New Delhi: After concluding a three-day port call in the Maldives, the Indian Navy’s first training squadron has arrived in Colombo on Monday for a three-day visit from October 26 to 28. The deployment combines sea training, professional exchanges and cadet interactions as India seeks to strengthen maritime cooperation with Sri Lanka and other regional partners in the Indian Ocean.
The squadron has arrived with INS Tir, INS Sujata and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi. Led by captain Tijo K Joseph, commanding officer of INS Tir, the formation trains officer trainees from the Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign navies.
Maldives programme included training interactions with the Maldives defence force, a visit by an MNDF delegation to the Indian ships and a blood donation camp attended by more than 40 personnel. A reception co-hosted by the Indian high commission and the squadron’s senior officer was attended by Maldivian government and defence officials.
The Indian Navy’s ongoing deployment now brings the squadron to Sri Lanka, where five Sri Lankan Navy officer trainees are participating in the long-range training mission. Indian cadets are scheduled to visit the Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee, while Sri Lankan cadets will visit the Indian training ships. Professional, training and sporting interactions are also planned.
The deployment builds on India’s earlier training engagement with Sri Lanka in March, when INS Tarangini visited the island nation to provide ocean-sailing experience to Sri Lankan naval trainees at the academy in Trincomalee, as RNA Media earlier reported. The latest exchange extends India’s training outreach through direct interaction between naval personnel and officer cadets.
India’s engagement will also include meetings between senior naval officials. The Sri Lankan navy director general training, Rear Admiral Rohan Joseph, will visit the ships at Colombo Port and interact with their commanding officers, training officers and trainees. Captain Joseph and the vessel commanders will also call on Indian high commissioner, Santosh Jha and Sri Lankan navy commander western naval area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva.
The Indian high commission in Colombo said visits by Indian Navy and Coast Guard vessels are intended to strengthen ties between the two countries’ maritime forces. The engagement reflects India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and its Mahasagar vision, which focuses on mutual and holistic advancement for security and growth across regions.
A joint band performance by the Indian and Sri Lankan navies is scheduled at Colombo’s Galle Face Green on Tuesday, Sri Laka Mirror reported. After completing the Sri Lankan visit, the squadron will head to Port Victoria in Seychelles and Male in the Maldives before returning to Kochi, its base port.