Context

• The Bay of Bengal has emerged as a strategic centre of the Indo-Pacific, linking South Asia, Southeast Asia, and major global trade and energy routes.
• Alongside increasing geopolitical competition, the region faces climate-induced disasters, illegal fishing, cyber threats, marine pollution, and supply chain disruptions.
• These transnational challenges require regional cooperation rather than unilateral responses.
• India's SHANTI (Securing Holistic Advancement through Norms, Trust and Integrity) initiative seeks to establish a rules-based, trust-driven framework for maritime governance.

Why the Bay of Bengal Matters?

• Historically, the Bay connected civilizations through commerce and cultural exchange.
• Today, it is central to India's Act East Policy, provides access to the strategic Malacca Strait, and connects the eastern Indian Ocean with global maritime routes.
• China's expanding regional presence, driven by its Malacca Dilemma, has intensified strategic competition.
• Consequently, the Bay has become a vital arena where maritime security, economic connectivity, and regional governance converge.

Need for SHANTI

• Despite growing maritime capabilities, the region lacks common norms, coordinated institutions, and collective mechanisms to address shared challenges.
• Countries face similar concerns, including disaster risk reduction, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, coastal erosion, undersea cable protection, Blue Economy development, and climate adaptation.
• Since these issues transcend national boundaries, they require coordinated regional action based on cooperation and mutual trust.

Evolution of India's Maritime Vision

• SAGAR (2015) introduced the vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region, promoting inclusive maritime cooperation and equitable development.
• MAHASAGAR (2025) expanded this vision to the wider Indo-Pacific and the Global South, recognising the interconnected nature of maritime security.
• SHANTI (2026) provides the operational framework built on Norms, Trust, and Integrity.
  • It shifts the focus from military competition to demand-driven cooperation, institution-building, long-term resilience, and governance of the shared maritime commons.
  • Together, these initiatives position India as a preferred security partner and first responder in the region.

Bay of Bengal as the Ideal Laboratory

• The Bay of Bengal is well suited for implementing SHANTI because it is relatively cooperative compared to the conflict-prone western Indian Ocean.
• Its littoral states share common environmental, economic, and security challenges, while institutions such as BIMSTEC already provide a foundation for collaboration.
• Rather than creating new organisations, SHANTI aims to strengthen coordination among existing mechanisms, with India acting as a regional convener through regional stewardship instead of dominance.

From Principles to Practice

• Progress towards implementing SHANTI is already visible.
• At the 2026 BIMSTEC National Security Advisers' Meeting, member states adopted common principles for maritime law enforcement and HADR.
• And they agreed to conduct the first joint maritime security exercise in November 2026, and continued discussions on a White Shipping Information Sharing Agreement.
• These initiatives strengthen maritime domain awareness, build confidence, and promote rules-based cooperation across the Bay.

Benefits and Challenges

• SHANTI can strengthen maritime governance, improve disaster preparedness, enhance climate resilience, safeguard critical maritime infrastructure, promote the Blue Economy, and deepen trust among regional partners.
• However, challenges remain, including strategic rivalry among major powers, institutional fragmentation, varying national priorities, limited financial and technological capacities, and the need to ensure that India's leadership remains inclusive and non-hegemonic.

Way Forward

• India should institutionalise regular BIMSTEC maritime exercises, expand maritime information-sharing networks.
• Additionally, India should establish regional disaster response mechanisms, promote joint Blue Economy projects, strengthen environmental protection.
• There is a need to build capacity among smaller littoral states, and encourage rules-based maritime governance consistent with international law.

Conclusion

• The Bay of Bengal is a shared maritime commons whose future depends on cooperation rather than competition.
• Through SHANTI, India seeks to promote Norms, Trust, Integrity, Resilience, and Shared Responsibility as the foundation of regional security.
• If implemented effectively through institutions such as BIMSTEC, SHANTI can transform the Bay into a model of cooperative maritime governance for the wider Indo-Pacific, advancing a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based maritime order.