Indo-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol
Also called: IMCOR · Topic: India and her Neighbours · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Indo-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) is a regular patrol that the Indian Navy and the Myanmar Navy carry out together along their shared sea boundary. A "coordinated" patrol means the two navies plan the patrol together and share information, while each one guards its own side of the line. The patrols began in 2013. They target terrorism, illegal fishing, drug and human trafficking, and poaching. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), meaning a fixed set of agreed steps for how the patrol is run, was signed at the 4th edition in 2016. IMCOR matters because Myanmar is both a land and a sea neighbour of India, and IMCOR helps build trust between the two navies.
Example
The India-Myanmar sea boundary runs through the Andaman Sea. Near it lies the Coco Channel, the strip of water that separates India's North Andaman Island from Myanmar's Coco Islands. The 8th IMCOR, held in May 2019, covered about 725 km of this sea boundary over four days.
Don't confuse with
- IMNEX (India-Myanmar Naval Exercise): IMNEX is a training exercise between the two navies. IMCOR is a working patrol against crime and illegal activity at sea.
- RAHAT MITRA: This was a one-off disaster relief exercise held at Chennai in 2026 with all three services of both countries. IMCOR is a regular patrol by the navies only.