2 weeks ago
Navy Chief Visits Mauritius, India's Oldest Maritime Friendship
An important leader from India's navy, Admiral Swaminathan, travelled to a small island country called Mauritius.
Mauritius is tiny, but the ocean around it is huge — bigger than many countries.
India and Mauritius have been friends for a very long time, since 1948.
Many people living in Mauritius have family roots in India.
Over the years, India has given Mauritius ships, planes and helicopters to help watch over its ocean waters.
More than a thousand coast guard members from Mauritius have gone to India to learn from its navy.
Together, the two countries have also made maps of the ocean so ships can travel safely.
In 2025, India promised to help Mauritius with projects worth about $680 million.
The visit shows that the two countries are good friends who help each other keep the ocean safe.
Admiral Swaminathan made his first visit to Mauritius as India's Chief of Naval Staff from 10 to 13 August, meeting the Mauritian prime minister.
India and Mauritius have had diplomatic ties since 1948, and close to 70 per cent of Mauritius's 1.3 million residents (~894,500 people) trace ancestry to the Indian subcontinent.
Indian shipyards have delivered naval hardware including MCGS Barracuda (2015), Victory (2016) and Valiant (2017), plus Dornier patrol aircraft and helicopters.
More than 1,000 Mauritius National Coast Guard personnel have trained with the Indian Navy, with training vacancy requests rising from 50 in 2021-22 to 195 this training year.
In September 2025 India announced a Special Economic Package of about $680 million covering healthcare, infrastructure and maritime security, while bilateral trade stands at roughly $851 million.
- Who
- Admiral Swaminathan, Chief of the Naval Staff of India, who visited Mauritius and was scheduled to call on Prime Minister Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and other senior officials.
- What
- His first visit to Mauritius as India's navy chief, reaffirming a seven-decade maritime partnership spanning naval hardware, training, hydrography and Indian Ocean security.
- Where
- Mauritius
- When
- 10 to 13 August 2026
- Why
- To restate and strengthen India's longstanding maritime cooperation with Mauritius, whose roughly 2.3 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone sits at the centre of India's Indian Ocean strategy.
Key facts
- Official visit
- 10–13 August 2026; first visit as Chief of Naval Staff
- Diplomatic ties established
- 1948
- Population of Indian ancestry
- About 894,500 of 1.3 million (~70%)
- Exclusive Economic Zone
- About 2.3 million sq km (world's 20th largest)
- Special Economic Package (Sept 2025)
- Approximately $680 million
- Bilateral trade
- About $851 million
- Indian-built vessels delivered
- MCGS Barracuda (2015), Victory (2016), Valiant (2017)
- Coast Guard personnel trained in India
- More than 1,000
Sources
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