Indian Warships Depart From Colombo After “Goodwill Visit” To Sri Lanka

The Indian warships on Tuesday departed from the Colombo port after a "goodwill visit" to Sri Lanka from 27 February, the Indian Coast Guard said.

The two Indian warships, Samarth and Abhinav departed from Sri Lanka on Tuesday after completion of the overseas deployment where the warships made port calls at Galle and Colombo ports.

According to the Indian Coast Guard, during the visit, the ships engaged with the Sri Lanka Coast Guard on various professional interactions and joint training activities focusing on Marine Pollution Response, Maritime SAR, Maritime Law Enforcement, tabletop exercises and passage exercises at sea.

"Personnel were also engaged in sports & Yoga for building camaraderie & sportsmanship. Visit facilitated ICG & SLCG to strengthen their bond of cooperation & jointmanship for safer sea in India's neighbourhood. Embracing 'Neighbourhood First' policy through maritime diplomacy," Indian Coast Guard posted on X.

On Monday, the Indian warships dressed overall to commemorate the 14th Raising Day of the Sri Lankan Coast Guard (SLCG).

Earlier on 28 February, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships Samarth and Abhinav docked in Galle following the completion of Exercise Dosti in Male.

The visit of ICG ships Samarth and Abhinav to Galle reaffirms the longstanding ties between India and Sri Lanka and underscores their shared commitment to maritime safety and security.

Earlier, the official Twitter account of the Indian Coast Guard, announced, "As part of the joint operational activities of trilateral exercise #DOSTI XVI, training on #PollutionResponse and #MARPOL was conducted onboard @IndiaCoastGuard ship Samarth on 24 February. Pollution response measures of containment using booms and recovery using skimmers were showcased."

It added, "As the training and professional interactions progress, the engagement between the Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guard is expected to foster a safer and more secure maritime environment in the region." (ANI)