Philippine Navy's BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) (Photo courtesy of Navy Public Affairs Office)
MANILA --- Two Philippine Navy (PN) ships bound for the Middle East made history as the first Filipino naval vessels to make a stop at the East Container Terminal in The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The two Navy ships, the offshore patrol vessel BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) and the landing vessel BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602), left Pier 13 of Manila South Harbor on January 13 to help in the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers affected by the tensions in the Middle East.
Dubbed as the Naval Task Force (NTF) 82 “Oplan Pagbabalik”, the contingent is the PN’s support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Joint Task Force, “Pagpauli,” said PN public affairs office chief, Lt. Commander Maria Christina Roxas.
The layover was intended for refueling and reprovisioning only but Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) desired to host it as official visit as it was the first time for PN ships and personnel to pass by this territory and traverse the Indian Ocean, she added.
The NTF 82 headed by Marine Colonel Noel Beleran was accorded a welcome ceremony by counterparts from SLN Western Naval Area (WNA). The party then set to pay courtesy to the WNA commander, Rear Admiral Sumith Ananda Weerasinghe.
Other confidence-building activities were shipboard tour, cultural show, basketball game and reciprocal dinners.
Roxas said the visit was another milestone for the Philippines-Sri Lanka relations that was established in 1961 and recently being sustained and enhanced by naval diplomacy.
In April 2019, the SLN ship P626 made its first-time goodwill visit to Manila.
The historic sail on Indian Ocean by PN ships validates its status as a Navy that is now capable to sustain operations across open oceans. (PNA)
