 7 October 2026 at Bhubaneswar, with the sea phase conducted off the Paradip coast in Odisha on 8 October 2026. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) organised the exercise under the aegis of the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board (NMSARB). The drill drew 32 observers from 30 countries, making it one of the largest coordinated rescue trials held in Indian waters.
What Is SAREX and What Is Maritime Search and Rescue?
SAREX is the National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise conducted by the Indian Coast Guard under the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board. Maritime search and rescue means locating and saving people in distress at sea or after an aircraft ditching at sea.
SAREX stands for Search and Rescue Exercise. The Indian Coast Guard conducts this national exercise every two years under the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board. The series began in 2003. SAREX 2026 is the 12th edition in this series. Earlier editions were held at ports including Mumbai, Goa, Chennai and Kochi. SAREX 2024, the 11th edition, was held off Kochi in November 2024 with 38 foreign observers.
SAREX is a national exercise, not a bilateral exercise between two countries. The Indian Coast Guard organises it for Indian agencies and invites observers from friendly foreign nations and international organisations. Foreign participation helps India share standard procedures and learn best practices for joint rescue work. This open format explains why searches for SAREX exercise between which country do not point to a fixed partner. The partner list changes in every edition, and SAREX 2026 included observers from 30 countries.
SAREX 2026 off Paradip: Inauguration and International Participation
The Ministry of Defence announced that Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth inaugurated SAREX 2026 on 7 October 2026 in Bhubaneswar. The sea demonstration took place off Paradip on 8 October 2026. Director General of the Indian Coast Guard Paramesh Sivamani reviewed the sea phase from on board ICGS Samudra Pratap. Paradip, a major port town in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, hosted a national exercise of this scale for the first time.
SAREX 2026 was held under the theme Leveraging Technology to Strengthen SAR Preparedness and Maritime Safety. The theme placed the focus on faster alerts, real time tracking and better coordination through modern systems. The Ministry described SAREX 2026 as one of the largest and most complex search and rescue drills held in the region.
The international turnout was a central feature of SAREX 2026. The exercise brought 32 delegates from 30 friendly foreign nations, along with representatives of international organisations. The observers watched the planning and the live rescue drill at sea. The Indian Coast Guard said this exposure will help foreign rescue centres work with Indian centres during real emergencies in future.
On the sidelines, the Indian Coast Guard convened the 24th National Maritime Search and Rescue Board meeting on 7 October 2026 in Bhubaneswar. Director General Paramesh Sivamani, who chairs the Board as the National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinating Authority, led the review of rescue readiness across the 4.6 million sq km Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR). The meeting discussed technology use, real time information sharing, distress alert handling, vessel tracking and coordination among agencies. The National Maritime Search and Rescue Awards 2026 were also presented at the meeting to honour exemplary rescues at sea.
How the Mass Rescue Operation Was Conducted
The SAREX 2026 sea drill simulated a Mass Rescue Operation (MRO). A mass rescue operation is a response to an emergency where a large number of people need help at the same time and local rescue units alone are not enough. The scenario combined an air emergency and a sea emergency at the same location. A passenger aircraft carrying 228 persons ditched into the sea near Paradip Port. Its fuselage struck the container vessel MV Zumba, which suffered structural damage and caught fire.
The Indian Coast Guard activated an Incident Command Post to direct the response. Firefighting teams controlled the fire on the vessel. Aircraft and ships searched the area, dropped life rafts and lifted survivors by helicopter. The exercise demonstrated helicopter evacuation, deployment of life rafts and air droppable life rafts, Jason Cradle and Gemini craft recovery, rescue basket lifts and scramble net climbing. The drill also demonstrated a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), an unmanned underwater device controlled from a ship to inspect damage below the surface.
A wide set of national assets took part in the SAREX 2026 drill to test joint working among sea, air and shore units.
| Agency | Assets Deployed in SAREX 2026 |
|---|---|
| Indian Coast Guard | 15 ships, 3 Dornier aircraft, 3 Advanced Light Helicopters, 1 Chetak helicopter |
| Indian Air Force | C-130J aircraft and Mi-17 helicopter |
| Indian Navy | 2 ships |
| Civil and state agencies | Ships of Shipping Corporation of India, boats of Customs, Fisheries and Marine Police units, Paradip Port Authority tugs, Odisha State Administration support, shore based units |
The participating organisations included the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, Directorate General of Shipping, Customs, Coastal Police, Ports, fisheries authorities and the shipping community. This joint presence reflected the stated Whole of Government and Whole of Nation approach, which means no single agency can handle a large sea disaster alone and all concerned bodies must act on one plan.
