• What? INS Sagardhwani flagged off for Sagar Maitri V
• By Whom? Radha Mohan Singh, MP and Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence
• Implementer: NPOL, Kochi under DRDO
• Objective: Scientific cooperation and ocean research in the IOR
• Countries Involved: Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar
• Mission Significance: Enhances Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) for the Indian Navy

About Sagar Maitri Programme:
Vision: Aligned with the Government of India’s MAHASAGAR goal—Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
Focus: Promotes scientific research, socio-economic engagement, capacity building, and professional exchanges among 8 IOR nations (Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar).
MAITRI: The Marine & Allied Interdisciplinary Training and Research Initiative (MAITRI) acts as the scientific pillar for long-term ocean research partnerships.
Platform: INS Sagardhwani conducts oceanographic missions, retracing historic INS Kistna routes from the International Indian Ocean Expedition (1962–65).
SM-5: The fifth mission engages eight IOR countries and begins collaborative oceanographic studies with the Maldives.
Objective: Collect oceanographic and acoustic data to enhance Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) for the Indian Navy(IN).
INS Sagardhwani: 
Type: INS Sagardhwani is a specialised Marine Acoustic Research Ship (MARS) for oceanographic and acoustic studies.
Management: The vessel is designed and owned by DRDO’s NPOL and operated by the IN.
Construction: It was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, West Bengal (WB), and commissioned in July 1994.