Island Diplomacy And Maritime Security

Policy Update
Riddhi Suthar

Background

The diplomatic relations between India and Seychelles were established in 1976, following Seychelles’ independence, and over the decades, India has emerged as one of the island nation’s principal security partners in the Western Indian Ocean. In 2015, India and Seychelles signed an agreement for developing defence facilities on Assumption Island, a strategically located island in the southwest Indian Ocean

However, following domestic political concerns in Seychelles regarding sovereignty and environmental issues, the agreement was revised and re-signed in 2018. Seychelles reaffirmed ownership and sovereign control over the facilities. Ultimately, the Assumption Island project was stalled, but defence engagement between the two countries continued through naval visits, training programmes, equipment transfers, and maritime security cooperation.

A major milestone occurred in June 2026, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Seychelles, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to maritime security cooperation, and India agreed to redeploy military advisers to Seychelles, reviving an arrangement that had previously lapsed. The leaders also reviewed ongoing cooperation in maritime security, the blue economy, defence capacity building, and regional security issues affecting the Indian Ocean.

The renewed defence partnership emerges at a time when the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is witnessing increasingly complex maritime security challenges. These include piracy and armed robbery at sea, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, maritime terrorism, transnational drug and human trafficking networks, and intensifying strategic competition among major powers.

Against this backdrop, deeper India–Seychelles defence cooperation aims to enhance Seychelles’ maritime surveillance and coastal security capabilities, particularly by strengthening monitoring and protection of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). At the regional level, the partnership contributes to maritime domain awareness, safeguards sea lines of communication (SLOCs), promotes stability in the Indian Ocean, and reinforces India’s role as a net security provider in the region.

Figure 1: A 2004 Seychelles Nation newspaper clipping documenting the goodwill visit of Indian naval ships INS Tir and INS Sharda to Seychelles

Source: Seychelles Nation, “Indian Naval Ships on Goodwill Visit – Open to Public on Sunday September 19,” 17 September 2004, archived at the Seychelles Nation archive.

Functioning

Capacity building: India has consistently supported capacity building in Seychelles by providing training opportunities for Seychelles Defence Forces personnel in Indian military institutions and specialised defence programmes. India’s Ministry of External Affairs reported that in 2023–24, 22 Seychellois personnel received defence training under India’s ITEC framework, while broader civil and defence training programmes trained 75 Seychellois citizens in 2024.

India regularly deploys military training teams and advisers to Seychelles. During the 2026 renewal of the partnership, India agreed to redeploy military advisers to assist with defence planning, operational coordination, and professional military education. Capacity building allows Seychelles to monitor one of the world’s largest EEZ-to-population ratios without maintaining a large military establishment.

Maritime Security Cooperation: Maritime security is the core pillar of the partnership. Over 99.9% of Seychelles’ sovereign territory is maritime rather than land-based. The EEZ supports one of the most important pillars of the Seychellois economy. India installed six Coastal Surveillance Radar System (CSRS) stations in Seychelles in 2015. These radar stations form part of India’s wider Indian Ocean maritime domain awareness network and help monitor Seychelles’ vast EEZ of 1.37 million sq. km.

A key component of India–Seychelles maritime security cooperation has been the transfer of patrol vessels to strengthen Seychelles’ ability to monitor and secure its vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). India also gifted a 48.9-metre Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) worth ₹100 crore in 2021. To enhance Maritime Aviation Capability 1st Dornier Do-228 maritime surveillance aircraft in 2013. 2nd Dornier aircraft in 2018 was also gifted to Seychelles. India has regularly conducted hydrographic surveys in Seychelles since the 1980s and formally expanded cooperation through the 2015 Hydrography MoU.

Defence Assistance: In 2026, India announced a US$175 million Special Economic Package with US$125 million Line of Credit and US$50 million Grant Assistance. The 11th edition of exercise LAMITYE held in March 2026 was particularly significant because it became the first tri-service exercise, involving the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force, alongside the Seychelles Defence Forces.

Intelligence Sharing: India assists Seychelles through real-time maritime monitoring, vessel tracking, intelligence on piracy networks and monitoring of trafficking routes. India’s Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), established in 2018, has become a key platform for sharing maritime information with partner countries, including Seychelles.

