Indian naval ships arrive in Trincomalee for joint training

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 October 2010, 10:30 GMT]
Three ships of the Indian Navy arrived in Trincomalee harbour Saturday morning around 10:30 a.m on a goodwill and training mission between Indian Navy and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN). INS Dheer, INS Shardul and INS Coast Guard vessel Varuna are anchored in Trincomalee harbour. The fourth vessel INS Tarangini has arrived in Colombo harbour. The four ships with 160 Indian naval officer cadets are scheduled to stay in Sri Lanka till 15th October, naval sources said.

Cross training programs are to be conducted between the navy personnel of both countries while these vessels remain in Sri Lanka.

A group of 150 Sri Lankan naval officers, who are under training in Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee, are to board the Indian ships for a session of practical training.

The joint exercise is aimed at improving relationship between the navies of the two neighboring countries, SLN authorities in Trincomalee said.