In June 2024, India and Sri Lanka launched a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). It was launched during the external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka.
- The MRCC comprises a main centre at the Sri Lanka Navy headquarters in Colombo and a sub-centre in Hambantota.
- Built with a grant of $6 million from India, the MRCC includes seven unmanned installations at strategic locations across Sri Lanka’s coastline – Galle, Arugambay, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kallarawa, Point Pedro and Mollikulam.
- The MRCC, established by state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), will serve as the nerve centre for search and rescue operations at the sea.
- A memorandum of understanding for the centre was signed in March 2022, and Sri Lankan Navy teams have been trained by BEL in Bengaluru and Colombo to operate the MRCC.
