The Indian Navy has deployed four more warships to support relief efforts in cyclone-hit regions of Sri Lanka as part of the ongoing Operation Sagar Bandhu, which aims to provide urgent Search & Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) aid to the island nation.
The deployment includes INS Gharial and three Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels — LCU 54, LCU 51, and LCU 57 — tasked with delivering nearly 1,000 tons of essential relief supplies to affected coastal areas.
According to Defence Ministry, the three LCUs arrived in Colombo on the morning of 7 December 2025, where they handed over critical humanitarian material to Sri Lankan authorities. INS Gharial is expected to dock at Trincomalee on 8 December 2025, continuing India’s assistance mission.
Earlier, INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya had provided immediate relief support, including helicopter-borne search-and-rescue operations.
The latest deployment highlights the deep people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka and reinforces the Indian Navy’s commitment to offering swift humanitarian support to its neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
