Indian Navy Ship (INS) Nireekshak, a Diving Support Vessel, arrived at the Port of Colombo on Tuesday for an Operational Turnaround (OTR) and a training visit, the Sri Lanka Navy said.
The ship is commanded by Commander Sailesh Kumar Tyagi and was welcomed at the port in accordance with naval tradition. During the call, the Indian crew will conduct a joint training programme with diving specialists from the Sri Lanka Navy, the two services said.
Crew members are also scheduled to take part in activities organised by the Sri Lanka Navy and visit tourist sites on the island.
The port call follows a state visit to Sri Lanka by Indian Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, who concluded a multi-day programme last week that included bilateral meetings with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, and outreach to Tamil political leaders and plantation communities.
Diving Support Vessels like INS Nireekshak are designed for underwater salvage, submarine rescue and deep-sea engineering support. Joint dives with the Sri Lanka Navy are a recurring element of the bilateral defence programme, alongside annual SLINEX exercises and mine-countermeasure training.
The visit continues a pattern of high-tempo Indian naval port calls to Sri Lanka through 2026, underscoring New Delhi’s SAGAR (“Security and Growth for All in the Region”) maritime doctrine and its competition with Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean.
Nireekshak’s visit coincides with Indian Navy deployments across the northern Arabian Sea, where multiple navies are monitoring shipping conditions near the Strait of Hormuz.
