Indian Navy submarine INS Shalki arrives in Colombo for formal visit

The Indian Naval Submarine (INS) Shalki arrived at the port of Colombo on Friday for a two-day formal visit.

The visiting submarine was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy according to naval traditions.

INS Shalki is a 64.4m long submarine with a crew of 40, and it is commanded by Commander Rahul Patnaik.

During the submarine's stay in Colombo, personnel of the Sri Lanka Navy are expected to visit the submarine to take part in an awareness programme on its operational features."

Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of INS Shalki called on Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe, at the Western Naval Command Headquarters on Friday.

Moreover, the crew members of the submarine are expected to explore some of the tourist attractions in the country.

Concluding the official visit, INS Shalki will depart the island nation on August 4.

The last Indian submarine to call at Colombo was INS Karanj, which arrived on February 3 on the eve of Sri Lanka's 76th anniversary of independence.

In June last year, INS Vagir made a port call at Colombo.