UN event highlights India-Oman maritime ties through maiden voyage of stitched sail vessel
The Indian Ambassador to the UN Parvathaneni Harish underlined that India and Oman share a maritime relationship of peaceful trade and commerce that goes back centuries
By R Anil Kumar
New York/ Bengaluru, May 16, 2026. The maiden voyage of Indian Navy’s traditional stitched sail vessel Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Kaundinya from Porbandar to Muscat was highlighted at a United Nations (UN) event, with speakers stressing centuries-old maritime traditions and cooperation at a time of tensions affecting global shipping routes.
The Permanent Mission of India to the UN and the Oman Mission to the UN co-organised the event titled ‘Ancient Trade Routes: The Journey of INSV Kaundinya’ at the UN headquarters on Friday (May 15, 2026).
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Indian Navy Commodore Amit Srivastava, Commander Vikas Sheoran who skippered the vessel, and Expedition Officer Commander Y. Hemant Kumar attended and addressed the event.
“This is an important occasion. We are having a daily discussion about a certain kind of a maritime crisis that is impacting us, our nations and our citizens, yet we also have centuries-old maritime traditions of peaceful trade and commerce, exchanges that have survived centuries,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvathaneni Harish said in his remarks.
Though he did not mention it directly, Ambassador Harish’s remarks appeared to refer to concerns over disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies pass through the narrow waterway.
INSV Kaundinya, the Indian Navy’s indigenously built traditional stitched sailing vessel, sailed on its maiden overseas voyage from Porbandar in Gujarat to Muscat in Oman on December 29, 2025.
The Permanent Mission of India to the UN said the voyages of INSV Kaundinya, a stitched-plank sailing vessel inspired by ancient Indian shipbuilding traditions, highlight India’s ancient maritime trade routes across the Indian Ocean connecting India with the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.
“These ancient trade routes highlight the longstanding role of India and Oman as responsible maritime civilizations,” it said.
Underlining that India and Oman share a maritime relationship that goes back centuries, Mr. Harish said the event highlighted that “oceans connect us like they always have.” He added, “At a time when the world is debating how to manage and protect shared ocean spaces, it’s worth remembering that the peoples of our region were already doing so through trade, through trust, and through regular exchanges and contact long before modern international law and the law of the sea actually came into being.”
Mr. Harish further said the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides a legal framework for governing the world’s oceans today, “but frameworks work best when they are grounded in a genuine sense of shared purpose and in trust.”
“Events like this one help build that sense of purpose. They remind us that the sea is a common space, one that belongs to all of us and must be protected by all of us,” he added. The sailors of INSV Kaundinya shared details of the recent expedition retracing ancient Indian Ocean trade routes with UN envoys, officials and dignitaries.
Permanent Representative of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations Omar Said Omar Alkathiri said that through the “remarkable voyage of INSV Kaundinya, we are reminded of the deep-rooted and cherished relationship between our nations, one that has flourished in the heart of the Indian Ocean for centuries.” He said, “Our maritime past offers valuable lessons for present and future ocean governance. The spirit of cooperation that defined Oman and India’s relation inspires us to collaborate and approach managing marine resources and safeguarding biodiversity.”
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Mr. Alkathiri said the vessel’s arrival in Oman’s waters was met with warmth and admiration, “serving as a reminder of our shared history” and providing a foundation for renewed cooperation. “The voyage underscored the importance of cultural exchange and fostering trust, innovation and resilience,” he said.
“It invites us to honour the legacy of those who came before us by working together to protect the ocean for those who will follow,” Mr. Alkathiri said.
