Two Japanese naval ships arrive at the Port of Colombo

Two Japanese naval ships, "Akizuki" and "Sawagiri", arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill and replenishment visit on 27th November 2015. They were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on arrival.

The head of the mission, Commander Escort Division V Captain Futoshi Toyozumi and the ships’ Commanding Officers, Commander Yasuharu Asou and Commander Tsuyoshi Sato paid a courtesy call on the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo. They held cordial discussions on matters of mutual interest and bilateral importance. Mementos were also exchanged to mark the occasion. The Commanding Officer, Somalia Dispatch Investigation Team, Commander Hiroki Nagasawa, who was taking part in the mission, and the Defence Attaché of the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka, Captain Mototsugu Shigekawa also, met the Navy Commander during the courtesy call.

Prior to their departure on 30th November, the visiting Japanese ships are due to conduct a Passage Exercise with SLN craft with a view to share professional expertise between the two friendly navies.