BIMSTEC's seven members hold inaugural maritime security exercise
All seven BIMSTEC members are taking part in the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, held from 30 October to 3 November 2026. The Ministry of Defence says it aims to improve interoperability and maritime domain awareness in the Bay of Bengal. The drill builds on the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, held in Bangkok in April 2025.
Syllabus: Prelims · Current Affairs & IR; GS2 · India & its Neighbourhood; GS2 · Groupings & Agreements
Why this matters for UPSC
GS2 international relations: BIMSTEC and regional groupings involving India. Prelims can ask its members, Charter and pillars; Mains, Bay of Bengal maritime security.
Why it matters
For a fisher, a ferry crew or a ship's master in the Bay of Bengal, trouble at sea does not stop at a maritime boundary. A storm, a sinking or a smuggling boat may need help from more than one country at once. When the maritime agencies of neighbouring states have trained together, they can share one picture of what is moving at sea, follow common procedures and reach people in distress sooner. For BIMSTEC, the drill moves security cooperation from conference halls onto the water. For India, it gives practical shape to the Security pillar it leads and a regional role to its island territories in the east.
Prelims pointers
- BIMSTEC's four founders under the 1997 Bangkok Declaration were Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand; Myanmar joined in December 1997.
- The permanent BIMSTEC Secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh, set up in 2014 after a decision at the Third Summit in Nay Pyi Taw.
- The BIMSTEC Charter was adopted at the Fifth Summit, held virtually from Colombo in 2022, and entered into force on 20 May 2024.
- Pillar leads: India, Security; Bangladesh, Trade, Investment and Development; Thailand, Connectivity; Sri Lanka, Science, Technology and Innovation; Bhutan, Environment and Climate Change.
- Look-alikes: the Bangkok Declaration of 1997 founded the grouping; the Bangkok Vision 2030, adopted at the 6th Summit in 2025, is its first vision document.
- The Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation covers shipping: national treatment for vessels, crew and cargo, mutual recognition of certificates, a Joint Shipping Coordination Committee and dispute settlement.
- BIMSTEC Summits: Bangkok 2004, New Delhi 2008, Nay Pyi Taw 2014, Kathmandu 2018, Colombo 2022 and Bangkok 2025.
Practise a UPSC-style question
With reference to the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise of 2026, consider the following statements:
1. It builds on the outcomes of the Fifth BIMSTEC Summit, held virtually from Colombo.
2. It brings together all seven BIMSTEC member states, including Bhutan and Nepal.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer
Answer: (b) 2 only
Answer: (b) 2 only. All seven members take part, but the drill follows the 6th Summit, not the 5th.
Statement 1: incorrect. The exercise builds on the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, held in Bangkok on 4 April 2025 under the theme 'BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open'. Colombo hosted the 5th Summit in 2022.
Statement 2: correct. The Ministry of Defence names India and six partners: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, all seven BIMSTEC members.
Eliminate: statement 1 swaps the 6th Summit for the 5th, so it is wrong. Out: (a), (c).
Eliminate: statement 2 holds, as the ministry names all seven members. Out: (d).
Trap: Swapped attribution. The Colombo Summit is real and famous for the Charter, so pinning the drill's origin on it looks right.
Remember: 5th Summit, Colombo 2022, Charter; 6th Summit, Bangkok 2025, Vision 2030 and the maritime drill's mandate.
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