FOR THE LAST few years, the port of Duqm on the Oman coast has become an increasingly important destination for Indian naval vessels deployed in the waters from the Gulf of Oman to the Horn of Africa. Offering a vantage point to the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy’s maintenance, logistics, anti-piracy, and humanitarian assistance operations got an edge with the allocation of the dedicated zone at Duqm in February 2024 soon after Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, who became monarch after the long reign of Sultan Qaboos, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India in late 2023. The breakthrough provided the Navy a perch overlooking sea lanes criss-crossing the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, cementing its position as the “preferred” security partner for nations in the Gulf and East Africa.