Trincomalee: Indian Naval Ship Khanjar, mission deployed in the Southern IOR, arrived at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka for an operational turnaround. The ship was accorded a customary welcome by the Sri Lanka Navy.

During the ship’s visit, the two navies will engage in various activities including professional exchanges on the topics of mutual interest, sports fixtures and visits onboard Khanjar by trainees from the Naval and Maritime Academy, Sri Lanka. The port call is aimed at further enhancing the close ties and interoperability between the Indian Navy and Sri Lanka Navy.

INS Khanjar is the fourth ship of the indigenously designed and built Khukri class missile corvettes. Built by GRSE, Kolkata, the ship is armed with an array of modern weapons and sensors. The ship is a part of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet and is commanded by Cdr NVSP Kumar.

Earlier in the day, INS Khanjar safely brought back 36 Indian fishermen who were stranded 130 nautical miles from the Tamil Nadu coast in the Bay of Bengal.

The fishermen were onboard three fishing vessels, which were towed by INS Khanjar for more than 30 hours in challenging sea conditions.

The vessels with 36 fishermen onboard were from Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu.

They had been stranded at sea for over two days due to rough weather conditions, without fuel, provisions and engine breakdown.

The ship supplied the Fishing Vessels with the necessary provisions and towed them for over 30 hours, ensuring their safe return to Chennai harbour on 28 July 2023.