SLNS Sayura

SLNS Sayura is the former flagship and an offshore patrol vessel of the Sri Lanka Navy.
She was formerly, a of the Indian Navy sold to Sri Lanka in 2000. She was upgraded with new armament in India before being delivered to the Sri Lanka Navy. India also committed to providing maintenance and refit of the ship.

Operations

Sayura was tasked with deep-sea patrolling both within the Sri Lankan territorial waters and in international waters to curb arms smuggling by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. During the 4th Ealam war after undergoing a major refit in India, Sayura, along with other OPVs of the Sri Lanka Navy, successfully intercepted several ships smuggling arms for the LTTE. In all these cases the ships were sunk when the LTTE Sea Tigers attacked the naval vessels with mortars. Sayura also participated in the Cadex 2009 military training exercises with the Indian Navy after the war ended.
In 2017, it sailed to Langkawi to take part in LIMA 2017 with a detachment of the newly formed Marine battalion.

The first Sri Lankan Navy officer to Captain the ship was then Captain SMAJ Perera USP, psc.
Since then it has been commanded by:

Commissioned 10 April 1991, INS Sarayu served with the Indian Navy until she was sold to Sri Lanka on 1 November 2000.