INS Shakti with medical oxygen reaches Sri Lanka

Contact Counsellor

CategoryDefence

Last Updated23/08/2021

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a rapid rise in infections.
Indian naval ship Shakti carrying 100 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) reached Sri Lanka on Sunday to help the island nation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
This step was taken in order to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

INS Shakti, built by Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding company, is a Deepak-class fleet tanker in service with the Indian Navy.
She is the second and final ship of her class. Shakti, along with her predecessor Deepak, is one of the largest ships of the Indian Navy. Construction of the vessel began in November 2009 and it was launched in October 2010.
She was handed over to India by September 2011 and started its operations on 1 October 2011.
The construction of the vessel was completed in a record time of 27 months, after the contract worth €159.32 million was signed in April 2008. Interestingly, INS Shakti can refuel four ships at a time, with a fuelling speed of 1,500 tonnes per hour while her predecessors had a speed of 300 per hour.
She is also equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, medical facilities and storage spaces.
The ship has taken part in several operations representing the Indian Navy.

The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is more than 2,500 years old.
Both countries have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction. In recent years, the relationship has been marked by close contacts at all levels.

Diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka are marked by visits of high level Government functionaries. A notable diplomatic event in the recent past was our Indian Prime Minister’s address to the Sri Lankan parliament in 2015
India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was established in 1992. The commission facilitates discussions relating to bilateral affairs of both the countries India and Sri Lanka signed a civilian nuclear energy deal in 2015. The agreement aims at cooperation to explore nuclear energy for peaceful purposes

India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2010. India is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner
India is the source of one of the largest foreign direct investments in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also a potential source of foreign investment in India

India and Sri Lanka conducts one of the largest joint Military exercises called ‘Mitra Shakthi‘
India and Sri Lanka conducts joint Naval exercise called ‘SLINEX‘
India is the largest provider of defence training program to Sri Lankan soldiers and Defence officials
India, Sri Lanka and Maldives signed a trilateral maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
The cooperation aims at improving surveillance, anti-piracy operations and reducing maritime pollution

India and Sri Lanka signed a cultural cooperation agreement back in 1977
India Sri Lanka foundation was setup in 1998. It aims at technical, scientific, cultural and educational cooperation by engaging civil society organizations of both the countries
India cultural centre in Colombo promotes Indian culture by providing courses in Indian music, dance, yoga etc.,
India provides scholarships to qualified Sri Lankan students in Undergraduate and research studies
Tourism is one of the important areas of cooperation. Sri Lankan tourists are one of the top ten visitors to India
Sri Lanka is also a partner in Nalanda university project of India

India shares a common cultural and security space with the countries in the South Asian region especially Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s location in the Indian Ocean region as an island State has been of strategic geopolitical relevance to several major powers.
As a prominent Asian nation with critical national interests in South Asia, India has a special responsibility to ensure peace and stability in its closest neighbourhood.
India should shed its big brother image and actively take part to rebuild the war-torn country.
India needs the support of Sri Lanka to emerge as a Blue water navy in the Indian Ocean and also in pursuing the permanent membership in United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
China’s string of pearl’s strategy is aimed at encircling India to establish dominance in the Indian Ocean.
Post 2015, Sri Lanka still relies heavily on China for the Port city project and for continuation of Chinese funded infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s location can thus serve both commercial and industrial purposes and be used as a military base.

In recent years, China has extended billions of dollars of loans to the Sri Lankan government for new infrastructure projects, which is not good for India’s strategic depth in Indian Ocean Region.
Sri Lanka also handed over the strategic port of Hambantota, which is expected to play a key role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, to China on a 99-year lease.
The opposition parties and trade unions in Sri Lanka have already dubbed the port deal as a sellout of their country’s national assets to China.
China has also supplied arms as well as provide huge loans to Sri Lanka for its development.
China also invested sufficiently in the infrastructure of Sri Lanka, which included building of Colombo international container terminal by China Harbor Corporation.
However, the relation between Sri Lanka and India are improving. In order to allay Indian concerns that the Hambantota port will not be used for military purposes, the Sri "