Visakhapatnam: SLINEX 26 opens and NIRMaL Sagar launches amid grief over Melbourne loss
Visakhapatnam was at the centre of significant maritime and environmental developments this week. Sri Lankan Naval Ship Sindurala arrived at the port city for the 13th edition of the bilateral SLINEX exercise, while a multi-agency programme called NIRMaL Sagar was launched to track and map marine litter along the coastline. The city also received sorrowful news from Australia — two Visakhapatnam residents, Ramadevi and her daughter-in-law Bommali Neha, were killed in a road accident in Melbourne.
🗳️ SLINEX 26 opens at Visakhapatnam port
Sri Lankan Naval Ship Sindurala arrived at Visakhapatnam on September 20, 2026, marking the start of the 13th edition of SLINEX, the bilateral naval exercise conducted jointly by India and Sri Lanka. The Indian Navy announced the ship's arrival on Sunday, signalling the formal opening of this year's exercise. SLINEX, now in its thirteenth edition, is a recurring bilateral exercise between the two neighbouring nations designed to deepen maritime cooperation and interoperability between their respective naval forces. The arrival of INS Sindurala at Visakhapatnam underscores the continuing significance that both India and Sri Lanka place on their naval partnership. Visakhapatnam serves as the host port for SLINEX 26, providing the venue for the joint drills and training activities that define the exercise. The Indian Navy's prompt public communication of the ship's arrival highlights the importance attached to this bilateral engagement. As the thirteenth edition of the exercise, SLINEX 26 represents a maturing tradition of regular naval contact and joint preparedness between India and Sri Lanka. The exercise brings together naval personnel from both countries for coordinated activities designed to strengthen their collective maritime capacity. Visakhapatnam's role as the host for SLINEX 26 reflects its standing as one of India's foremost naval centres on the eastern seaboard. [6]
🤝 NIRMaL Sagar to map marine litter along Vizag coast
A programme called NIRMaL Sagar has been launched in Visakhapatnam with the aim of tracking and mapping marine litter along the city's coast. Reporting by The New Indian Express on September 20, 2026 states that the programme will help authorities identify specific locations requiring regular clean-up intervention, and enable the planning of targeted prevention measures. The initiative brought together a wide range of government, academic, and maritime security institutions at its launch. Prof. G P Raja Sekhar, Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University, attended the programme alongside G Sreenivasa Rao, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The Indian Navy was represented by Rear Admiral Gokul Krishna Datta, Chief Staff Officer of the Southern Naval Command. The Indian Coast Guard's participation was marked by the presence of Inspector General Anurag Kaushik, Chief of Staff at the Headquarters Coast Guard Command. Vivekananda Pai, Secretary of VIBHA, was also present at the launch. The gathering of officials from academia, the central government, the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard, and VIBHA signals a broad, multi-agency commitment to addressing the problem of marine litter in Visakhapatnam. NIRMaL Sagar will generate data to inform where and how clean-up efforts are directed, bringing a systematic, evidence-based approach to maintaining the health of the city's coastal waters. [4]
Two Visakhapatnam women die in Melbourne road accident
Two women from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh died in a road accident in Melbourne, Australia, on the night of Wednesday, September 17, 2026. Ramadevi, aged 67, and her daughter-in-law Bommali Neha, aged 33, were killed when a speeding Porsche collided with the Toyota car in which they were travelling. The news was reported by ETV Bharat on September 18, 2026. The deaths of Ramadevi and Bommali Neha have been deeply felt by those who knew them in Visakhapatnam. The two women, a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law travelling together, are among the Visakhapatnam families who maintain ties with the Indian community in Australia. Ramadevi was 67 years old at the time of her death, and Bommali Neha was 33. The collision involved a speeding Porsche striking the Toyota car in which they were travelling in Melbourne. The sudden and violent nature of the accident made the loss especially devastating for their family. The news of their deaths reached Visakhapatnam, where the community mourns the passing of two of its members who died far from home in Australia. [8]
Sources: [6] ANI News · [4] The New Indian Express · [8] ETV Bharat