Goodwill visit to deepen maritime ties
ICGS Sarthak’s maiden port call in Kuwait marks an important step in India–Kuwait maritime engagement. The visit underscores India’s intent to be a reliable partner for Gulf nations in promoting safe, secure and clean seas, and complements broader defence cooperation agreements signed between the two countries in recent years.
Programme of interactions and training
During the scheduled four-day stay, Sarthak’s crew will engage with Kuwait Coast Guard counterparts and other maritime agencies through courtesy calls, familiarisation visits and practical training. Planned activities include joint drills and workshops on marine pollution response, search and rescue (SAR) operations, and maritime law enforcement all intended to enhance interoperability and shared operational readiness.
Cultural outreach and people-to-people engagement
The deployment also places emphasis on public diplomacy. Cultural exchanges and sports fixtures such as friendly matches and joint yoga sessions are scheduled to foster goodwill and strengthen interpersonal ties between the crews. Local communities, including Indian expatriates, have been invited to visit the ship during open-day events organised by the mission.
Context: Strategic partnership and prior agreements
The port call follows enhanced defence ties since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024. That agreement paved the way for expanded maritime collaboration, and Sarthak’s deployment is an early operational expression of that framework, signalling India’s sustained engagement in regional maritime security initiatives.
Vessel details and operational scope
ICGS Sarthak is an indigenously designed Offshore Patrol Vessel built to undertake multi-role tasks such as coastal surveillance, maritime search-and-rescue, pollution response and enforcement of maritime law. The ship’s operational deployment across Gulf ports enables shared exercises and knowledge transfer with partner coast guards, bolstering regional maritime governance and response capabilities.
Forward deployment in the Gulf
After the Kuwait engagement, ICGS Sarthak will continue its OSD with planned port calls to Iran and Saudi Arabia. These successive visits form part of a broader strategy to deepen engagement across West Asia promoting capacity building, coordinated maritime surveillance and cooperative responses to common maritime challenges.
Significance for regional maritime stability
Ship visits such as Sarthak’s serve both operational and diplomatic functions: they increase practical interoperability between maritime agencies while building trust that supports broader economic and security ties. For India, regular deployments under the SAGAR vision reaffirm its commitment to collaborative maritime governance with partner nations in the Arabian Gulf and beyond.
