The ship will also deliver critical spare parts for Suraksha through a grant provided by the Government of India via the Indian Coast Guard.
During the visit, Commanding Officer Commander IP Patil is expected to call on the Commander Western Naval Area, while the crew of INS Airavat will participate in professional exchanges and sporting events with the Sri Lanka Navy. The crew will also join Sri Lanka Navy personnel in a beach cleaning programme in Colombo in support of the “Clean Sri Lanka” campaign.
The visit follows previous humanitarian assistance missions by similar Indian naval vessels. In December 2025, INS Gharial delivered 650 tons of relief supplies to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah. The vessel later transported 10 Bailey bridges in February 2026 to support reconstruction efforts in cyclone-affected areas.
Visits by Indian naval vessels to Sri Lanka are aimed at further strengthening bilateral naval cooperation in line with India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR).”
