BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise: First Edition, Andamans

🗞️ Why in News The inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise is being held from 30 October to 3 November 2026, bringing together all seven members of BIMSTEC: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand (Ministry of Defence, PIB, 31 October 2026). It began at Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) and is hosted by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), which describes it as unfolding in a harbour phase and a sea phase.

An earlier deep dive covered the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting and the Delhi Declaration, the grouping’s security track on crime, drugs and disasters. This piece covers the sea.

The Exercise at a Glance

The Ministry of Defence’s release states the aim: “The exercise aims to enhance interoperability, strengthen maritime domain awareness, improve coordination mechanisms and promote the exchange of Best Practices among BIMSTEC member states.” It calls the exercise “a significant milestone in advancing maritime cooperation among the member states of BIMSTEC”.

The release does not name a venue, ships or a sea area. The venue comes from the ANC’s own statements carried by the press: the exercise “began at Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) on Friday”, 30 October, reported Odisha Bytes. No count of ships or aircraft and no exercise area at sea has been published.

How the Exercise Is Built: Members, Phases, Aims

The ANC set out the design in two phases: “A harbour phase of professional exchanges and planning will build trust and understanding, and a sea phase will sharpen interoperability on the water. Together they turn a common vision for a safe, secure and stable Bay into coordinated action at sea.”

Who sends what differs by geography. According to the ANC’s plan as reported on 29 October (OMM Com), assets from the partner navies of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand were to take part, while Bhutan and Nepal were to send representatives, as these landlocked nations are heavily dependent on the Bay of Bengal for EXIM trade. India takes part as the host, through the ANC. Sri Lankan press (island.lk) reported that SLNS Gajabahu reached Sri Vijaya Puram on 29 October, and that on the opening day the commanding officers and personnel of the participating naval and coast guard ships were briefed on safety protocols and planned operational activities.

The ANC’s statement of goals is wider than PIB’s four aims. As reported, it lists maritime domain awareness (MDA), operational coordination across the Bay of Bengal, regional security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and responses to cross-border maritime crimes and to marine pollution from oil and hazardous material spills.

The Road to the Exercise

BIMSTEC has had a security agenda for years, but a maritime security exercise is new. The steps below come from MEA and PIB records.

Three points matter for the exam.

• The Summit did not order the exercise. PIB says the exercise is “Building upon the outcomes of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit under the theme BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open”. The Summit’s nearest maritime outcome was the Maritime Transport Agreement, which provides for national treatment and assistance to vessels, crew and cargo, mutual recognition of certificates and documents, a Joint Shipping Coordination Committee and a dispute settlement mechanism.
• The Expert Group discussed feasibility, not a decision. Its fourth meeting, in November 2025, was chaired by the National Maritime Security Coordinator, Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (Retd.). Members discussed an action plan to link law enforcement agencies, information sharing and collective responses to maritime threats, along with the feasibility of maritime exercises.
• India leads the security conversation. India is the lead country for the Security pillar, and MEA notes that “India is leading the discussion on cooperation in the areas of maritime security, cyber security and space.”

“Inaugural” means the first maritime security exercise, not the first exercise of any kind. MEA lists four BIMSTEC disaster management exercises, held in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2025 (virtual).

Why the Andaman and Nicobar Command Hosts It

The ANC was created on 8 October 2001. PIB’s release on the exercise calls it “India’s first integrated tri-service command” and explains the choice of host: “Its location astride critical sea lanes of communication and its capabilities in maritime surveillance, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, search and rescue, and regional engagement make it an important pillar of maritime security in the Bay of Bengal.”

A Chief of Defence Staff message on the Command’s 21st Raising Day (PIB, 2021) made the same point: guarding the eastern frontiers “while straddling some of the world’s most important SLOCs” makes the islands “one of the most important strategic areas for the Nation”. SLOCs are the sea lanes of communication, the routes that shipping uses at sea.

The venue’s name is new. In September 2024 the Government announced that it had “decided to rename the capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Port Blair as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’” (PIB).

Why the Bay of Bengal Matters to BIMSTEC

PIB describes the Bay of Bengal as “a critical maritime space connecting South and South-East Asia and supporting trade, connectivity, energy security and economic growth.” By MEA’s figures, the BIMSTEC region brings together 1.7 billion people, 22% of the world’s population, with a combined GDP of more than US$ 5 trillion.

• Trade and the landlocked members. Bhutan and Nepal have no coast, yet depend on the Bay for their EXIM (export-import) trade, which is why they sit at the table of a maritime exercise.
• Shared threats. The goals the ANC lists (cross-border maritime crime, oil and hazardous spills, disaster relief) are problems no single littoral state can watch alone. Maritime domain awareness, knowing what moves at sea, is the common thread.
• Shipping and security together. The Maritime Transport Agreement eases shipping between members; an exercise that improves coordination at sea adds the security side.

