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INS Sudarshini leaves Salalah after Oman port call on Lokayan 2026 ocean voyage

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INS Sudarshini, the Indian Navy’s three-masted sail training ship, left Salalah in Oman after a port call from 14 to 17 October 2026, the Ministry of Defence said on 18 October. The ship is continuing Lokayan-2026, a ten-month transoceanic deployment that began in Kochi in January. The ministry said the voyage reflects the Navy’s maritime heritage and its commitment to building seamanship, resilience and leadership among naval trainees. Akashvani News also reported the departure.

INS Sudarshini: INS Sudarshini under sail during the Lokayan-2026 deployment
INS Sudarshini under sail during the Lokayan-2026 deployment Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

What INS Sudarshini did during the Salalah port call

During the four-day stay, the ministry said, professional interactions and sporting engagements between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman built camaraderie and reinforced bonds of friendship between the two services. It added that the visit further strengthened people-to-people ties between India and Oman. Salalah, on Oman’s southern Arabian Sea coast, places the ship back in waters close to home after months in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Akashvani News, the public broadcaster’s news service, carried the same account of the Salalah visit. The release did not give the ship’s next port of call.

Key Facts

  • Port call: 14-17 Oct 2026, Salalah, Oman
  • Ship: three-masted sail training ship INS Sudarshini
  • Deployment: Lokayan-2026, now in its tenth month
  • Engaged with: Royal Navy of Oman
  • Policy frame: MAHASAGAR

Lokayan 2026 enters its tenth month at sea

The ministry said Lokayan-2026 is now in its tenth month. Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, flagged the ship off from the Kochi naval base on 20 January 2026. At the time the Navy said the barque would sail about 22,000 nautical miles and visit 18 foreign ports in 13 countries. Its plan included the Escale à Sète maritime festival in France and the SAIL 250 tall-ship parade in New York for the United States’ 250th Independence Day. A September release said the ship had crossed the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Mediterranean, transited the Suez Canal and, for the first time, crossed the Atlantic, reaching Antigua on 27 May after a 19-day passage from Cape Verde. Its arrival in Lisbon on 22 August was its 15th port call, and it returned to Alexandria, Egypt, on 23 September.

the event at sea on the Lokayan-2026 ocean voyage
the event at sea on the Lokayan-2026 ocean voyage Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

Why a sail training ship still matters for the Indian Navy

The ministry described the voyage as an example of the Navy’s spirit of exploration, professional excellence and commitment to maritime diplomacy. Travelling through international waters, it said, the ship serves as an ambassador of India, building goodwill and maritime partnerships. It linked the deployment to the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and to MAHASAGAR, India’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. For trainees, months under sail in open ocean and foreign harbours combine seamanship with the work of representing the country abroad.

Why It Matters: Sail training visits build working ties with Gulf partners and give future officers hands-on experience far from home waters.

Also on TrendDesh: Project Seabird: Navy opens 300 homes and expanded hospital facilities at Karwar naval base · Exercise Konkan 2026 ends off Plymouth after INS Trishul and HMS Sutherland drill together

Source: PIB (Ministry of Defence), 18 Oct 2026 · Akashvani News · PIB (Ministry of Defence), flag-off, 20 Jan 2026 · PIB, Alexandria arrival, Sep 2026

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