Naseem Al Bahr 2026: Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Oman Conduct 15th Edition of Maritime Exercise

The 15th edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman, Naseem Al Bahr (Sea Breeze) was conducted to strengthen naval cooperation, interoperability and better mutual understanding. This was conducted through SMEEs in the harbour phase and joint naval operations in the at-sea phase. It demonstrates the strengthening maritime relationship between India and Oman and complements India’s regional maritime vision of MAHASAGAR.

Naseem Al Bahr 2026 – Key Facts

• Exercise: Naseem Al Bahr
• Translation: Sea Breeze
• Edition: 15th
• Countries Involved: India, Oman
• Navies Involved: Indian Navy, Royal Navy of Oman
• Indian Navy Ship: INS Surat
• Oman Navy Ship: Al-Mu’azzar
• Primary Objective: Improve naval cooperation and interoperability.
• Phases: Harbour Phase, At Sea Phase

Harbour Phase – Subject Matter Experts Exchange

Experts from both of the navies conducted Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs).

They discussed topics such as;

• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) – Detecting, dealing with and disposing of explosive devices.
• Mine Counter Measure – Detecting, identifying and dealing with naval mines.
• Hydrography – Measuring and describing physical characteristics of water such as seabed, depth and coastline.
• This enabled the exchange of operational methods and improve professional cooperation.

At Sea Phase – Joint Naval Operations

During the at sea phase both of the ships participated in,

• INS Surat – Indian Navy.
• Al-Mu’azzar – Royal Navy of Oman.

Their key activities were;

1) Visit, Board, Search & Seizure (VBSS) – Conducting joint exercises which involved boarding and searching vessels. This skill is relevant to naval security operations such as counter-piracy and anti-smuggling.

2) Crossdeck Operations – Activities which involve moving personnel between the vessels. This enables the naval personnel to gain an understanding of each others procedures.