A welcoming ceremony was held, this morning, at the Quay of Port Louis Harbour for the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sutlej, which is set to undertake the 18th Joint Hydrographic Survey Mission in Mauritian waters.

The survey mission, scheduled from 02 to 18 October 2025, is being conducted under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Hydrography between Mauritius and India which has been in effect since 2006 and has been periodically renewed. The MoU aims at strengthening cooperation in the areas of maritime safety, scientific collaboration, and sustainable ocean resource management over Mauritius’s Exclusive Economic Zone, and at enhancing capacity building. Some 13 paper navigational charts and 15 electronic navigational charts of Mauritian waters have already been produced as a result of this collaboration.

Organised by the Ministry of Housing and Lands, the welcoming event for the INS Sutlej was attended by the Assistant Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Lands, Mr Manoj Kumarsing Dookhee, the Deputy High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, Mr Vimarsh Aryan, the Commanding Officer of the INS Sutlej, Commander Varun Gupta, and other personalities.

In his address, Mr Dookhee highlighted the significance of Mauritius–India maritime cooperation. He also talked of the progress in hydrographic capacity with the appointment of the country’s first woman hydrographer and nautical cartographer. The Assistant Permanent Secretary mentioned too how Mauritius is gaining more international recognition, namely through its role in the Southern African and Islands Hydrographic Commission (SAIHC).

For his part, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner recalled the renewal of the MoU on Hydrography earlier this year during the 14th Joint Committee Meeting on Hydrography while underlining that the 18th Joint Hydrographic Survey Mission is a reaffirmation of the enduring partnership between Mauritius and India. Mr Aryan underscored that the deployment of the INS Sutlej would support the hydrographic data requirements of various Mauritian stakeholders and strengthen operational cooperation through joint surveillance exercises with the National Coast Guard.
INS Sutlej.

Commissioned in 1993 and currently based at Kochi under the Southern Naval Command, INS Sutlej is a specialised hydrographic survey vessel of the Indian Navy. It is equipped with advanced systems including multi-beam echo sounders, side-scan sonar, differential GPS, and a fully automated digital survey processing system. The ship also carries a Chetak helicopter and four survey motor boats. During its current deployment in Mauritius, INS Sutlej is expected to cover 9,800 nautical miles and survey approximately 35,000 square nautical miles using high-resolution sonar systems.