Indian Naval Ship Sunayna, currently deployed as part of the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR mission, arrived at Nacala Port in Mozambique on April 17, marking a key milestone in India’s maritime outreach to Africa.
The visit follows Sunayna’s participation in the inaugural India-Africa maritime partnership exercise, AIKEYME 25, held earlier this month in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The ship’s deployment is part of the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative, a flagship policy of the Government of India aimed at enhancing regional maritime cooperation and capacity-building in the Indian Ocean Region.
The ship was flagged off from Karwar on April 5 by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh. Onboard were 44 naval personnel from nine friendly foreign countries — Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Maldives, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa — reinforcing the spirit of multilateral naval engagement.
Upon arrival at Nacala, Sunayna was accorded a warm welcome by Commander Nelson H. Mabjaia, Chief of Commission, with ceremonial honours from the Mozambique Naval Band.
During the port call, a series of joint training and outreach activities are planned in partnership with the Mozambique Navy. These include collaborative exercises in Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) and firefighting and damage control drills to enhance operational synergy.
The crew will also conduct several community engagement initiatives such as a yoga session to promote health and wellness, ship visits for school children and members of the Indian diaspora, and an interschool quiz competition on maritime heritage and regional history. Additionally, a guided tour for cadets from the Nampula Military Academy will offer hands-on exposure to naval operations. A formal deck reception is scheduled onboard to foster goodwill and celebrate maritime friendship with local dignitaries.
Following the port visit, INS Sunayna will embark Mozambique Navy personnel for a joint surveillance mission in Mozambique’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The mission aims to bolster maritime security and address non-traditional threats.
The port call underscores India’s steadfast commitment to maritime cooperation in Africa. It reaffirms its strategic intent to build partnerships rooted in mutual trust and regional security—hallmarks of the SAGAR vision.
Team BharatShakti
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