Figure 2. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj hands over the HAL Do-228 maritime surveillance aircraft to Seychelles President Danny Faure at Air Force Station, Palam, New Delhi, 26 June 2018.

Source: Office of the President of the Republic of Seychelles (State House).

Performance

India’s defence partnership with Seychelles places significant emphasis on human-capital development. Given Seychelles’ small population and limited defence manpower, training support is a cost-effective mechanism for enhancing maritime security capabilities. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India nearly one-third of all Indian-sponsored training slots for Seychelles were devoted directly to defence and security capacity building, highlighting the strategic importance India assigns to maritime security cooperation.

The redeployment of military advisers represents a shift from equipment-centric assistance to institution-centric security cooperation, making it one of the most consequential elements of the renewed India–Seychelles defence partnership. A key strength of the adviser programme is that it is low-cost but high-impact. The radar network is integrated into India’s wider Indian Ocean Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) architecture, enabling near real-time information sharing.

The establishment of six radar stations allows persistent surveillance of one of the world’s largest EEZs relative to population. The induction of two Dornier aircraft substantially increased Seychelles’ surveillance reach by enabling rapid aerial monitoring of maritime areas that would support humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) & Search and rescue operations.

The formalisation of hydrographic cooperation through the 2015 MoU transformed an ad hoc technical collaboration into a long-term institutional partnership. The special economic package reflects a shift from project-specific assistance to comprehensive strategic support. This provides Seychelles with resources to strengthen defence-related infrastructure while reducing fiscal pressure. The first tri-service exercise demonstrates a higher degree of interoperability.

While it is difficult to attribute changes solely to bilateral cooperation, India’s support has strengthened Seychelles’ maritime domain awareness, surveillance capacity, and ability to monitor its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Enhanced coastal surveillance, regular joint patrols, and capacity-building initiatives have improved maritime law enforcement and deterrence against threats such as piracy, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and transnational maritime crime, thereby contributing to greater maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean.

Impact

The renewed India–Seychelles defence partnership has had a multidimensional impact. Greater maritime situational awareness is possible through near real-time information sharing. The renewed partnership strengthens India’s MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision.

It has reinforced India’s role as a net security provider and expanded India’s strategic influence in the Western Indian Ocean, which has also increased confidence among Indian Ocean island states in India’s security commitments. Through the deployment of military advisors, India can influence defence planning, training, and operational procedures across the entire security apparatus of Seychelles.

Seychelles’ participation in the Colombo Security Conclave, coupled with intelligence sharing through the IFC-IOR, contributes to coordinated responses against piracy, illegal fishing, drug trafficking and other transnational maritime threats. Enhanced maritime security has indirect economic benefits by protecting fisheries, maritime trade and tourism, which is the backbone of Seychelles’ economy.

The renewed partnership has strengthened India’s ability to maintain a favourable strategic balance in the Western Indian Ocean amid increasing geopolitical competition. India has reinforced its strategic presence while respecting Seychelles’ policy of strategic autonomy. The shift from hardware transfers to institutional capacity building has enhanced the sustainability of Seychelles’ maritime security capabilities by developing local expertise rather than creating long-term dependence on external military assets.

Seychelles is strategically located at the crossroads of key Indian Ocean shipping lanes. By strengthening Seychelles’ maritime capabilities, India secures its own trade routes, enhances regional maritime stability, counters emerging security threats, and advances its vision of a free, open and rules-based Indian Ocean. This is why Seychelles is often regarded as a cornerstone of India’s maritime strategy in the Western Indian Ocean.

Figure 3. Map of the Western Indian Ocean Region

Source: Library of Congress – Northwest Indian Ocean Area (CIA Map)

Emerging Issues

India’s strategic influence is limited despite renewed defence cooperation because Seychelles follows a policy of strategic autonomy and engages with multiple partners, including India, China, France, the UAE and the United States. The Patrol vessels, Dornier aircraft and radar systems require regular maintenance, and limited domestic technical capacity may reduce operational readiness over time. There are persistent maritime security threats like piracy, narcotics trafficking and arms smuggling in the Western Indian Ocean.

