Sri Lanka President and Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces Maithripala Sirisena commissioned the Offshore Patrol Vessel P625 on Thursday, August 22, 2019, gifted to the Sri Lanka Navy from China as SLNS Parakramabahu.
Chinese P625 Frigate Gifted to Sri Lanka
Subsequently, the ceremony saw the Commanding Officer of the ship, Captain Nalindra Jayasinghe receiving the Commissioning Warrant from His Excellency the President - the Chief Guest of the event. Thereupon, the Commanding Officer of the ship read out the Commissioning Warrant pledging his bounden duty in safeguarding the interests of the nation with full of respect and honour.
Afterwards, His Excellency the President flanked by the Commander of the Navy, got an onboard ship and unveiled the ship’s crest and name board among the blessings of religious dignitaries, to designate the new AOPV as Sri Lanka Navy Ship (SLNS) ‘Parakramabahu’. Further, the President together with distinguished guests also went onto inspect the facilities and instrument fitted onboard the vessel and he was briefed on the advanced technological instrument of the ship by Commander of the Navy.
This vessel which was previously owned by the People’s Liberation Army Navy(PLAN) of China, was officially handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy, during a ceremony held at Shanghai, China on 5th June 2019. The 112m long and 12.4m wide ship which was built in 1991 and commissioned in 1994, has the maximum speed of 25 knots as well. Besides, it has a displacement of 2300 tons and the ship’s crew is consists of 18 officers and 92 sailors.
The new vessel will be attached to the Eastern Naval Command of Sri Lanka Navy based in Trincomalee, in eastern Sri Lanka. The ship will be utilized as an offshore patrol vessel for patrol and surveillance missions in the deep seas around the island, providing the maritime security and assistance to search and rescue operations.
The Type 053H2G was slightly larger than the Type 053H2 and equipped with HQ-61B surface-to-air missiles (SAM). Four Type 053H2G were built between 1988 and 1991. Some sources claim they were called Type 055 and uprated with HQ-7 SAMs;[2] the alternate designation may have been confused with the Type 053H2G's development designation. Named after a great Sri Lankan King Parakramabahu, the frigate is 112 meters long and 12.4 meters wide, has a full displacement of 2,300 tons and can carry 110 officers and sailors.
