The official taking over ceremony of P 625 ship to Sri Lanka Navy from the People's Republic of China was held under the patronage of Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenna at the Shanghai Dockyard in China on 5th June 2019.

Accordingly, the ship was officially handed over to Commanding Officer of P 625 Captain Nalindra Jayasinghe by the Director General of Equipment and Technical Cooperation Bureau of Chinese Army (Navy) Major General Fan Jianjun.

This ship built in 1994, is 112m long and 12.4 in width and bears a displacement capacity of 2300 tons. A crew of 18 officers and 110 sailors are onboard the ship. Once the ship is joined the SLN fleet, she will be utilized to patrol and surveillance missions in the deep seas around Sri Lanka providing the maritime security and assistance to search and rescue operations.

The ceremony was attended by Defence Advisor to the Sri Lankan embassy in China Brigadier Kalpa Sanjeewa, a host of senior Sri Lankan Naval officers and the crew of the ship.

The ship is scheduled to set sail for Sri Lanka on June 14 and expected to reach the island by the end of June.