Indian Navy’s advanced diving support ship on training mission in Sri Lanka

Indian Naval ship ‘Nireekshak’, an advanced diving support ship, arrived at Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee port on Monday for facilitating diving training for the Sri Lankan Navy, the Indian High Commission here said.

The deployment of the naval ship for 10 days in Sri Lanka is part of the Indian government’s capacity building initiative under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, it said.

During its deployment in the island nation, the ship will facilitate ”Mixed Gas Diving training for the Sri Lanka Navy,” the mission said in a press release.

The vessel has two six-men recompression chambers and one three-man diving bell, it said.

The Commanding Officer of the Indian Naval ship, Commander Mohammad Ikram called on Commander of Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral PDS Dias, and held discussions on the training.

”The ship is fully capable to undertake rescue operations from a submarine in distress and training of saturation divers,” the High Commission said.

The ship had earlier visited Trincomalee in September 2019 for a similar training deployment for Sri Lankan Navy divers.

“Such continued engagement of Indian Naval ships with the Sri Lanka Navy is in keeping with the Government of India’s capacity building initiative as part of its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy,” the release said.