Seeking to enhance maritime security and interoperability, coast guard personnel from India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka have embarked on a four-day trilateral exercise to identify emerging maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean Region.

Indian Coast Guard ship Samarth and ICGS Abhinav along with Sri Lanka Naval Ship Samudura reached in Male on Thursday for the exercise ‘DOSTI-16’ that is being held between February 22 and 25. Bangladesh is participating as an observer.

Highlighting the importance of “collaboration and interoperability” among the coast guards personnel of the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, Maldivian Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon said the trilateral exercise ‘Dosti’ will unite the troika to address “shared maritime security concerns through collaboration.”

“MNDF welcomes participating ships from India and Sri Lanka for the Trilateral Joint Exercise “DOSTI-16″ from Feb 22-25. Coast Guards of Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, along with observers from Bangladesh, join in this biennial event to enhance collaboration between the forces,” Maldives National Defence Force had said in a post on X on Thursday.