By The Pulseline News Desk
Three Indian naval and coast guard vessels are scheduled to arrive at the Port of Colombo on October 26 for a three-day goodwill visit aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation and training ties between India and Sri Lanka.
The Indian Navy’s First Training Squadron (1TS), comprising Indian Naval Ships Tir and Sujata and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi, will remain in Colombo until October 28 as part of a long-range training deployment that also includes visits to Port Victoria in Seychelles and Malé in the Maldives.
The squadron will return to its home port in Kochi following the deployment.
The visit will feature professional exchanges, training activities and sports interactions between personnel of the Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside opportunities for naval trainees from both countries to engage in joint activities.
The squadron is responsible for providing initial sea training to officer trainees of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign navies. It is commanded by Captain Tijo K. Joseph, Senior Officer of the First Training Squadron and Commanding Officer of INS Tir.
Rear Admiral Rohan Joseph, Director General Training of the Sri Lanka Navy, is scheduled to visit the vessels upon their arrival in Colombo. He will interact with the commanding officers, training officers and trainees on board.
Five Sri Lanka Navy trainees are participating in the squadron’s ongoing long-range training deployment, providing an opportunity for practical exposure to maritime operations and professional exchanges with their Indian counterparts.
Captain Joseph and the commanding officers of the visiting vessels are also scheduled to call on Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy’s Western Naval Area.
The programme includes reciprocal visits by Indian officer cadets to the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA) in Trincomalee and by Sri Lankan naval cadets to the Indian training ships.
A joint band performance by the Indian Navy and Sri Lanka Navy is scheduled to take place at Galle Face Green on October 27, offering a public component to the goodwill visit.
The deployment follows earlier training engagements between the two navies. INS Tarangini, another vessel associated with the First Training Squadron, visited Sri Lanka in March 2026 to provide ocean-sailing training and practical experience to Sri Lanka Navy officer trainees from the Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee.
The latest visit underscores the continuing emphasis both countries place on naval training, professional engagement and maritime cooperation.
India’s naval engagements with Sri Lanka are part of its broader Neighbourhood First policy and its vision of MAHASAGAR — Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
Through port calls, joint training and exchanges between naval personnel, the two countries seek to strengthen longstanding maritime ties and deepen cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
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