Article Posted on : - Oct 10, 2009

A file photo.

COLOMBO (PTI): An Indo-Sri Lankan joint naval exercise involving Indian warships that recently concluded successfully has provided the country's naval forces gain valuable experience, the Sri Lankan Navy has said.

"Strengthening the bilateral relations of the two neighbouring countries and consolidating the naval cooperation between the two friendly navies, the Indo-Sri Lanka joint naval training exercise concluded successfully on October 8," the Sri Lankan Navy said in a statement.

The three-day joint exercise saw INS Shardul and INCGS Varuna, which were sent on a goodwill mission, undertaking elaborate training exercises along with Sri Lanka Navy vessels SLNS Sayura and SLNS Samudura.

Around 100 officer under trainees of the Sri Lanka Navy's Naval and Maritime Academy were involved in the exercise, codenamed 'Cadex 2009', which commenced off the country's western coasts on October 6.

On the direction of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe in close cooperation with his Indian counterpart Admiral Nirmal Verma posted the two Indian vessels on a goodwill mission here, the release said.

Casting off procedures, seamanship, coastal navigation, flyex and fire fighting and damage control exercises, and searching suspicious vessels using small boats of the Special Boat Squadron were some of the areas which came for evaluation, it said.

The 'Helo Ops' conducted on the Helo decks of both the Lankan Navy crafts was a focal point in the training procedure.

Similarly, Vertical Replenishment Procedures (VERTREP) conducted enabled the Lankan navy personnel on board SLNS Sayura and SLNS Samudura to gain valuable exposure and experience.

The naval training exercise provided Sri Lankan Naval Officer under trainees an opportunity to train on board Indian Naval ships and for SLN Ships to enhance and exchange knowledge with Indian Naval ships, it said.

"In reciprocation, Sri Lanka Navy availed the opportunity for Indian Navy cadets to familiarise themselves with tri-forces military training institutions and to visit places of historical and cultural value in Sri Lanka in order to strengthen the training ties between the two countries," the Sri Lanka Navy's press release added.