The Indian Navy is the first responder to much of the territory in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The IOR is one of the high-risk regions where disasters tend to take place. And since the maritime capacities of most littoral nations around IOR are not adequate to individually cope with catastrophic disasters in such a vast ocean, the Indian Navy plays a prominent role.

Navy personnel loading relief material during a rescue operation

The IOR stands significantly exposed to a wide-ranging natural disasters. In India, 58.6 per cent of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity; over 40 million hectares (12 per cent of land) is prone to floods and river erosion; of the 7,516 km long coastline, close to 5,700 km is prone to cyclones and tsunamis. As such quick access, mobility, availability of the desired relief material and medical care are some of the key factors that define the Indian Navy’s role in relief operations.

The concept of mission-based deployments, according to the Indian Navy, involves deploying mission-ready ships and aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications (SLOC) and chokepoints, always ready to meet any eventuality across the spectrum of operations ranging from acts of maritime terrorism and piracy to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions. These deployments are aimed to be maintained 24/7 and round the year with ships being sustained and turned around on station.




During the devastating tsunami in 2004, the Indian Navy played a prominent role in the HADR operations, being one of the first responders to the crisis. During ‘Operation RAHAT’ in April 2015, the Indian Navy rescued hundreds of Indian and foreign citizens from Yemen taking them to safer areas. When cyclone Roanu struck Bangladesh in 2016, the navy was at the forefront of HADR operations, bringing relief to lakhs of stranded people. Bangladesh was also badly hit by cyclone Mora in June 2017, and again, the Indian Navy played an instrumental role in the relief operations in the country. The Indian Navy has played prime role in many humanitarian crisis situations in the countries bordering the Indian Ocean, upholding the slogan of ‘SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).’