Indian Coast Guard patrol ships reach Galle for training of Sri Lankan soldiers

28-02-2024. National .Two patrol vessels of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday reached Galle, Sri Lanka, where they will be part of a training programme.

An offshore patrol vessel 'Samarth' and a fast patrol vessel 'Abhinav' have been sent by India to provide training to Sri Lankan Coast Guard personnel. The ships will remain at Galle till March 1 and then visit Colombo from March 2-5.

Upon arrival in Galle, Deputy Inspector General P. Pradeep Kumar, Commanding Officer of the Indian Coast Guard ships and Commandant (JG) Prabhat Kumar met the Director General of the Sri Lankan Coast Guard and other senior officials, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement on Wednesday. During this period the ship and the Indian contingent will impart training to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard on VBSS, fire fighting and damage control, marine pollution response.

The High Commission said that activities like yoga, beach cleaning and walkathon will also be organized during this visit. Additionally, on departure from Galle and Colombo, passage exercises will be conducted with the Sri Lanka Coast Guard ship.

Local school students will visit the ships to increase engagement and awareness among the people about the Indian Coast Guard and its capabilities. The visit by Indian Coast Guard ships will help Sri Lankan Coast Guard personnel to enhance their capabilities to efficiently address maritime security challenges in the region.

Recently many ships and submarines of the Indian Navy have also visited Sri Lanka. The visit of Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships to Sri Lanka is aimed at enhancing camaraderie and interoperability between the two friendly neighboring navies, in line with India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and 'Neighbourhood First' policy. .