The Maritime Security Seminar, conducted as part of the Maritime Information Sharing Workshop (MISW) 25, concluded on November 4. The three-day workshop on ‘Enhancing Real-Time Coordination and Information Sharing Across the Indian Ocean Region,’ was hosted by Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) and brought together over 57 participants from 30 countries, including representations from IORA, DCoC/JA, and BIMSTEC.

The seminar commenced with an opening address by deputy chief of naval staff, Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti who underscored the importance of collaboration, interoperability, and trust-based partnerships to address the evolving maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean Region. This was followed by a keynote address by additional director general, directorate general of shipping, Sushil Mansing Khopde, IPS, who highlighted India’s maritime initiatives and efforts towards strengthening the region’s maritime security architecture through cooperative engagement and regulatory alignment.

Over the two days of the seminar, participants deliberated on a wide range of topics shaping the maritime security landscape, including aspects of regional security dynamics, the role of information networks, operational coordination, maritime law, industry perspectives, and transnational maritime crime. The sessions underscored the importance of technological integration, data interoperability, and collective commitment in building a resilient and responsive maritime security framework. The seminar concluded with an address by Rear Admiral Nirbhay Bapna, (CS NCO), who highlighted the need for synergy among regional information-sharing frameworks and reaffirmed that collaboration and sustained dialogue remain central to ensuring a safe and secure maritime domain.

On November 5, the MISW-25 featured a Table Top Exercise (TTX) at IFC–IOR, where the principles of information sharing, interoperability, and coordinated response were put into practice through simulated maritime security scenarios. The TTX was conducted on the indigenously developed Maritime Analytical Tool for Regional Awareness (MANTRA) software. Delegates were tasked with responding to simulated maritime situations including piracy incidents, drug smuggling, irregular human migration and distress-at-sea scenarios. The exercise focussed on multi-agency coordination, rapid information sharing and synchronised response planning. The exercise aimed at refining real-time information sharing in achieving coherent maritime security outcomes, exposing participants to the complex dynamics of maritime incident reporting from detection and verification to dissemination and coordinated response.