30th IMBL meeting held onboard SLNS Sayurala

The annual International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) meeting between the representatives of Navies of both India and Sri Lanka held onboard SLNS Sayurala at the Indo-sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Line off Kankesanthurai on May 24.

The Sri Lankan delegation headed by Commander Northern Naval Area, Rear Admir al Merril Wickramasinghe also included Deputy Area Commander (North Central Naval Area), Commodore Sanath Uthpala, Director Naval Operations, Commodore Sanjeewa Dias, Defence Advisor to Sri Lankan High Commission in India, Commodore Suresh De Silva and Deputy Director General Coast Guard, Commodore Y.M.G.B. Jayathilaka.

Meanwhile, the Indian delegation was headed by Flag Officer Tamil Nadu Area (FOTNA) Rear Admiral K.J. Kumar. Defence Advisor to the High Commission of India in Colombo Captain Ashok Rao, and other distinguished guests from both parties also took part in the event.

The IMBL meeting is held to strengthen relationship and operational readiness between the navies and Coast Guard personnel of two neighbouring countries.

During its 30th sitting, matters related to optimization of patrolling in Indian region by the Indian authorities, educating Indian fishermen by the Indian authorities on minimizing illegal practices, establishing of a proper communication network between both the parties for minimizing of smuggling activities in the region and introduction of an Information sharing mechanism between two countries were discussed at length. Mementos were also exchanged to mark the significance of this occasion.