INS Sudarshini Departs Salalah on Lokayan-2026 Voyage

The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini has sailed out of Salalah in Oman, closing a port call that ran from 14 to 17 October 2026. The three-masted vessel is on Lokayan-2026, a transoceanic deployment the Navy calls historic, and the departure takes her on to the next leg of that voyage.

What Lokayan-2026 is

Lokayan-2026 is a long-distance sailing deployment whose purpose is to build professional seamanship, resilience and leadership among naval trainees. The Navy treats the voyage as an expression of the country's maritime heritage: a sail ship crossing open ocean teaches a crew the craft of the sea in a way a powered warship cannot. The deployment has now entered its tenth month.

The stop at Salalah

While the ship lay in harbour, her crew took part in professional exchanges and sporting fixtures with their hosts. Those engagements built camaraderie and reinforced the friendship between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman, and the Navy noted that they also added to people-to-people ties between the two countries.

A voyage of maritime diplomacy

Crossing international waters, INS Sudarshini serves as an ambassador for India, earning goodwill and building maritime partnerships along her route. The voyage carries the civilisational idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and advances the vision of MAHASAGAR, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

Why a sail training ship matters

Ships of this kind are not built to fight; they are used to train officers and sailors at sea. Working masts, sails and rigging in shifting weather demands teamwork and quick judgement, and long passages far from home test endurance. A deployment such as Lokayan-2026 therefore does two jobs at once. It hardens the Navy's next generation of seafarers, and it carries the flag into friendly harbours, where India quietly builds the naval relationships that matter in the Indian Ocean region.