Indian and Sri Lankan Navies Exercise in the Indian Ocean

The bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka, SLINEX 24 was conducted from December 17-20 at Visakhapatnam under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command in two phases. The harbour phase was held on December 17-18 and the sea phase on December 19-20.

INS Sumitra of the Eastern Fleet, along with Special Forces team participated from Indian side. The Sri Lankan Navy was represented by SLNS Sayura, an offshore patrol vessel, along with Special Forces team.

The inaugural ceremony was held on Dec 17, and was followed by the Harbour Phase, during which, the participants engaged in professional and social exchanges. The Sea Phase commenced on December 19 and included joint exercises by Special Forces of both the navies, gun firings, communication procedures, seamanship as well as navigation evolutions and helicopter operations.

SLINEX series of bilateral exercises were initiated in 2005 and since then regular exercises have been conducted. The current edition of the exercise has further strengthened the ties between the two maritime neighbours and contributed towards creating a safe and rule-based maritime domain.