Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday went on board of INS Vikramaditya, India’s largest naval ship serving as an aircraft carrier, which made its maiden overseas halt and this was the first visit by an Indian naval ship to the Sri Lankan capital in 30 years.
The Indian Navy’s ship INS Vikramaditya, India’s largest naval ship serving as an aircraft carrier, which made its maiden overseas halt in Colombo, accompanied by the guided missile destroyer ‘Mysore’ accorded a guard of honor to President Maithripala Sirisena.
The President was received on board by Indian Higher Commissioner, Y. K. Sinha, Captain Krishna Swaminathan of INS Vikramaditya. The vessel left for Visakhapatnam, India, to participate in an international fleet review to be hosted by the Indian Navy in February.
The aircraft carrier is over 285 metres long and 60 metres wide with her 23 decks scaling a height of 60 metres. The accompanying ship, INS Mysore, is a frontline missile destroyer made in India.
Equipped with a variety of integral weapons and sensors, INS Vikramaditya operates a versatile range of high-performance aircraft, such as the MiG 29K fighter aircraft, KM 31 Airborne Early Warning helicopters, multi-role Sea King helicopters and utility Chetak helicopters. It was purchased from Russia and commissioned into the Indian Navy in November 2013.
Captain Swaminathan, who described the visit of INS Vikramaditya as a "goodwill visit," said that the Indian Navy has a "very, very cordial" relationship with the Sri Lankan Navy.
This visit is symbolic of the close maritime cooperation and mutual trust between India and Sri Lanka.