IBSAMAR IX Naval Exercise Concludes at Simon's Town

The ninth edition of the India-Brazil-South Africa Maritime Exercise, known by its short name IBSAMAR IX, came to a close at Simon's Town in South Africa on 20 October 2026. The closing ceremony drew the curtain on ten days of joint activity by the navies of the three countries, conducted in a harbour phase and then at sea.

What the three navies did

The exercise brought the Indian, Brazilian and South African navies together for professional exchanges, operational interactions and joint training at sea. The stated aim was to raise interoperability, deepen operational cooperation and build a fuller understanding between the three forces. Crews on each side came away with a working knowledge of the procedures, the capabilities and the sea-going methods of the others, which is what allows ships of different navies to act as one formation when the need arises.

The Indian ship and the closing address

India was represented by INS Tarkash, and the ship's Commanding Officer addressed the gathering at the closing ceremony. He held that an exercise of this kind offers a rare platform on which a long-standing diplomatic relationship is converted into naval cooperation that can be put to use, and that the lasting value of such a drill lies as much in the bonds formed between crews as in the manoeuvres carried out on the water.

Why the three countries exercise together

India, Brazil and South Africa sit on three different continents and are joined to one another by the sea. All three have the same interest in keeping those waters safe, secure and stable, which is the reason the trilateral drill exists. It gives the three navies a setting in which to take up shared maritime problems, trade best practices and build the habit of operating side by side, and the edition that has just ended was described as a reaffirmation of their commitment to open seas under a rules-based order.

Exam pointers

For an examination the essentials are the name of the exercise, the three participating countries, the edition number, the host location and the Indian ship involved. IBSAMAR is a trilateral naval exercise, this was its ninth edition, it ended at Simon's Town in South Africa on 20 October 2026, and INS Tarkash was the Indian warship taking part.