The BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, the first maritime drill held by the seven-nation Bay of Bengal grouping, got under way at Sri Vijaya Puram in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday. The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is hosting the exercise.

Navies and maritime agencies from all seven member states are taking part: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. According to the Ministry of Defence, the exercise will continue until 3 November. It is the first time the grouping has brought its navies and maritime agencies together for a drill of this kind.

Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief of the ANC, inaugurated it. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (Retd), the National Maritime Security Coordinator, attended the ceremony along with senior delegations from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

The ANC said the waters around the islands tie the member countries together. "The Bay of Bengal binds our region's security, trade and prosperity," the Command said.

BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise runs in two phases

The exercise opens with a harbour phase of professional exchanges and joint planning, meant to build trust between the participating forces. A sea phase follows, in which ships will work on interoperability and coordination on the water. The harbour phase is now under way at Sri Vijaya Puram.

The theme is Translating Vision to Action: Shared Seas, Shared Security and Shared Prosperity. It builds on the outcomes of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, which was held under the banner BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open.

The ministry said the drills aim to improve interoperability, strengthen maritime domain awareness, sharpen coordination mechanisms and allow member states to exchange best practices.

Four navies bring ships, Bhutan and Nepal send delegates

Ships and assets from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand are joining the Indian Navy for the drills. Bhutan and Nepal, both landlocked, have sent representatives. Both countries depend heavily on the Bay of Bengal for their export and import trade.

The Myanmar Navy has sent UMS King Aung Zeya, which is berthed at Sri Vijaya Puram for the harbour phase.

The training covers maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), action against cross-border maritime crime, and response to marine pollution from oil and hazardous material spills.

MEA says the exercise puts the leaders' vision into action

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) welcomed the exercise on Saturday. In a post on X, the ministry said it "translates the shared vision of BIMSTEC leaders into action", adding that it would improve operational coordination and contribute to a safe and stable Bay of Bengal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the exercise at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April 2025. The same summit saw the signing of the BIMSTEC Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation.

Groundwork laid by the expert group

Much of the paperwork for the exercise was done by the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Maritime Security Cooperation. The group finalised guidelines for how maritime law enforcement agencies of member states should conduct themselves when they meet at sea, and separate guidelines for the maritime component of HADR.

Both sets were taken up at the fifth meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs in New Delhi in July, hosted by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The grouping has also held four editions of the BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise.

BIMSTEC was set up in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration with four members, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Myanmar joined later that year, and Bhutan and Nepal in 2004. The grouping now covers around 1.7 billion people across South and South-East Asia. Its secretariat is in Dhaka.

Andaman and Nicobar Command hosts the first edition

The ANC is India's first tri-service command. Sitting along major sea lanes at the southern mouth of the Bay of Bengal, the Command handles maritime surveillance, HADR, search and rescue operations and regional engagement.

Vice Admiral McCarty took charge as the 20th Commander-in-Chief of the Command on 1 June. A gunnery and missile warfare specialist commissioned in 1989, he has commanded INS Ajay, INS Khanjar and INS Shivalik, and served as Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet and as Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy. He has also served as Directing Staff at the Naval and Maritime Academy in Sri Lanka.

The Indian Navy already works closely with several of the participating navies on a bilateral basis. It held SLINEX-26 with the Sri Lanka Navy at Visakhapatnam, and hosted Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, in August. India also chaired the 5th meeting of the BIMSTEC National Security Chiefs in July.

After the harbour phase at Sri Vijaya Puram, the participating ships will move out to sea for the second phase of the BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, which closes on 3 November.