These days, Sri Lanka has become a new battlefield between the Indian and Chinese navies. There is a competition between the navies of the two countries to deploy as many warships as possible in Sri Lanka. While the Indian Navy sent one of its warships to Colombo on Monday, the Chinese Navy deployed three warships.
Indian Naval ship INS Mumbai reached Colombo port on Monday on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka. Incidentally, three warships of the Chinese Navy also reached Colombo port today. Indian Naval Ship 'Mumbai' is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Navy said in a press release. The Indian High Commission had said in a press release on Sunday that INS Mumbai is a 163 meter long destroyer with a crew of 410.The High Commission said that this ship has arrived at any port in Sri Lanka for the first time.
Three Chinese warships reached Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Navy said three warships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, He Fei, Wuzhishan and Kilianshan, also arrived in Colombo port on Monday morning on a ceremonial visit.He Fei is a 144.50 meter long frigate with a crew of 267, while Wuzhishan is a 210 meter long frigate with a crew of 872 and Qilianshan is a 210 meter long frigate with a crew of 334. .
What did the Sri Lankan Navy say
A press release issued by the Sri Lankan Navy said that upon the ship's arrival, its Commander Captain Sandeep Kumar met Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe, Commander of the Western Naval Area, at the Western Naval Command Headquarters.During the ship's stopover in Colombo, its crew members will visit some tourist centres in the country, the release said. “A session regarding the operational functions of the ship will be conducted for Sri Lankan Navy personnel on board INS Mumbai,” it said.
Indian Navy's long engagement with Sri Lankan Navy
According to the release, INS Mumbai will also participate in joint activities with the Sri Lankan Navy such as sports, yoga and cleaning of coastal areas etc. INS Mumbai will also participate in the 'Passage Exercise' with a Sri Lankan Navy ship off the Colombo coast on 29 August. The indigenous built INS Mumbai was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 22, 2001.