THREE Indian Naval training ships, INS Krishna, Sujata and Taringini are visiting Sri Lanka on a goodwill visit.

The ships arrived yesterday and will leave on March 22. During their stay in Colombo, various official, social, cultural and sports events have been scheduled.

Under the India-Sri Lanka cadets' Training Exchange Program, the ships will be taking on board Sri Lankan naval cadets for sea training from March 14 to 19.

During the sea training phase, the Sri Lankan cadets will be exposed to various facets of naval operations at sea.

A component of the famous Indian naval band is scheduled to give a public performance along with the Sri Lankan naval band on March 13 at the Viharamahadevi Park open air auditorium.

These training ships provide sea training to officer cadets of the Indian Navy. They are normally based at Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala.

Besides professional training, the cadets are exposed to various adventure sports and activities designed to develop their ability to operate and survive at sea.

The officers and sailors who train the cadets are some of the finest and most capable men in the Indian navy. The training ships maintain the highest maritime, professional and personal traditions.

INS Tarangini, the 'three masted barque', is a sail ship and a part of the first training squadron of the Indian Navy.

INS Krishna is a 3,000 tonne warship propelled by steam and with an endurance of 3300 nautical miles. INS Sujata is a 2,500 tonne offshore patrol vessel which has been converted for the training of cadets.

INS Tarangini is the first ship of the Indian navy to have circumnavigated the globe, from 23 Jan 03 till 25 Apr 2004. With the theme of building bridges of friendship across the oceans, Tarangini has called at 37 ports in 18 countries covering 34,923 nautical miles. She has also participated in the tall ship races in the great lakes winning the ASTA Great Lakes Challenge 2003.

Twenty eight officers including eight women officers, 75 sailors and 220 cadets are participating in this epic voyage. During her circumnavigation voyage, more than 100,000 visitors have come onboard at various ports to celebrate the history of the seas.

The ship has also embarked 19 foreign trainees from friendly countries during her circumnavigation. These include officers from Sri Lanka, Egypt, Italy, South Africa, France, USA, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The commanding officers of the ships are scheduled to have a formal meeting with senior officers of the Sri Lankan Navy besides calling on the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka.

The Indian naval cadets will interact with different Sri Lankan military training establishments. The cadets will associate with their Sri Lankan counterparts for five days as part of the programme. The Indian cadets would also be visiting places of religious and historical importance in Sri Lanka.