The Indian Coast Guard conducted RPREX-2025, a Regional Level Pollution Response exercise, in Mumbai to assess preparedness for an oil-spill emergency at sea. The exercise was aligned with the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan, making it relevant not only as a defence update but also as an issue of maritime environmental security, disaster management and institutional coordination.

The drill simulated an oil-spill situation after a collision. To respond to this scenario, one specialised Indian Coast Guard pollution-control vessel and two additional Coast Guard ships were deployed in pollution-response configuration. The exercise therefore tested whether maritime oil-pollution response could be swift, coordinated and operationally practical. Mumbai Port Authority and ONGC were also stakeholders, highlighting the role of port and oil-sector organisations in such response exercises. Such drills give responsible agencies a practical way to check readiness, communication and resource deployment before a real disaster occurs.

For prelims, the key facts are: the Indian Coast Guard conducted the exercise; it was held off the Mumbai coast; the exercise name was RPREX-2025; the purpose was to test preparedness against oil spills at sea; and the planning context was the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan. For mains-style answers, the event can be linked with maritime security, environmental risk, coastal governance and disaster-response capacity. Its static-GK linkage includes the role of the Indian Coast Guard, marine pollution control and the environmental impact of oil-spill incidents.