Climate change and non-traditional security threats are another emerging issue where extreme weather events and marine ecosystem degradation pose growing risks to maritime infrastructure and the Blue Economy. Seychelles’ foreign policy can get complicated due to growing engagement by extra-regional powers. The India–Seychelles defence partnership has become one of India’s most successful maritime security collaborations in the Western Indian Ocean. However, its long-term effectiveness will depend on strengthening indigenous Seychellois capacity, embracing emerging technologies, and integrating maritime security with sustainable ocean governance and regional cooperation.

Way Forward

India should focus on transparent, demand-driven capacity building rather than exclusive security arrangements, and Seychelles should maintain a balanced foreign policy while strengthening institutional cooperation with trusted partners. For the sustainability of defence assets, Seychelles should allocate adequate resources for operation and maintenance of defence assets. While India should establish maintenance hubs and increase technical training.

The government of Seychelles should invest in research and development to enhance indigenous technical and maritime expertise to reduce long-term dependence. The regional partners from the Western Indian Ocean should work on improving information sharing and joint operations while strengthening joint maritime patrols, intelligence sharing and coordinated surveillance.

India should expand cooperation in climate resilience and early-warning systems, while Seychelles should integrate climate adaptation into national maritime security planning. Government of Seychelles should integrate satellite imagery, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and AI-enabled maritime surveillance and also invest in digital maritime monitoring and data analytics. This approach would ensure that the partnership remains resilient amid evolving geopolitical and non-traditional security challenges.

References

High Commission of India, Victoria, Seychelles. (2024, March 27). India–Seychelles relations. https://hciseychelles.gov.in/pr-27-03-2024-01.php

High Commission of India, Victoria, Seychelles. (2026, April). Bilateral brief: India–Seychelles relations. https://www.hciseychelles.gov.in/pdf/Bilateral%20Brief%20-April%202026.pdf

High Commission of India, Victoria, Seychelles. (n.d.). Photo gallery. https://www.hciseychelles.gov.in/photo-gallery.php

Indian Navy. (n.d.). Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR). https://ifcior.indiannavy.gov.in/home

Ministry of External Affairs, Government of Seychelles. (n.d.). Salient agreement of Assomption facility with NA: Press and public. https://mfa.gov.sc/news/salient-agreement-of-assomption-facility-with-na-press-and-public/

Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2015, March 10). Prime Minister’s visit to Seychelles. https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?lang=2&reg=48&relid=136402

Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2021, July 2). Cabinet approves MoU between India and Seychelles in the field of hydrography. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1736778&lang=2&reg=48

Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2025, February 7). Press release (PRID: 2101119). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2101119&reg=48&lang=2

Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2026, June 17). Press release (PRID: 2140158). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2140158&reg=48&lang=2

Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2026, August 18). Press release (PRID: 2164167). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2164167&lang=2&reg=48

Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India. (2026, July 29). PM addressing the joint press meet with President Dr. Patrick Herminie of the Republic of Seychelles. https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pm-addressing-the-joint-press-meet-with-president-dr-patrick-herminie-of-the-republic-of-seychelles/

Seychelles Defence Forces. (2026). Opening ceremony of Exercise Lamitye 2026. https://sdf.sc/opening-ceremony-of-exercise-lamitye-2026/

Seychelles Nation. (n.d.). Indian naval ship on patrol in Seychelles EEZ. https://www.nation.sc/archive/233347/indian-naval-ship-on-patrol-in-seychelles-eez

Seychelles Nation. (n.d.). Seychelles at maritime security meeting in New Delhi. https://www.nation.sc/archive/seychelles-at-maritime-security-meeting-in-new-delhi

State House of Seychelles. (2026). India announces USD 175 million special economic package as Seychelles–India partnership enters a new chapter. https://statehouse.gov.sc/news/6772/india-announces-usd-175-million-special-economic-package-as-seychelles-india-partnership-enters-a-new-chapter

About the Contributor

Riddhi Suthar is a researcher and policy enthusiast with interests in public policy, governance, international relations, maritime affairs, and strategic studies. Their work focuses on evidence-based policy analysis, geopolitical developments, and emerging global challenges, with particular attention to India’s strategic and developmental priorities. She is engaged in analytical writing, policy research, and academic discussions related to governance, security, and international affairs.