Overview
- The Indian Coast Guard completed the 24th NMSAR Board meeting and ran SAREX‑2026 on Thursday in waters off Paradip to test large‑scale, multi‑agency mass‑rescue operations.
- The exercise deployed 15 Coast Guard ships, three Dornier aircraft, four helicopters, an IAF C‑130J and Mi‑17, two Navy ships and multiple civil and state units to simulate a passenger aircraft ditching that struck container vessel MV Zumba.
- Observers from 30 countries attended and the drill validated standard operating procedures while revealing practical gaps in distress‑alert management and coordinated asset surge.
- Participants demonstrated technology tools such as ROVs, air‑droppable life rafts, Jason Cradle and helicopter evacuation systems and called for faster vessel tracking and real‑time data sharing to speed responses.
- The NMSAR Board pledged to convert lessons into updated SOPs, stronger inter‑agency protocols and greater international cooperation under India’s SAGAR and MAHASAGAR frameworks to improve rescue outcomes for people at sea.