Panaji: India’s navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi on Saturday signalled a significant expansion of New Delhi’s maritime outreach in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), announcing a second deployment under the IOS Sagar initiative with “much wider participation” and expressing support for a collaborative mechanism to tackle illegal fishing and narcotics trafficking.Speaking at the Goa Maritime Conclave at INS Mandovi, Tripathi said the navy is finalising dates for IOS Sagar 2.0, building on last April’s 40-day inaugural deployment. Naval sources indicated that an offshore patrol vessel is likely to be deployed to Southeast Asian waters around April-May.“We decided that we will have IOS Sagar 2.0 this year. We are deciding the date for the flag off with much wider participation,” Tripathi said. “Whether we can call it a task force or not, this is a beginning where at least the officers and sailors from IOR nations are sailing together and working together, and which will enhance interoperability between the nations.”He noted that last year’s maiden deployment of INS Sunayna as IOS Sagar, with personnel from nine navies, received a positive response from political leaders across participating countries.Responding to a proposal from the conclave’s first session to establish a formal IOR task force, Tripathi said,“How this will grow now to a joint task force, that has to be worked out. There has to be a consensus, and certainly India will support that,” he said.Arun Prakash, former navy chief, warned ocean-going fleets are plundering tuna, squid and prawns threatening fishermen’s livelihoods. “IUU represents not just economic loss but fuels transnational crime and biodiversity collapse,” he said.
