India’s expanding presence along Oman’s coastline has unfolded without announcements, declarations, or diplomatic spectacle. Indian naval vessels have been making increasingly regular port calls to Oman, framed as routine deployments and professional exchanges rather than strategic statements. 

One such long-range training deployment, acknowledged by India’s Ministry of Defence, described Indian Navy ships arriving in Muscat for engagements with the Royal Navy of Oman. The language was deliberately procedural. What matters is not the individual visit, but the accumulation. Naval deployments that once appeared episodic are now predictable, forming a pattern that places Oman firmly within India’s western Indian Ocean operating environment.

This rhythm rests on foundations laid earlier. In 2023, India and Oman signed defense cooperation agreements that expanded military engagement and enabled Indian naval vessels to access Omani ports for logistics and maintenance. At the time, these arrangements were treated as enabling frameworks rather than strategic shifts. What has changed since is not access itself, but normalization. What once required explanation now passes without comment.

The geography of Duqm amplifies the significance of this shift. The port lies outside the Strait of Hormuz, beyond the chokepoint politics that routinely inject uncertainty into naval movement inside the Persian Gulf. Periods of regional tension have repeatedly shown how quickly risk around the strait can affect both commercial and military traffic. Access to Omani ports offers India continuity without exposure to the diplomatic volatility, sanctions risk, and legal uncertainty that often accompany sustained activity........

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