Coast Guard ship Shaunak sails for Quad observer mission
Officers from India, Japan, Australia and the United States are taking part in shipboard exchanges en route to Perth.
Indian Coast Guard ship Shaunak departed Chennai for Perth on 25 September as part of a Quad ship-observer mission, according to India’s Defence Ministry. The voyage brings personnel from the four partner countries together for professional exchanges at sea.
Six officers are aboard for the mission: two each from India and Japan, and one each from Australia and the United States. The ministry describes the activities as intended to improve coordination and familiarity with shipboard operations.
The announcement links the mission to the Quad foreign ministers’ joint statement of 26 May 2026. It places the deployment within the partners’ wider maritime-cooperation agenda in the Indo-Pacific.
The source confirms the vessel’s departure and the composition of the observer group. It does not announce a new mutual-defence agreement or report the results of the exchanges. Any assessment of what the mission achieves will require information after the voyage and associated activities are completed.