Indian Coast Guard and the National Maritime Search and Rescue Framework
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is the nodal agency for maritime search and rescue in India. The ICG was formally established on 18 August 1978 through the Coast Guard Act, 1978. It functions under the Ministry of Defence with headquarters in New Delhi. Its motto is Vayam Rakshamah, a Sanskrit phrase which means We Protect. The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard is Paramesh Sivamani (as of October 2026). The ICG observes Coast Guard Day on 1 February every year.
The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard also serves as the National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinating Authority (NMSARCA) and chairs the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board. The Board was set up in January 2002 after India joined the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979 in May 2001. The Board brings together the Ministries of Defence, Shipping, Civil Aviation and Fisheries, coastal states and other rescue agencies. It frames the National Maritime Search and Rescue Plan and issues standard procedures for joint action.
India has the responsibility for rescue coordination across the Indian Search and Rescue Region (ISRR), which covers 4.6 million sq km. A search and rescue region is an area assigned to a country to coordinate rescue alerts and operations. The ISRR is divided into three zones served by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair. A rescue coordination centre is an operational control room that receives distress alerts and directs ships and aircraft to the spot. Thirty six Maritime Rescue Sub Centres (MRSCs) support these three centres from coastal stations. The ICG also runs INDSAR, a voluntary ship reporting system started in 2003, which helps rescue centres find and divert the nearest suitable ship to a distress site.
SAREX 2026 also highlighted satellite support for rescue work. The Minister noted that Indian satellite aided rescue has moved from Low Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (LEOSAR) to Geostationary Search and Rescue (GEOSAR) and now towards Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR). These are systems where satellites pick up distress signals from beacons on ships and aircraft and pass the location to rescue centres. The MEOLUT, the ground terminal in India that receives medium orbit satellite alerts, has reached full operational capability. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), established in 1969 and headquartered in Bengaluru, built this capability with associated teams.
Why SAREX 2026 Matters for Maritime Safety and Cooperation
The SAREX 2026 drill tested whether standard procedures work during a real mass casualty at sea. The Indian Coast Guard uses SAREX to validate its Standard Operating Procedures, find gaps in communication and improve the speed of joint action. The 2026 scenario was deliberately tough. It combined a ditching aircraft, a damaged container ship, fire at sea and more than 200 survivors in the water. Such complexity forces air units, sea units and shore hospitals to work on one timeline.
The choice of Paradip adds operational value. Paradip is one of the major ports on the east coast and handles heavy cargo, crude and coastal traffic in the Bay of Bengal. These waters also carry dense fishing activity and face frequent cyclones. A fast, technology enabled rescue grid in this zone protects seafarers, fishers and port assets while reducing loss of life during storms and accidents.
SAREX 2026 also carries diplomatic weight. By hosting observers from 30 countries, the Indian Coast Guard strengthened its role as a dependable rescue partner in the Indian Ocean Region. The exercise supports the national vision of SAGAR, which means Security and Growth for All in the Region, and the spirit of MAHASAGAR, which calls for mutual cooperation across oceans. The Minister linked these efforts to Viksit Bharat 2047, the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, and to the principle of One Earth, One Family, One Future. The message was clear. A developed maritime nation must also be a safe and technologically advanced maritime nation where every distress call gets a coordinated response.
Key Takeaways
- SAREX 2026 was the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise, inaugurated on 7 October 2026 with the sea phase off Paradip, Odisha on 8 October 2026.
- The Indian Coast Guard organised SAREX 2026 under the National Maritime Search and Rescue Board on the theme Leveraging Technology to Strengthen SAR Preparedness and Maritime Safety.
- The exercise included 32 observers from 30 countries and was reviewed by ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani.
- The sea drill simulated a Mass Rescue Operation for a ditched aircraft with 228 persons colliding with container vessel MV Zumba.
- The 24th NMSAR Board meeting reviewed rescue readiness across the 4.6 million sq km Indian Search and Rescue Region served by MRCCs at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair.
