New Delhi: The 8th annual joint exercise between Indian and Sri Lankan navies -- SLINEX-20 is underway off Trincomalee coast in Sri Lanka.
The 3-day bilateral maritime exercise which began on Monday, will continue till Wednesday.
The Sri Lanka Navy has been represented by SLN Ships Sayura and Gajabahu led by Rear Admiral Bandara Jayathilaka, the Flag Officer Commanding Naval Fleet, Sri Lanka Navy.
Eighth Edition of Annual #IndianNavy (IN) – #SriLankaNavy (SLN) Bilateral #Maritime Exercise #SLINEX_20 scheduled off #Trincomalee, #SriLanka 19-21 Oct 2020.@srilanka_navy#BridgesofFriendship#Maritime #Operations #Interoperabilityhttps://t.co/HXmtc7a0ac
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) October 18, 2020
Pics #SLINEX_19 pic.twitter.com/SK51hJ7KSI
Indigenously built ASW corvettes Kamorta and Kiltan under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, will represent the Indian Navy.
Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter and Chetak helicopter embarked onboard IN ships, and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft are also participating in the exercise.
SLINEX-20 aims to enhance inter-operability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations between both navies.
The Indian Navy said, SLINEX series of exercise exemplifies the deep engagement between India and Sri Lanka which has strengthened mutual cooperation in the maritime domain.
Interaction between the navies of two countries has also grown significantly in recent years, in consonance with India’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and PM’s vision of ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR)’.
Synergy developed during SLINEX exercises resulted in seamless coordination of joint SLN – IN efforts in September 2020 to render assistance to MT New Diamond, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), which had caught fire off the East Coast of Sri Lanka.
The exercise is being conducted in a non-contact ‘at-sea-only’ format in the backdrop of containment measures owing to Covid-19 pandemic.
