Examine the institutional architecture for maritime SAR in India. What challenges does a Mass Rescue Operation scenario pose for inter-agency coordination?

India coordinates search and rescue (SAR) over a ~4.6 million sq km Indian Search and Rescue Region, an area far larger than its EEZ [3]. SAREX-2026 off Paradip is built around a Mass Rescue Operation (MRO) [5]. It shows that India's SAR system is well designed but comes under the most strain when many agencies must act at the same time.

Institutional architecture

• Legal base: The Coast Guard Act, 1978 makes the ICG an Armed Force of the Union under the Ministry of Defence [1]. The SAR Convention, 1979 requires India to provide SAR services and to coordinate with its neighbours [2].
• Policy tier: The NMSAR Board was set up in 2002 and is chaired by the DG, ICG. Its 31 members include central ministries, the Armed Forces and all coastal States/UTs. It reviews the National Maritime SAR Plan every year [3].
• Operational tier: The ICG is the nodal agency. Its MRCCs at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair assign ships and aircraft to rescues [4].
• Support agencies: Navy, IAF, AAI, DG Shipping, INCOIS, ISRO and NDMA [3].
• Regional outreach: In 2023 the ICG ran an ITEC MRCC course for staff from six neighbouring countries [4].

Challenges of an MRO for inter-agency coordination

• Scale and mobilisation: The scenario puts 228 persons in the water at once. SAREX positions 15 ICG ships and Navy/IAF aircraft in advance, but a real ditching comes without warning [5].
• Aero–maritime interface: Civil aviation must pass alerts and passenger lists to MRCCs quickly. That is why the Board's 2026 agenda focuses on distress-alert management and faster mobilisation [5].
• Unity of command: ICG, Navy, IAF and civil/State assets each have their own command chains, yet one on-scene coordinator has to direct them all [5].
• Shore-side surge: Coastal States, which sit on the Board, must be able to receive and treat hundreds of survivors at the same time [3].
• Capacity limits: The fleet is still growing, with plans to go from 158 to 190 ships and from 72 to 80 aircraft [6]. The same platforms also carry security, fisheries and environmental duties [1].
• Cross-border reach: MRCC Mumbai and MRCC Karachi worked together to rescue the crew of MSV Taj Dhare Haram in December 2024. This shows that neighbour-to-neighbour links can work even across hostile borders [7].

In short, India's SAR system has three layers (legal, policy and operational), and an MRO tests the links between agencies more than any one agency. India should publish what each drill gets wrong, link aviation alerts directly to MRCCs and hold regular drills with neighbouring MRCCs. Together these steps would turn SAREX into lasting capability. They would also meet India's duties under the SAR Convention and support its aim of being the first responder in the Indian Ocean Region [2][5].