Navy receives largest warship to date

India's state-owned Goa Shipyard Limited has delivered the first of two 105.7 m-long advanced offshore patrol vessels (AOPVs) to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), Jane's  360 reported.

The ship, which will be known as SLNS Sayurala (with pennant number P623) once it enters service, was handed over to the service during a 22 July ceremony presided over by the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in India, Chitranganee Wagiswara, according to a statement by the SLN.

The AOPV is expected to be commissioned on  August 2, when it will become the largest ship to be operated by the SLN since its formation in 1950.

The state-of-the-art vessel is equipped with a landing and hangar facility for Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and costs an estimated $66.55 million when it reached the completion stage of its construction, Sputnik News reported.

The ship is intended to patrol, police, reconnoiter, help in surveillance, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and pollution control missions in the country's maritime zone. It can also be used for external fire-fighting missions as well, the publication claimed.