समाचार Samāchār · Defence · 10 November 2026

An Indian-built destroyer in Muscat. INS Surat leads the 15th Naseem Al Bahr with Oman

INS Surat reached Muscat on 8 November for four days of drills with the Royal Navy of Oman, followed by a coordinated patrol. Oman sits at the mouth of the route that carries India’s oil.

The Indian Navy’s destroyer INS Surat arrived in Muscat on 8 November for the 15th edition of Naseem Al Bahr, the bilateral exercise with the Royal Navy of Oman. The Indian Navy said the exercise runs from 8 to 11 November. The Ministry of Defence said it will be followed by a Coordinated Patrol, or CORPAT, between the two navies, ANI reports.

The programme has a harbour phase and a sea phase, with cross-deck visits, operational interactions and sporting events. The ministry said the activities will help personnel of both navies exchange experience and best practice, improve interoperability and build mutual understanding. It linked the port call to MAHASAGAR, India’s framework for security and growth across the region.

The visit follows a steady run of meetings. The Indian Navy said it builds on the 13th Joint Military Cooperation Committee. ANI reports that meeting was held in New Delhi on 24 November 2025, co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Oman’s Secretary General of Defence, Mohammed Bin Naseer Bin Ali Al Zaabi. The 8th Navy Staff Talks followed in New Delhi on 27 and 28 October 2026, co-chaired by Commodore Kartik Srimal of the Indian Navy and Commodore Ahmed Juma Salim Al Khatri of the Royal Navy of Oman, IANS reports.

Geography makes Oman matter. It faces the Strait of Hormuz, the passage for much of the crude and gas India imports. A trusted partner on that coast is insurance for India’s energy supply. The ship matters too. Surat was built by Mazagon Dock in Mumbai. Credit goes to the shipbuilders who delivered her and to the crews of both navies who keep this partnership working at sea.

What a founder takes from it: Partnerships at sea are built by turning up, year after year, with ships India designs and builds itself. Every such deployment makes the case for Indian shipyards as suppliers to friendly navies, and exports are what will fund the next generation of them.