Colombo, February 12 Two Sri Lankan Navy ships, SLNS Sagara and Nandimitra, set sail from the Colombo port for Visakhapatnam to participate in the multilateral naval exercise MILAN and the International Fleet Review hosted by the Indian Navy, it was announced on Thursday.
The SLNS Sagara and Nandimitra set sail on Wednesday, according to the Navy.
The 13th edition of MILAN, the Indian Navy's flagship multilateral naval exercise, will be conducted under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command from February 18 to 25 at Visakhapatnam and in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. The International Fleet Review (IFR) is hosted by the Indian Navy.
"Participating in such naval exercises would open new avenues for the Sri Lankan Navy to build interoperability with regional partners, exchange best practices and procedures in maritime operations, and identify new challenges in the maritime domain," the Navy said.
Under the theme 'United through Oceans' for IFR and 'Camaraderie, Cooperation, Collaboration' for MILAN, this edition will feature professional exchanges, operational drills, and cultural celebrations, along with maritime assets of regional and extra-regional partners.
