- Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth to inaugurate SAREX-2026 on 7 October 2026
- 32 observers from 30 countries will take part in the exercise
- 15 Coast Guard ships, aircraft and helicopters will join the drill
- Exercise simulates ditching of passenger aircraft with 228 people onboard
- 24th NMSAR Board Meeting to be held at Bhubaneswar
Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth will inaugurate the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise, SAREX-2026, on 7 October 2026. The Indian Coast Guard is organising the drill off the Paradip coast in Odisha.
Observers and drill schedule
Seth will also watch a search and rescue demonstration off Paradip on 8 October 2026. The exercise has drawn 32 international observers from 30 countries.
The Coast Guard says the event will test cooperation, strategic importance and global interoperability among rescue forces.
Assets and scenario
The drill will deploy 15 Coast Guard ships, two Dornier aircraft, three Advanced Light Helicopters and a Chetak helicopter. It will also use IAF C-130J and Mi-17 aircraft, two Indian Navy ships, civil and state assets, and shore-based support units.
The exercise simulates a mass rescue operation with simultaneous air and sea distress situations. In the scenario, a passenger aircraft with 228 persons onboard ditches at sea and collides with the container vessel MV Zumba.
Board meeting at Bhubaneswar
The Coast Guard will also hold the 24th National Maritime Search and Rescue (NMSAR) Board Meeting at Bhubaneswar. Director General Paramesh Sivamani, Director General, Indian Coast Guard, will chair it.
Discussions will focus on stronger national search and rescue preparedness. They will also cover better distress-alert management, faster deployment of rescue assets through technology, and closer coordination between agencies.
Officials say both events reflect India’s push for a faster, technology-enabled and internationally connected search and rescue framework, in line with SAGAR and MAHASAGAR.
