Indian Coast Guard Launches SAREX-2026 Sea Rescue Drill off Odisha's Paradip Coast

Key facts

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is conducting the biennial National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) 2026 off Odisha's Paradip coast, a first-of-its-kind sea-based drill on the state's coast.
• Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth inaugurated SAREX-2026 in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
• The drill features 15 Coast Guard ships, two Dornier aircraft, three Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs), a Chetak helicopter, Indian Air Force C-130J and Mi-17 aircraft, two Indian Navy ships, plus state and civil assets and shore-based support units.
• The exercise has attracted 32 observers from 30 countries.
• ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani described SAREX-2026 as one of the largest and most complex search-and-rescue exercises in the region.
• The National Maritime Search and Rescue (NMSAR) board, chaired by Sivamani, oversees India's 4.6 million sq km Search and Rescue Region.