The Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman have completed the 15th edition of Naseem Al Bahr, their bilateral maritime exercise, after four days of drills off Muscat that ended on November 11. The exercise, whose name means Sea Breeze, brought the Indian destroyer INS Surat together with the Omani vessel Al-Mu’azzar for work at sea and in harbour, and it will be followed by a Coordinated Patrol between the two navies.
Naseem Al Bahr sea phase tested boarding drills
The sea phase put boarding teams from both navies through joint Visit, Board, Search and Seizure drills, known as VBSS, during Naseem Al Bahr. Teams moved to a target ship in rigid inflatable boats, with Indian and Omani sailors sharing the craft, and climbed aboard by ladder before clearing the decks. The two ships, INS Surat and Al-Mu’azzar, operated side by side through the drills, which the Indian Navy said were meant to improve interoperability, professional cooperation and mutual understanding.
Boarding is a routine part of naval work in the waters off Oman, which sit beside some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. A boarding team has to reach a ship, get on board, secure it and search it, all while staying in contact with its own vessel. Doing the same job with another navy means both sides have to know each other’s signals, drills and safety rules, and the two ships also carried out cross-deck operations so personnel from both sides could practise coordinated procedures together. The boarding drills in Naseem Al Bahr gave both crews a chance to test that coordination at sea rather than on paper.
The exercise was scheduled from November 8 to 11, and it was announced through a press release from the Ministry of Defence issued on November 9. The Indian Navy said on social media that the exercise aimed to enhance operational synergy and interoperability between the two navies. The four-day programme gave personnel from both sides time to work together in harbour and at sea, rather than limiting the contact to a single day of drills.
Harbour phase covered mine warfare and hydrography
Before the ships sailed, specialist teams met in harbour for Subject Matter Expert Exchanges. The sessions covered Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Mine Countermeasure Operations and Hydrography, and the Navy said the exchanges helped both sides share professional knowledge and operational experience in these fields. Hydrography was also on the table when the two navies held their 8th Staff Talks in New Delhi from October 27 to 28, alongside operational engagements, training and information sharing.
Naseem Al Bahr has run since 1993
The series began in 1993 and is held every two years. The 12th edition was hosted off Goa, and the 13th was conducted off Oman in November 2022, when INS Trikand and INS Sumitra sailed with Omani ships for a sea phase that also included boarding drills. The 15th edition of Naseem Al Bahr builds on the talks held during the 13th meeting of the India-Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee, which took place on November 24, 2025.
INS Surat, the fourth and final destroyer of Project 15B, was commissioned in January 2025. The ship arrived at Muscat on November 8 for the start of the exercise, and the programme included cross-deck visits, operational interactions and sporting events. The Navy described Naseem Al Bahr as a sign of the close maritime partnership between India and Oman, and said it furthers engagement with regional maritime partners under the government’s MAHASAGAR vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
What follows after Naseem Al Bahr
With the sea phase of Naseem Al Bahr complete, the two navies are to move on to a Coordinated Patrol, according to the Ministry of Defence. Oman is a regular port of call for Indian warships, and the sail training ship INS Sudarshini called at Salalah in October during its Lokayan 2026 deployment. The exercise and the patrol that follows it keep the two navies working together in waters that carry a large share of the region’s shipping.