The official handing over of an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), which had earlier belonged to the Indian Coast Guard, to Sri Lanka took place at the Port of Kochi, India, Navy said. The vessel after assigning the pennant number CG 60 will join the Sri Lanka Coast Guard.
The ship was officially handed over to the Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard, Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunge by the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, Rajendra Singh at a ceremony attended by the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe, the Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, Mr. K. Natarajan, the Chief of Staff of the India’s Southern Naval Command, Rear Admiral RJ Nadkarni and senior officers of the Indian and Sri Lanka Navies as well as Coast Guards.
The OPV, which is 74.10m in length and 11.4m in breadth, has a displacement of 1,180 tons. The ship can sail at 22 nautical miles per hour and has a crew of 10 officers and 98 sailors. The vessel, with a helipad onboard to accommodate latest light helicopters, can cover 8,500 nautical miles at a speed of 16 nautical miles per hour.
The ship will be used by the Sri Lanka Coast Guard for patrolling and surveillance in Sri Lanka waters, humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, prevention of maritime pollution as well as training purposes. The ship under the command of Captain Neville Ubayasiri is set to sail from India for Sri Lanka on 14 September upon completion of the familiarization of vessel’s operational and technical procedures.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that the suspect in the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura teaching hospital has been identified as an army deserter and he will be apprehended shortly.
Police have arrested the suspect connected to the sexual assault on a female doctor at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital today morning in Galnewa.
The Dutch Public Prosecutor suspects two companies of paying bribes in the construction of hospitals in Sri Lanka, according to an investigation by FD, the Dutch financial newspaper.
The Minister of Power, Kumara Jayakody, stated that in the future, internationally funded projects, such as power projects, will only be carried out through government-to-government (G2G) agreements and competitive procurement.
The Government today tabled in the House the Report of the Commission to Inquiry into the Establishment and Maintenance of Unlawful Places of Detention and Torture Chambers in the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
Israel, a major player in the global diamond and jewellery trade, has invited Sri Lankan gem and jewellery businessmen and designers to collaborate with Israeli diamond traders.
Leave Comments