Map Work: The Bay of Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Map 1: The Bay of Bengal and the BIMSTEC Members

Places to Mark

Map Facts for Prelims

• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands number 836 islands and islets over 8,249 sq km, of which only 31 are permanently inhabited (A&N Administration).
• They extend from 6° to 14° North latitude and from 92° to 94° East longitude.
• The island arc stretches about 1,000 km between Myanmar and Sumatra, marking the boundary between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea (Britannica).
• The Ten Degree Channel is about 150 km wide by the A&N Administration’s figure (Britannica gives about 145 km).
• Indira Point, at 6°45’10" N and 93°49’36" E on Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of India. Sri Vijaya Puram is about 1,190 km from Chennai and 1,255 km from Kolkata.

Mains Lens: What the Exercise Adds, and Its Limits

What it adds. For a grouping whose name stresses technical and economic cooperation, a maritime security exercise moves cooperation from meetings to practice at sea. It turns the Security pillar that India leads into a shared activity, and it uses India’s island command, placed beside the sea lanes, as the meeting point. It also gives the two landlocked members a seat in Bay of Bengal security, consistent with their dependence on its ports for trade.

The limits. This is a first edition, and the record so far is thin: no ship count, sea area or outcome has been published. BIMSTEC decides by consensus, so turning one exercise into a regular calendar needs every member’s assent. The road here was gradual: the Expert Group spoke of feasibility in November 2025, and the Summit texts did not order an exercise.

What to watch. The exercise is scheduled to end on 3 November 2026. Whether BIMSTEC makes it a regular event, and how it links to the action plan on information sharing and collective responses that the Expert Group discussed, will show whether this is a milestone or a one-off.

UPSC Relevance

GS Paper 2: India and its neighbourhood; bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests (BIMSTEC).

GS Paper 3: Security challenges and their management in border areas; various security forces and agencies and their mandate (the Andaman and Nicobar Command); maritime security.

Prelims: BIMSTEC (1997, Bangkok Declaration, seven members, Dhaka Secretariat, Charter in force 2024, India leads Security); the 6th Summit (Bangkok, 2025); the ANC (2001); Sri Vijaya Puram; the Ten Degree Channel and Indira Point.

Mains: “The inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise marks a shift in the grouping’s agenda. Discuss the strategic significance of the Bay of Bengal for India and the role of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in regional maritime security.” (GS2 and GS3, 250 words)

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Prelims, statement-ready facts:

• Inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise: 30 October to 3 November 2026, all seven members (PIB, Ministry of Defence)
• It began at Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair), hosted by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)
• Two phases (ANC): a harbour phase of professional exchanges and planning, then a sea phase for interoperability
• PIB’s aims: interoperability, maritime domain awareness, coordination mechanisms, exchange of best practices
• ANC: created on 8 October 2001; PIB calls it India’s first integrated tri-service command
• BIMSTEC: born 6 June 1997 by the Bangkok Declaration; began as BIST-EC with four members
• Secretariat in Dhaka since 2014; Charter in force 20 May 2024; decisions by consensus
• 6th Summit: Bangkok, 4 April 2025, theme “BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open”; Maritime Transport Agreement signed
• India leads the Security pillar: counter-terrorism and transnational crime, disaster management, energy security
• Six Summits: Bangkok 2004, New Delhi 2008, Nay Pyi Taw 2014, Kathmandu 2018, Colombo 2022, Bangkok 2025
• MEA (as on 30 June 2026): Bangladesh is the current Chair; Amb. Indramani Pandey is the 4th Secretary General

Prelims, the traps:

• “Inaugural” means the first Maritime Security Exercise; BIMSTEC held disaster management exercises in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2025 (virtual)
• Bhutan and Nepal are landlocked: under the ANC’s plan they were to send representatives, while Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand were to send naval assets
• The 6th Summit did not order the exercise; PIB says it builds upon the Summit’s outcomes
• The Secretariat is in Dhaka; Bangkok gave the 1997 Declaration and hosted the 2004 and 2025 Summits
• The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman group from the Nicobar group; Indira Point on Great Nicobar is India’s southernmost point

Mains, arguments and keywords:

• From technical and economic cooperation to practice at sea: the exercise gives the India-led Security pillar a shared activity in the Bay of Bengal
• Keywords: maritime domain awareness, interoperability, sea lanes of communication (SLOCs), HADR, consensus, Bay of Bengal security

Interview, be ready for:

• “Why host BIMSTEC’s first maritime exercise in the Andamans?” The ANC sits astride critical sea lanes and has surveillance, HADR and search-and-rescue capability (PIB).

Sources: Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Defence), release on the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, 31 October 2026 (ID 2330850). OMM Com, “ANC geared up to host maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise”, 29 October 2026. Odisha Bytes, “First-ever BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise gets underway in the Andamans”, 30 October 2026. The Tribune, Ajay Banerjee, 31 October 2026. island.lk, “SLNS Gajabahu reaches Andaman and Nicobar Islands for BIMSTEC-2026 exercise”. Ministry of External Affairs, “India in BIMSTEC” (updated to June 2026). PIB, PM at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, April 2025 (ID 2118696); 4th meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Maritime Security Cooperation, November 2025 (ID 2194246); CDS message on the ANC’s 21st Raising Day, October 2021 (ID 1762152); renaming of Port Blair, September 2024 (ID 2054647). bimstec.org (history and member state pages). Andaman and Nicobar Administration, UT Profile. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Andaman and Nicobar Islands”.

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