The International Indian Ocean Science Conference 2025 (IIOSC-2025) started on December 1 in Hyderabad. About 500 participants from 15 countries joined the event. They include researchers, industry experts, and NGOs. The conference is organized by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS). The event focuses on ocean sustainability, safety, and resilience. It highlights India’s leadership during the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science. The conference showcases scientific advances from the second International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE-2) that ran from 2015 to 2025. Key speakers included Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran, UNESCO-IOC Secretariat Head T. Srinivasa Kumar, and INCOIS Director T.M. Balakrishnan Nair. Scientists from India and other countries presented their research and exchanged ideas. The programme aims to set a future roadmap for IIOE-2 and launch new initiatives aligned with the UN decade for sustainable ocean development. Discussions focus on closing knowledge gaps in coastal research, marine spatial planning, and boosting research in the western Indian Ocean, marginal seas, and eastern Bay of Bengal. The conference also promotes capacity building and supports early-career scientists to strengthen ocean science collaboration worldwide.