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Colombo– A fleet of the largest number of Indian warships arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday, marking a historic bilateral relationship between the two South Asian neighbors.
The Sri Lankan Navy said six ships from the Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron with more than 750 Indian naval personnel have arrived at the ports of Colombo and Trincomalee for a bilateral naval exercise with the Sri Lankan Navy.
The first training squadron which includes six ships including two sailboats is part of the prestigious Southern Naval Command (SNC) of the Indian Navy. The ships of the First Training Squadron last visited Sri Lanka in 2015.
SNC is the Indian Navy Training Command that conducts the full range of naval training for officers and sailors, including those from friendly foreign countries. As one of the top destinations for training, the Indian Navy has trained more than 11,000 international trainees from more than 40 countries over the past four decades, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement.
Southern Naval Command is led by the Commander-in-Chief Flag Officer, Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM, ADC who also arrived in Sri Lanka for a four-day official visit from October 24-28. .
The admiral is due to meet with senior management in Sri Lanka and visit Colombo, Trincomalee and Galle where the main naval bases of the Sri Lankan Navy are located. During the visit, interaction with the main headquarters in the area is planned in addition to a visit to the Naval and Maritime Academy of Trincomalee, the high commission said.
Indian Naval Ship (INS) ‘Shardul’ and ‘Magar’ arrived at Colombo port while INS ‘Sujata’, ‘Sudarshini’, ‘Tarangini’ and Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) ‘Vikram’ called at the north port -est of Trincomalee. These ships are helmed by Captain Aftab Ahmed Khan, senior officer of the first training squadron.
The massive crew of the six ships includes 75 officers, 153 cadets, 10 NCC cadets and 530 sailors. During their stay, a series of professional, educational, cultural and sporting interactions are planned between the ship’s crew and Sri Lankan Navy personnel. The ships would leave on October 28.
“Indian Navy training squadron crew members are also expected to visit Sri Lankan tourist attractions in accordance with the concept of the bio-bubble,†the Sri Lankan Navy said.
The Sri Lankan Navy will conduct several training exercises with the visiting Indian Navy Training Squadron in Colombo and Trincomalee and these exercises will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 protocols, the Navy added. (IANS)
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