Indian Naval Ship Sunayna, as IOS Sagar, with a multinational crew from 16 countries, is scheduled to arrive at Colombo on Friday (15), in continuation of the Indian Navy’s endeavour to build ‘Bridges of Friendship’.
According to the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, IOS Sagar’s arrival markes her seventh port call in the second edition of this deployment.
The IOS Sagar was flagged off for sea phase from Mumbai on 02 Apr 2026, on completion of combined harbour training for multinational crew comprising officers and sailors from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Singapore, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, and the UAE in the Indian Naval training establishments.
The training covered seamanship, navigation, communication procedures, safety of life at sea, firefighting and damage control, along with specialized modules such as Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations and advanced bridgemanship.
During the port call, the Commanding Officer will call on Senior Officers from the Sri Lanka Navy, namely Commander Western Naval Area and Flag Officer Commanding Naval Fleet. The multinational crew will have professional and sports interaction with the Sri Lanka Navy, and will visit various places of interest in Sri Lanka.
The Indian High Commission states that the initiative embodies the vision of One Ocean, One Mission, fostering deeper engagement and cooperation among maritime partners for maritime security.
The deployment of IOS Sagar and the port call are in line with the Indian PM’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR) and reflect the Indian Navy’s role in supporting cooperative maritime engagement in the Indian Ocean region. (Newswire)