Two Indian Coast Guard Ships ‘Samarth’ and ‘Abhinav’ have reached Sri Lanka after concluding the 16th ‘Dosti’ trilateral exercise in Malé, the Maldives.

The Offshore Patrol Vessel ‘Samarth’ and Fast Patrol Vessel ‘Abhinav’ docked at Galle Harbour on Tuesday (Feb.27) and are slated to set sail to Colombo Port on March 02, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.

The Commanding Officers of the ICGS, Deputy Inspector General P Pradeep Kumar and Commandant (JG) Prabhat Kumar will be calling on Director General Sri Lanka Coast Guard and other senior officers.

During the stay, the ships will undertake training for Sri Lanka Coast Guard on VBSS, Fire Fighting and Damage Control, Maritime Pollution Response and hold few other professional interactions.

Further, activities such as yoga, beach cleaning and a walkathon will also be held during the visit. In addition, Passage Exercise (PASSEX) will be conducted with Sri Lanka Coast Guard Ship, on departure, off Galle and Colombo.

In order to foster the people-to-people connectivity and awareness about the Indian Coast Guard and its capability, the ships will be open for visit by school children. The ships would host a reception onboard for guests from Sri Lanka including senior officials from defence hierarchy and civil administration.

The visit of these Indian Coast Guard Ships will significantly aid in augmenting capabilities of Sri Lanka Coast Guard and personnel in order to efficiently address maritime security challenges in the region.
 
Indian Naval Ships and Submarines Kora, Kabra and Karanj had visited Colombo in past few months. Visits by Indian Navy and Coast Guard vessels to Sri Lanka aim to enhance camaraderie and interoperability between the two friendly neighbouring Navies, which is in keeping with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.