Pacific Partnership 2018 signs off after a successful mission in Trincomalee
 

Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP 18) made yet another mission stop in Trincomalee, with the arrival of USNS Mercy, the lead ship of her class of hospital ships in the United States Navy on 25^th April 2018. Uniting partners through a number of community service and social responsibility projects, the mission of Pacific Partnership 2018 drew its curtains in Trincomalee on 08^th May 2018.

The closing ceremony was held under the auspices of Governor of the Eastern Province, Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama. District Secretary Trincomalee, Mr. N.A.A. Pushpakumara, Deputy Chief of Staff and Director General Operations of the Navy, Rear Admiral Piyal De Silva, Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Niraja Attygalle, Director Generals, senior officers from the Naval Headquarters and Eastern Naval Command also attended this event.

PP-18 is the largest annual multilateral Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, aiming to enhance regional coordination in areas such as medical readiness and preparedness for disaster situations.

The partner military and non-government personnel from the Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Peru, United Kingdom and United States actively took part in this year’s programme working side-by-side with Sri Lankan professionals, participating in civil engineering projects, conducting HA/DR readiness drills, and partnering in a number of community engagements. Accordingly, they conducted a range of social responsibility initiatives and cultural events enhancing facilities for schools, hospitals, community centres and locals in and around Trincomalee district.

During the ships stay, USN doctors along with SL doctors performed 24 varying surgeries onboard. Out of which the robotic surgery performed onboard was the 1^st in the world. They also treated over 5500 patients conducting medical clinics at various locations in and around Trincomalee in addition to over 500 veterinary surgeries and vaccinations.

Meanwhile, the special musical performances presented by the US 7th Fleet Band partnering with the Sri Lanka Navy united partners through the language of music during the PP-18. A large number of music lovers could enjoy this rare opportunity in which they tasted a nice blend of US-Sri Lankan music genres.

Having bid farewell to this year’s engagements of the Pacific Partnership in the island nation, the hospital ship USNS Mercy left for her follow on ports of call in Vietnam and Japan in a bid to unfold the remaining missions of the programme.