Indian Naval Ship ‘Nireekshak’, a highly advanced diving support ship of the Indian Navy, arrived at the port of Trincomalee on 14 September 2023 to facilitate Mixed Gas Diving training for the Sri Lanka Navy.
The ship was warmly welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions. Post arrival, the Commanding Officer of the Indian Naval ship, Commander Jeetu Singh Chauhan called on the Commander of Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral PS De Silva. They held cordial discussions on furthering training in diving during the eight-day deployment. Engagements such as yoga onboard, interaction with School children and beach cleaning are being undertaken by the personnel onboard. The 28th Anniversary Celebration onboard the ship was attended by the Deputy Area Commander.
Indian Naval Ship ‘Nireekshak’ (A-15) is equipped with two six-man recompression chambers and one three-man diving bell. The ship is fully capable of undertaking rescue operations from a submarine in distress and training of saturation divers. The ship had earlier visited Trincomalee in September 2019 and March 2022 for a similar training deployment for SLN 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 ‘Neighborhood First’ policy.
