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Coast Guard's SAREX-2026 rehearses mass air-sea rescue off Paradip, Odisha

By CAShorts DeskPublished Updated Source: Ministry of Defence, PIB, 8 October 2026

Coast Guard's SAREX-2026 rehearses mass air-sea rescue off Paradip, Odisha
Illustration (AI-generated)

The Indian Coast Guard held SAREX-2026, the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise, off Paradip, Odisha, on October 8. It simulated a passenger aircraft carrying 228 people ditching at sea and striking a container ship, causing damage and fire. Fifteen Coast Guard ships, Indian Navy ships and Indian Air Force aircraft took part, with 32 observers from 30 countries.

Syllabus: Prelims; GS3 · Disaster Management; GS3 · Security Forces & Agencies

Why it matters

For an air passenger or a fisherman in trouble off India's coast, survival depends on how quickly several agencies act as one. A ditched airliner with 228 people on board needs a fire at sea put out, survivors lifted from the water by helicopter and help organised ashore, all at the same time. A mass rescue of this size is beyond what any single rescue service normally has, so the International Maritime Organization's guidance calls for planned, closely coordinated action by many organisations using terms they all understand. SAREX-2026 rehearsed that hand-off among the Coast Guard, the Navy, the Air Force, the port and the state, so that gaps in command and communication show up in a drill and not in a real accident.

Prelims pointers

  • Indian Coast Guard: an Armed Force of the Union constituted under the Coast Guard Act, 1978, functioning under the Ministry of Defence.
  • Coast Guard duties under the Act: protecting fishermen in distress, controlling marine pollution, aiding customs against smuggling, and safeguarding offshore terminals and artificial islands.
  • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982: territorial sea up to 12 nautical miles and Exclusive Economic Zone up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline.
  • UNCLOS also requires every coastal State to promote an adequate and effective search and rescue service, cooperating with neighbouring States where needed.
  • SAR Convention, 1979 (International Maritime Organization): each search and rescue region is set by agreement and served by a 24-hour rescue coordination centre; it does not decide boundaries between States.
  • IAMSAR Manual: jointly developed and published by the International Maritime Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
  • COSPAS-SARSAT relays 406 MHz distress alerts through satellites, including in geostationary orbit; India takes part through ISRO. EPIRBs serve ships, ELTs aircraft and PLBs individuals.
  • SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region): India's maritime vision for the Indian Ocean Region, announced in 2015.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the Indian Coast Guard, consider the following statements:

1. It is an Armed Force of the Union constituted under the Coast Guard Act, 1978.

2. The Coast Guard Act, 1978 is administered by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

3. Protecting fishermen and assisting them when in distress at sea is one of its statutory duties.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 2 and 3 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

1 is correct: the Coast Guard Act, 1978 provides for the constitution of an Armed Force of the Union to secure India's maritime zones. 2 is incorrect: the Act is administered by the Ministry of Defence, not the Ministry of Home Affairs. 3 is correct: the Act lists the protection of fishermen, including assistance at sea while in distress, among the Coast Guard's duties.

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