Addressing the heads of 14 Indian Ocean countries who were in Goa as part of the conclave, Adm Tripathi also said that India was willing to take the lead in helping the countries of the region combat joint threats.

“Across the world, we have seen how collaborative maritime operations produce tangible outcomes. When nations operate together with clearly defined objectives, they generate both deterrence and reassurance… coordinated activities in our region – whether directed at IUU (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated) fishing, trafficking or other illegal maritime activities – can significantly enhance security and stability across the Indian Ocean Region,” he said, adding that the month-long deployment of an Indian naval ship as Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR to the South-West Indian Ocean, with a multinational crew of 44 personnel from most of the partner countries present, was a modest beginning.

“It is a vast expanse out at sea, and with the Indian Ocean being the third largest ocean, it’s a persistent challenge for any individual navy at all times. It is possible for a country like ours to survey a particular area at a particular time, for which we have sufficient resources. But to do it persistently across the Indian Ocean is a huge challenge,” he also said.

The Naval Chief said that the positive impact of enhanced patrols, improved surveillance and more robust enforcement had already begun to be seen.

“In terms of Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing, IFC-IOR’s recent annual report has reported a decline in IUU fishing incidents as compared to the previous two years,” he said, adding that challenges remain.

“Piracy, after years of relative suppression, has shown renewed adaptability, with pirate groups operating as far as 600 nm offshore, while recent ReCAAP assessments indicate rising armed robbery incidents in Asian waters. At the same time, trafficking of narcotics, arms and other contraband has shown a consistent upward trend in both volume and sophistication, with routes from the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle increasingly converging at sea. Irregular human migration presents an even more troubling trend of increasing fatalities, as migrants are carried in unsafe vessels across longer distances,” he also said.

The 5th edition of the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC-26) was successfully conducted at the Naval War College, Goa, on February 21, 2026, bringing together Chiefs of Navies and senior maritime leaders from 15 Indian Ocean Region nations. The conclave reaffirmed the collective commitment of regional partners to strengthen cooperative mechanisms aimed at addressing common maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Organised by the Indian Navy under the overarching theme of “Common Maritime Security Challenges in the IOR – Progressing Lines of Efforts (LsOE) to Mitigate Dynamic Threats”, GMC-26 underscored India’s continued role as a convenor of structured maritime dialogue and an enabler of collaborative security architecture in the region.