{"id":87673,"date":"2026-02-13T18:06:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=87673"},"modified":"2026-02-13T18:06:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T12:36:37","slug":"operation-sankalp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/operation-sankalp\/","title":{"rendered":"Operation Sankalp, Background, Coordination, Significance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operation Sankalp is an Indian Navy mission started in June 2019 to protect Indian merchant ships in the Gulf region, especially <\/span><b>through the Strait of Hormuz<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It ensures safe passage of vessels and safeguards India\u2019s maritime interests.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Operation Sankalp Background<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the attacks on merchant ships in the region of Gulf of Oman, the Indian Navy started Maritime Security Operations, called <\/span><b>Operation Sankalp.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Its main goal was to protect Indian ships passing through the strategic<\/span><b> Strait of Hormuz <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and ensure India\u2019s trade routes safety. This operation also signifies India\u2019s role in maintaining peace and security in international waters and safeguarding global maritime trade.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Operation Sankalp Coordination<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operation Sankalp is carried out in close coordination with:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ministry of Defence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ministry of External Affairs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ministry of Shipping<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ministry of Petroleum &amp; Natural Gas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Directorate General of Shipping<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Deployment under Operation Sankalp<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">23 warships have been deployed so far for the operation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On average, 16 Indian-flagged merchant vessels are escorted safely each day in the Gulf region.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">INS Talwar, a stealth frigate, is currently deployed as part of the mission.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Operation Sanakalp Significance<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India imports almost 85% of its oil, with around 62% of oil imports in 2019-20 (worth around 66 billion USD) from the Gulf.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to the high-security risks in the Persian Gulf, it is crucial to protect Indian ships and ensure uninterrupted maritime trade.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The operation displays the Indian Navy\u2019s commitment to safeguard India\u2019s maritime interests and maintain regional stability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>INS Talwar<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">INS Talwar (F40) is the <\/span><b>lead ship of the Talwar-class frigates<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Indian Navy. Its name means<\/span><b> \u201cSword\u201d in Hindi.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was built in Russia and commissioned into the Indian Navy on 18 June <\/span><b>2003<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ship is part of the <\/span><b>Western Fleet<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, operating under the Western Naval Command.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key Capabilities:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-air operations-Can defend against aerial threats.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-ship and land-attack missiles-Can strike enemy ships and coastal targets.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-submarine warfare-Equipped to detect and combat submarines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">INS Talwar is a modern multi-role frigate designed to protect India\u2019s maritime interests and operate in complex naval environments.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Persian Gulf<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Persian Gulf, also called the Arabian Gulf, lies between the <\/span><b>Arabian Peninsula and Iran<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and connects to the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indian-ocean\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Indian Ocean<\/strong><\/a> via the Strait of Hormuz.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is about 990 km long and 55-340 km wide, with an average depth of 50 meters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gulf holds around <\/span><b>two-thirds of the world\u2019s proven oil reserves and one-third of natural gas reserves.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Major countries along its coast include Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Bahrain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a key route for global maritime trade, especially for oil transport.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Important islands include Bahrain and Qeshm, the largest in the gulf.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Gulf of Oman<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Gulf of Oman lies between eastern<\/span><b> Oman and southern Iran<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and connects the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/arabian-sea\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Arabian Sea<\/strong><\/a> to the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is about 560 km long and serves as the only maritime route from the Indian Ocean into the Persian Gulf.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gulf is a crucial shipping route for oil, with roughly one-third of the world\u2019s oil passing through it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It borders Oman to the south, Iran and Pakistan to the north, and the UAE to the west.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key ports include Muscat, Sur, Sohar (Oman) and Jask, Chah Bahar (Iran).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Important islands include Sheytan Island, Al Fahal Island, Dimaniyat Islands and Sawadi Islands.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Its security is vital for global oil trade, as both exporters and importers depend on it.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Operation Sankalp is an Indian Navy mission launched in 2019 to secure Strait of Hormuz, protect trade routes and safeguard India maritime interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":87677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[5395,5323,5394],"class_list":{"0":"post-87673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-internal-security","9":"tag-international-relations","10":"tag-operation-sankalp","11":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87688,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87673\/revisions\/87688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}