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Navy personnel for specialised training on Chinese frigate
View(s):A company of 110 Sri Lankan Navy personnel will leave for China at the end of the month to undergo specialised training on board a Chinese frigate, the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) told the Sunday Times.
The frigate is expected to be handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy later this year.
Ninety-two sailors and 18 officers make up the 110-strong delegation who are expected to take over duties on the vessel once it is handed over to the SLN later this year.
Last week ship spotters in China photographed the frigate -P625- heading for sea trials.
The ‘Jangwei I’ class missile frigate, was previously the ‘Tongling’ in the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy (PLAN) and served until 2015.
The vessel was undergoing refit last year, prior to being handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy. The photograph indicates that some of the frigates missile weapon systems have been removed. The vessel carries the pennant number ‘P-625 indicating her new role as an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) and is equipped with a helipad and a hangar to operate naval helicopters.
The US government recently gifted the Sri Lanka Navy a 115-metre Hamilton class coast guard cutter which is expected to arrive in the country in early May.
Naval sources told the Sunday Times the US vessel will carry the pennant number P-626.