INS Sudarshini Lisbon arrival came on Saturday, the Indian Navy's sail training ship entering the Tagus River and berthing in the Portuguese capital as part of her Lokayan 2026 voyage. Indian Navy sources said the stop marked her 15th port call in seven months at sea.

The three masted barque flew the Tricolour as she made her approach, Indian and Portuguese officers gathering dockside for the reception.

INS Sudarshini Lisbon Call Opens With Naval Exchanges

Over the coming days the crew and trainees are set to take part in professional exchanges, cross deck visits and cultural engagements with Portuguese naval leadership, local authorities and the Indian diaspora in Lisbon, defence sources said. The programme follows the pattern set at her earlier European and American stops on the Lokayan 2026 run.


A 15th Port Call in Seven Months

The Lisbon stop takes INS Sudarshini's tally to 15 ports called at in seven months, spanning three continents since she set sail. The figure was disclosed by the Indian Navy alongside the arrival, without a further breakdown of the individual legs.

The Passage From Ponta Delgada and the Sagres PASSEX

The INS Sudarshini Lisbon call follows a passage down from Ponta Delgada in the Azores, where the ship concluded a port call in mid August after an Atlantic crossing from Boston. En route to Lisbon, INS Sudarshini and the Portuguese Navy's own sail training vessel, NRP Sagres, undertook a joint Passing Exercise at sea, coordinating sail manoeuvres and communication drills.

Ten Months Since Sailing From Kochi

INS Sudarshini set sail from Kochi in January, carrying more than 200 cadets on a transoceanic training deployment that has since taken her through the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic.

The voyage is among the longest undertaken by an Indian Navy sail training ship in recent years.

Earlier Legs Across the Atlantic

The American leg of the deployment included calls at Norfolk, Baltimore, New York and Boston, where the ship represented India at the SAIL 250 celebrations before setting course for the Azores. The Ministry of Defence has described the voyage as part of the Navy's outreach to partner nations across multiple oceans, and the Indian Navy maintains a running account of each stop.

Indian Navy sources credited the Lisbon call as continuing the same cooperation the two navies built up during the Sagres PASSEX days earlier, with the Portuguese Navy named as host for the days alongside.