COLOMBO – Three Chinese warships; He Fei, Wuzhishan and Qilianshan arrived at Sri Lanka’s Colombo port on a formal visit on Monday (26).
This follows the docking of the Indian warship ‘Mumbai’ which is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka during which it will engage in a Passage Exercise with a Sri Lanka Navy vessel.
Last week, three US warships docked at the port for replenishment; the USS Spruance, USS O’kane, and the USS Stockdale.
The He Fei is a 144.50-metre-long destroyer, crewed by 267 personnel under the command of Captain Chen Junfeng.
The Wuzhishan is a 210-metre-long Landing Platform Dock, manned by 872 crew members and commanded by Captain Fei Zhang.
The Qilianshan is a 210-metre-long Landing Platform Dock, with 334 crew members under the command of Captain Xiong Binghon.
Commanding Officers of the trio of Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy warships were scheduled to call on the Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe at the Western Naval Command Headquarters on Monday, Sri Lanka Navy said in a statement.
It said crew members of the ships were set to participate in a series of programs organized by the Sri Lanka Navy aimed at strengthening the camaraderie between the two navies. Crew members will also explore some of the country’s tourist attractions during their stay in Colombo, the statement added.
Sri Lanka Navy personnel will have the opportunity to participate in briefings on the operational functions of the ships as well.
The trio will depart on August 29, after a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with a Sri Lanka Navy ship off the coast of Colombo.
-economynext.com
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.