The Australian Naval Ship HMAS ‘Melbourne’ which arrived in Sri Lanka on a goodwill visit took part in a Passage Exercise code named ‘PASSEX’ with SLNS ‘Sagara’ in the seas off Galle on Tuesday.

The Navy Headquarters said that the ship, Adelaide Class guided missile frigate (FFG) heading home after a successful visit to the Island Nation paved way for the strengthening of bilateral relationships of the two countries and mutual co-operation between the two Navies.

“The exercise was designed to promote bilateral cooperation and stability, greater interoperability between the two Navies, mainly focusing on the issues related to piracy and illegal human trafficking. It provided opportunity for both Navies to rehearse the concept of joint naval operations and to enhance own skills,” the navy said. (Picture courtesy: SL Navy)